Waltrip title car among early reveal of Hall items

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With the checkered flag in sight for grand opening, the NASCAR Hall of Fame kicked off a 50-day countdown of news announcements and sneak peeks into the 150,000-square-foot interactive entertainment attraction. A recap of reveals for March 22-28:

About the Hall

The Hall of Fame will bring NASCAR's history to life and preserves that history in the appropriate environments. The facility will allow fans to have the opportunity to relive the sport's greatest moments.

• More on the Hall of Fame
• Inaugural class special

Monday, March 22
• 50 days until opening: Darrell Waltrip's championship-winning car

The first item announced in the 50-day countdown was Darrell Waltrip's championship-winning No. 11 Buick. Waltrip drove the iconic, green-and-white stock car to back-to-back Cup Series championships in 1981 and 1982, the first two of three championships in his famed career. The No. 11 is one of 18 stock cars featured on Glory Road inside the main entrance of the Hall. A banked ramp simulating various race tracks, Glory Road also highlights 40 current and historic tracks and mimics various degrees of banking at race tracks including the impressive 33-degree incline at Talladega.

• Waltrip's championship car added to Hall

Tuesday, March 23
• 49 days until opening: Artifacts from 1949 representing Lee Petty

Lee Petty, inaugural inductee Richard Petty's father, began racing in 1949 at the age of 35. One of the many items highlighting his career at the Hall of Fame is his first NASCAR competitor's license, which was issued on June 17, 1949 -- just two days before the inaugural Strictly Stock race. Later that year, Lee Petty earned his first career win and the first of more than 260 victories for the famed Petty Enterprises. That first trophy also will be on display in the Hall. The victory came on Oct. 2, 1949 at Heidelberg (Pa.) Speedway.

Wednesday, March 24
• 48 days until opening: 1948 rule book

The first NASCAR race was held on Daytona's beach course on Feb. 15, 1948. Six days after the inaugural event on Feb. 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was incorporated. Guests visiting the Hall will be able to view a copy of the first NASCAR "rule book" from 1948. It actually was more like a rule page; it is only a two-sided sheet of paper. Today's Sprint Cup Series rule book is 156 pages.

Thursday, March 25
• 47 days until opening: Big Bill's office chair

One of the most sacred areas of the Hall is the Hall of Honor where inductees will be enshrined, celebrated and honored. Bill France, founder and former president of NASCAR, is one of five inaugural year inductees who will have an extensive exhibit in the Hall of Honor. These exhibits will be unveiled on May 23 after the Inaugural Induction Ceremony. One of the many items in France's exhibit is his office chair.

In 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR was formed. The first office for the racing organization took up a small space above a bank on Main St. in Daytona Beach. In the early 1950s, the team relocated to a large house on Peninsula Drive, formerly the home and office of a physician. With the NASCAR sport growing, the final move came in 1959 when the office was relocated to the now well-known Daytona International Speedway. The succession between NASCAR then and NASCAR now is a vast one. But during the early years, Big Bill's chair most certainly made the succession of moves with him as well.

Friday, March 26
• 46 days until opening: Junior Johnson's 1953 Darlington trophy

Junior Johnson not only has 50 wins as a driver and six championships as a car owner, but he also racked up 46 poles during his driving career for 10th place on the all-time pole list for the Cup Series. The Hall will feature the trophy Junior won in a modified race at Darlington in 1953. It was the first time he raced on asphalt and on a large track, but Johnson, barely 22 years old, beat the sport's best.

Saturday, March 27
• 45 days until opening: Bobby Allison's band uniform

Bobby Allison won the 1983 Cup Series championship at the age of 45 years, 11 months, 17 days -- making him the oldest driver to win a NASCAR premier series championship. But when he was just 7 years old, he played in band like any other kid. Guests will be able to view the actual band uniform he wore as a child.

Sunday, March 28
• 44 days until opening: Bill Elliott's driver uniform

Bill Elliott has 44 career wins in NASCAR's premier division. The Hall has a driver uniform from Elliott's 2001 season, the year he and Ray Evernham brought Chrysler back into the Cup Series.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame team will continue to reveal one feature of the facility daily at www.NASCARHall.com/50days.

Fans also are invited to participate in a 50-day countdown contest on Twitter. A trivia question will be posted each morning on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Twitter page (@NASCARHall). The fan who posts the first correct response to @NASCARHall will win a NASCAR Hall of Fame prize pack.