When NASCAR’s Hall of Fame opens in May of 2010, the current king of motorsports will join halls of fame from almost all of the major sports as a fitting place to honor its evolution into the most popular form of automobile racing in America and its most noteworth­y stars — the top drivers, crew chiefs, owners and other dignitaries who have contributed so much to the industry over the years.

Why NASCAR has waited so long to create such a facility, however, is a question for debate. After all, the organization stuck its tender roots into the sandy soil of Daytona Beach more than 60 years ago. And since that time, the sport has grown to become arguably the most popular form of racing in the world. While Formula One fans might want to argue that statement, F1 events draw comparatively small numbers when matched against the large audiences attracted by most NASCAR races.

In addition, the six decades of NASCAR have produced a number of stars, many becoming household names such as Richard Petty (seven titles, 200 wins), Junior Johnson (50 wins), David Pearson (105 wins), Cale Yarborough (83 wins), Bobby Allison (84 wins), Darrell Waltrip (84 wins), Dale Earnhart, Sr. (76 wins) and Jeff Gordon (82 wins and still active), to name just a few. Some, like Johnson, competed in earlier times when drivers honed their racing reflexes running moonshine on dirt roads in the mountains of the south.

The sport, too, has grown because of talented crew chiefs, successful car owners, major sponsors and others associated with NASCAR’s evolution to the industry’s best-known super tracks such as Charlotte and, of course, the venue that hosts the biggest race of all, Daytona, home of the prestigious 500.

In minds of most drivers, a win at Daytona is the ultimate goal. The late Dale Earnhart, in spite of his seven titles, felt there was a hole in his resume until he finally recorded a victory at the track before an accident took his life a few years later.

But even though the NASCAR Hall of Fame is a Johnny-come-lately in the world of halls of fame, it should be a must-visit when race fans travel to Charlotte for business or pleasure. The new facility, when it’s completed, will have a theater, display areas, Glory Road (a ramp that leads to the second floor and features 15-18 historic cars and 40 former and current tracks), a room with artifacts, a Hall of Honor where the greats of NASCAR will be inducted, racing and transporter simulators, Heritage Speedway with galleries telling the story of NASCAR’s long, rich and sometimes troubled history, a space in which fans can remember drivers who are now racing in a venue far removed from concrete walls, restrictor plates, angry crew chiefs, dysfunctional pit crews and other earthly boundaries, a restaurant and retail outlets and, finally, a TV studio and NASCAR newsroom.

Now, to earn entry to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is being built adjacent to the Charlotte Convention Center, candidates will have to earn enough votes from the 47-member voting committee to be among the top five inducted each year. Already, 25 candidates have been nominated for that first class including Petty, Johnson, Waltrip and Earnhart. A number of team owners have also been nominated including Richard Childress, one of the most successful team owners of all time.

NASCAR, of course, has established criteria for election to the hall. Drivers and non-drivers alike must be retired for a minimum of three years before being considered, they must have been involved in the industry for at least 10 years and their contributions to the sport must be exceptional.

The voting committee, by the way, is made up of the 20-member nominating committee plus 14 selected media reps, representatives from car manufacturers Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota, three retired drivers and a like number of retired crew chiefs — and one fan.

That should be sufficient to nominate a good cross-section of drivers, owners, crew chiefs and other key players associated with NASCAR. However, expect to see more driver nominations on the annual list of candidates than any other NASCAR types.

After all, fans watch drivers compete in almost 40-car fields in evenly-matched, high-powered sedans. Names like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhart, Jr., Tony Stewart and perhaps a half-dozen others currently enjoying star status will someday be nominated and probably elected to the newly-formed NASCAR Hall of Fame after their driving days are over.

And expect to see the names of successful car owners like Joe Gibbs, who won three Super Bowl titles as a coach with the Redskins and is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, and Jack Roush of engine building fame among future inductees to the hall.

Unfortunately, since many of the NASCAR drivers of the early years have passed away — Richard Petty’s father, Lee, comes to mind — a number of the stars instrumental in placing the industry on the racing map will receive their long overdue honors posthumously.

Still, for sports fan of all types, the NASCAR Hall of Fame might just be a must-visit venue when it finally opens its doors next year.

And, from the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, which is a popular venue for lovers of all things baseball, sports fans could make the drive down to Charlotte in just a couple of days to tour the new NASCAR facility. Two very diverse sports halls of fame in less than a week: priceless.

If you have an idea for a column or feature story or a comment, contact me by e-mail at jwalker@newsregister.com or by phone at (503) 472-5114, ext. 333.