Motorsports

“Race City USA” Cements Image With Walk Of Fame

Richard Petty did not want a racing Walk of Fame to have stars.

The NASCAR legend was approached about the concept of a sidewalk tribute to racing heroes after civic leaders in Mooresville, also known as “Race City USA”, came up with the idea. Petty enthusiastically supported the plan, but didn’t want to see a carbon copy of that ‘other’ Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

“He said he wanted some sort of steering wheel, or loop, to represent racing”, said racing industry veteran John Dodson.

So with King Richard’s approval and advice, the North Carolina Auto Racing Walk of Fame was born. It was unveiled in May of 2009 along the 200 block of North Main Street in Mooresville, a permanent tribute to the thirteen inductees of the NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame, which is also in Mooresville.

The names on the granite and terrazzo markers represent the best of the best in auto racing; names like Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, and the late Dale Earnhardt. Between them, the 13 honorees have more than 900 racing wins between them.  Future Hall of Fame inductees will also get a marker, as organizers plan to keep adding them each year along North Main Street. The 40-inch-by-40-inch plaques include the driver’s name, picture, year of induction into the Hall of Fame, and number of career wins.

While the Walk of Fame is Mooresville’s newest racing-based attraction, it certainly isn’t its only one. Besides the aforementioned Hall of Fame, Mooresville is home to Dale Earnhardt Inc., Penske Racing, JR Motorsports, and dozens of other race shops, as well as racing-based businesses such as the NASCAR Technical Institute. Mooresville leaders came up with the “Race City USA” moniker years ago to emphasize the ties between the town (about 30 miles north of Charlotte) and its favorite industry.

“Racing, as we know it, all started here in North Carolina”, said Ron Johnson, chairman of the Mooresville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. “As long as we can, we need to preserve the heritage of motorsports.”

Now, that sentiment is “set in stone” on Mooresville’s Main Street.

added: October 6, 2009

updated: November 16, 2009