Mark Dyer Quotations

When it came right down to it, I think the heritage of the sport meant a lot.

Obviously, we're getting closer. At some point in the calendar, we have to have negotiations with the one it comes down to.

Based upon the proposals that we have reviewed internally for the past several months, we believe these three cities provide us with the best opportunity to build and develop a world-class NASCAR Hall of Fame for our millions of loyal fans.

West Virginia has long been a hotbed for NASCAR. It is certainly one of the top states in the country in terms of fan support. The ONMC is all about bringing NASCAR to the cities and towns across America. NASCAR fans all across America are gravitating toward the local chapters and the Charleston chapter has been a leader in this area.

It is a licensing deal. Although I wouldn't call this a standard licensing deal.

Our brand is really our business and our livelihood. It is our hall of fame, so we certainly wouldn't want some content going in that we felt was detrimental to the sport and what it was all about.

NASCAR is extremely appreciative of the time, effort and commitment put forth by the cities of Kansas City and Richmond. Both of their proposals were outstanding and the passion and enthusiasm the people involved showed for the NASCAR Hall of Fame has made a lasting impression on all of us.

NASCAR continues to attract more and more female fans. They are an enthusiastic and loyal group who possess a unique intensity in regards to the sport. The new NASCAR Harlequin titles should be a real attraction for this segment of our fans.

We could have taken a bit more time in getting this done, but it's not like an Olympic process where you don't talk to the city for another 12 years. We have two big races a year at Richmond International Raceway. The last thing we want to do is string them along; we couldn't do that in good conscience.

You fall in love with these cities, and there wasn't one dud in the process, even though we thought there might be. I think RIR and Richmond have been elevated as NASCAR went through this.

We think that would probably go beyond the bounds of good taste.

Both of their proposals were outstanding and the passion and enthusiasm the people involved showed for the NASCAR Hall of Fame has made a lasting impression on all of us.

The spirit of the NASCAR fan has never been more evident than with the establishment of the Official NASCAR Members Club local chapters. Bringing NASCAR to a fan's hometown is one of the great benefits that the ONMC offers. Through the unfolding of this grassroots process, fans from all corners of America will now have a better opportunity to follow the sport in a more meaningful way.

The one thing Charlotte has been lacking is a real tourism magnet. This provides it. This is the tipping point for Charlotte being the Hollywood of NASCAR.

Add all that up, and fans can spend a whole week in Charlotte and really experience the sport and its history. It puts an exclamation point on the experience.

There were times when he started looking a little frailer, but mentally he never became frail. Mentally, he never stopped charging. He was still working until the last minute, and that's the way he wanted it.

As we move forward in this process, we believe it is necessary to focus our attention on the three cities of Atlanta, Charlotte and Daytona Beach. Based upon the proposals that we have reviewed internally for the past several months, we believe these three cities provide us with the best opportunity to build and develop a world-class NASCAR Hall of Fame for our millions of loyal fans.

It's a very attractive option for us and we'd like to see that we could make that happen. We think it could make quite a statement for us to be able to receive visitors and clients in a building connected to a world-class Hall of Fame. That's not an insignificant part of the deal.

It's a competitive market and we're seeing more of an educated customer that has looked on the Internet and become astute as to what they want. If they're going to spend money, they want quality.

The ballroom is a terrific feature. Induction banquets will be held there, as well as other NASCAR official events. The banquet hall is owned by the city and run by the city, so lots of non-NASCAR events will be held in banquet hall, too. They really need a facility of this size.

It's difficult because everyone wants to know why. It's about the cities still in the process, and it's frustrating to not be able to talk more freely about it. (Richmond and Kansas City) both had proposals that were credible, and you could visualize it working. But it's a question of who presents the best overall approach of the five.

By the time this building opens, we'll have 61 or 62 years of racing in our history, so how many people do you induct in your charter class? Too many wouldn't be meaningful. How high is the bar for induction?

Checkers/Rally's officially licensed NASCAR Burgers are a great example of NASCAR expanding its relationship with a valued partner.

The main thing people are looking for now is energy-efficient homes. All of our homes have refrigerated air. Evaporative units are not as efficient, and building an energy-efficient quality home is the right thing to do.

The induction process has to have the highest integrity among fans, drivers, teams sponsors. Everybody in the sport has to view this as highly credible. I think the bar (for induction) will be pretty high.