If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, the same must be said about opinions.

And the beholders eyeing NASCAR's glistening new jewel will vary more than Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, as will their opinions about NASCAR's Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte.

I started watching and listening to NASCAR races in the mid '70s, attended my first race in 1980, worked as a pit reporter for the first time in 1984 and have been fortunate enough to work inside the fences since 1990.

What I'm looking for in my NASCAR Hall of Fame experience is different than my next door neighbor, or the casual fan who occasionally watches races on television, or the dedicated fan who loads his RV for a trek to Talladega but has never once stepped foot inside the garage area. The beauty is this Hall has a dose of it all.

What I'm looking for in my NASCAR Hall of Fame experience is different than my next door neighbor, or the casual fan who occasionally watches races on television, or the dedicated fan who loads his RV for a trek to Talladega but has never once stepped foot inside the garage area.

The beauty is this Hall has a dose of it all.

Before you listen to anyone's opinion of the Hall or form one of your own, consider the challenge of encapsulating more than 60 years of a sport so rich in personality, monumental events, unlikely triumphs, unspeakable tragedies and mach speed growth. Then try to compress and present it to an audience ranging in age from 1 to 100.

Consider the Hall as a place of introduction. Many who visit the Hall may have never even seen a NASCAR race live or on television and are just curious about all the fuss. I suspect many uptown Charlotte workers fall into this category.

Consider the Hall as a place of education. Between the videos, replicated NASCAR inspection bays and literature throughout the tour, it is a virtual crash course in history.

Consider the Hall as a place of entertainment. There are enough exhibits and interactive displays to keep young children -- and those who are young at heart -- occupied for an hour. The film at the start of the tour is damn near worth the price of admission alone.

Consider the Hall as a place of recognition. Only the greatest will be inducted into the Hall, but all who have contributed, from the founding fathers to today's international mega-stars, are acknowledged in some manner.

Consider the Hall as a business. The number of masters the Hall executive staff must serve is endless: NASCAR itself, local and state politicos, city and regional officials who created a hotel/motel tax in preparation for escalated traffic because of the Hall attraction. And never forget the Hall lives in the shadows of towering buildings filled with Bank of America and Wachovia-Wells Fargo executives who creatively funded the project.

Everyone will want a little more of something from the Hall because of personal preference. I personally want a larger dose of history, things I have never seen. My hope is that as the Hall ages, more items will be released by those who are holding them so dear. I also look forward to the exhibits that will be created each year to freshen up the experience and keep me coming back.

The great thing is that I know I will be back time and time again.

Ty Norris is vice president and general manager of Michael Waltrip Racing. He has worked within the NASCAR industry with MWR, Speedway Motorsports Inc., Dale Earnhardt Inc. and RJ Reynolds since 1990. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.