One visit and it's clear, Hall of Fame a brilliant facility

Move over Cooperstown and Canton, there's a new sheriff in town.

Just a few minutes into a sneak peak of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, it was obvious -- this is hands down, without any doubt whatsoever the nicest and most modern memorial in all of professional sports. Forget the hyperbole ... the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, are but rundown shacks compared to this palace.

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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There's very little to complain about, even for the most jaded of cynics. From the host of greeters to the displays themselves, this was a job done very, very well. Give yourselves a pat on the back, executive director Winston Kelley and historian Buz McKim. You've earned it.

When the NASCAR Hall of Fame was first announced, there was concern in some circles about how much of a role the sport's sponsors would play in the venture. Rest easy, old-school race fans. That's not an issue, even if you're looking for it. Sure, corporate logos are around, but only in the context of the various cars on which they're displayed.

There's little signage proclaiming this official sponsor or that. Imagine a NASCAR world in which corporate sponsorship is as low-key as possible, and it's right here. And that was just one of the amazing discoveries about the place.

The experience

Upon entering the Hall, visitors are welcomed by a virtual army of greeters and ushered to one of a handful of kiosks around the so-called Great Hall. There, guests are asked to sign in, using an issued hard card. On days when there's a crowd, the process may get a little laborious, but Wednesday, it was of little consequence.

From there, it's on to a 12-minute introductory film in the huge, 278-seat High Octane Theater. It's here that the first hint the NASCAR Hall of Fame isn't going to be one long infomercial begins to sink in. The film doesn't shy away from the sport's moonshine-soaked past, and there's no shortage of wreck footage, from Ricky Rudd's infamous flipping pirouette during the 1984 Busch Clash at Daytona to Michael McDowell's terrible crash in a 2008 qualifying session at Texas. (Continued)