Atlanta named finalist for hall

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR has narrowed the possible sites for its first official Hall of Fame to Atlanta, Charlotte or Daytona Beach, Fla., and expects to pick a winning city by the end of March.

"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," Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president for licensing, said in a statement.

The decision eliminates Richmond, Va., and Kansas City., Kan., from consideration.

Last year, NASCAR officials toured the five cities that submitted bids for the Hall of Fame.

The stock car racing series has said it wants the attraction to appeal to both old and new race fans.

The Kansas City group noticed that the remaining cities are part of the "deeply embedded culture of NASCAR racing."

That includes Daytona Beach. The city is home to NASCAR's headquarters and the ISC-owned Daytona International Speedway. The 2.5-mile track hosts the Daytona 500 - the biggest race of the year - and Daytona USA, a NASCAR-themed interactive museum, is on its property.

Atlanta and Charlotte, meanwhile, both have popular tracks that are owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., the top rival to ISC.

Atlanta's bid for the Hall of Fame was stacked with corporate backing, and many of NASCAR's top sponsors are based in that city.