HOF induction ceremony tickets on sale April 24

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tickets for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony go on sale at 10 a.m. ET April 24 through Ticketmaster. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET May 23 in the Charlotte Convention Center's Crown Ballroom at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte, N.C.

The prestigious ceremony will feature presentations about each inductee from prominent members of the NASCAR community. The highlight of the event will be the official induction of the inaugural class of 2010: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France, Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

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.

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"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it is our pleasure to invite race fans to Charlotte to share in the special day," said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "This is like being at the first induction ceremony of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 when legends like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were officially inducted. Only 3,100 people will have the chance to say they witnessed the first NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in person."

The five inaugural inductees were selected by a voting panel consisting of 50 members representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives. The group met in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 14, 2009, to vote on the induction class of 2010. The class was determined by the 51 votes cast by the panel and the nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. More than 670,000 votes were submitted online at NASCAR.COM as part of the fan voting process.

Guests should enter the event through the Caldwell Street entrance to the Charlotte Convention Center. The doors to the Crown Ballroom open at 11:30 a.m., and all guests must be seated by 12:45 p.m. Guests are encouraged to use the Charlotte Area Transit System. Limited parking will be available in the NASCAR Hall of Fame parking deck off Brevard Street.

Exhibits highlighting the life and career of each inductee will be unveiled following the ceremony in the Hall of Honor inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tickets to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opens May 11, are separate from induction ceremony tickets and can be purchased by calling (877) 231-2010 or at www.NASCARHall.com. NASCAR Hall of Fame tickets are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12 and free for children younger than 5. Charter memberships also are available starting at $25 for children and $50 for adults.

SPEED is the exclusive television home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony and will offer a full slate of programming leading up to live coverage of the induction ceremony. For more information on all of the NASCAR Hall of Fame programming on SPEED, visit www.SPEEDtv.com.