Fireball Roberts' jacket, Scott's Ford door in HOF

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NASCAR Hall of Fame opens May 11 and to celebrate the final 50 days until the opening, news is revealed each day at www.nascarhall.com/50days:

A recap of reveals for April 5-11:

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, April 5
• 36 days until opening: Photojournalist T. Taylor Warren's vest, camera and hat

The inaugural Daytona 500, held in 1959, was a literal photo finish between winner Lee Petty and runner-up Johnny Beauchamp. Veteran photographer T. Taylor Warren has long been credited for providing the photo that helped NASCAR officials determine the race winner, albeit three days later. Warren began documenting motorsports events in the late 1940s and was appointed official NASCAR photographer in 1952. He also served roles as chief photographer for Daytona International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway during his six-decade career. He passed away in October of 2008.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will feature many behind-the-scenes people like Warren. In Heritage Speedway, one complete case is dedicated to influential members of the media. Warren's photographer vest, camera and signature beat-up yellow hat will be among the many media-related artifacts on display.

Tuesday, April 6
• 35 days until opening: Jeff Gordon's childhood leather jacket and first racing helmet

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon began racing go-karts in California at the age of 5. He went on to win three quarter-midget national championships and four karting titles before becoming one of the most accomplished and well-known drivers in the word. At age 35, he earned a new title: father. He and his wife, Ingrid, welcomed Ella Sophia on June 20, 2007 and are expecting their second child this year.

On loan from John Bickford, Gordon's childhood leather jacket (circa 1976) and first racing helmet will be highlighted in the Kobalt Kids Zone in the Race Week area. The Kids Zone is an interactive, educational section of the NASCAR Hall of Fame with activities for younger guests such as a foam engine puzzle. The NASCAR Hall of Fame has several areas geared toward children including scaled-down jack, tire and fuel exhibits to allow children to experience being on a pit crew.

Wednesday, April 7
• 34 days until opening: Food Lion Speed Street includes NASCAR Hall of Fame in footprint

Food Lion Speed Street, the three-day festival scheduled for May 27-29 in Charlotte, N.C., will entertain more than 400,000 fans in a new location, which will include a pedestrian corridor along Martin Luther King Boulevard to help patrons reach the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"With the NASCAR Hall of Fame opening this year, it made complete sense to move Food Lion Speed Street and enhance the fan experience with the new venue," said Jay Howard, president of JHE Production Group Inc. and event promoter and producer. "The new footprint will provide fans with a safe route along Tryon Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard to access the NASCAR Hall of Fame as well as partake in the numerous NASCAR-related activities and musical entertainment."

Thursday, April 8
• 33 days until opening: Fireball Roberts racing jacket and contents

Perhaps the greatest driver never to win a NASCAR title and arguably stock car racing's first superstar, Edward Glenn 'Fireball' Roberts won some of NASCAR's most-famous events including the Daytona 500 (1962) and the Southern 500 (1958, '63). Fireball Roberts' jacket, last worn in April 1964 at Atlanta Raceway, will be on display in Heritage Speedway. In May 1964, Roberts was involved in an accident in the World 600 in Concord, N.C. He died 39 days later from injuries sustained in the accident.

Roberts' jacket pocket contained his lighter, garage pass and ticket/working pass. These items were found decades later by the NASCAR Hall of Fame's own historian, Buz McKim. Located in Heritage Speedway, guests can see Fireball Roberts' artifacts along with hundreds more of historical, NASCAR artifacts. The most artifact-rich area of the facility, history buffs and NASCAR novices alike can explore authentic artifacts and educational films depicting the story of NASCAR's exciting six-decade history.

Friday, April 9
• 32 days until opening: Wendell Scott's 1969 Ford door

Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to compete full time in NASCAR's premier series, had 20 top-five and 147 top-10 finishes. The door from Scott's 1969 Ford is featured in Heritage Speedway. Underfunded, Scott often made the best of second hand equipment and cars. Despite his lack of good equipment, he finished in the top 10 in points for four consecutive seasons (1966-1969) and from 1963-1970, he never finished lower than 15th in points.

His 1969 Ford door is from a car he raced that was originally a Holman Moody Fairlane driven by Parnelli Jones. Scott's driver uniform and helmet also are on display.

Saturday, April 10
• 31 days until opening: Jack Ingram's No. 11 Pontiac from the Busch Series

"Iron Man" Jack Ingram is a five-time champion in NASCAR's top feeder series. During his 1982 championship run, Ingram drove this Pontiac Grand Am on the short tracks. All of Ingram's seven wins that season came with his Pontiac Grand Am. It also provided him with four of his five victories en route to his 1985 Busch Series title. Ingram continued to race this car through the 1986 season. Guests can see Ingram's No. 11 along with 17 additional historic cars on Glory Road.

Sunday, April 11
• 30 days until opening: Tony Stewart's tuxedo and cufflinks

The tuxedo and cufflinks worn by Tony Stewart at the Winston Cup Series awards ceremony in 2002 will be on display in Heritage Speedway. It was Stewart's first visit to the prestigious head table at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. He repeated the feat in 2005 under the Sprint Cup Series banner.

He is the only driver in history to earn championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel midget, sprint and Silver Crown cars.

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.

Related:
• Items 50-44: Waltrip title car among early reveal of Hall items
• Items 43-37: Jarrett's race-day jacket, Evans No. 61 part of Hall