The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 66

8E QTlff ArattBfom Sunday, April 25, 1982 4 house for memories History's great machines find a home in Hall of Fame Tf BY GEORGE SMITH, Star Senior Editor TALLADEGA The official title on the sign in front of the new construction reads "International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum." Don Naman, general manager here at Alabama International Motor Speedway, calls it "A jewel in the State of Alabama's crown." Naman also says "This is going to be the Smithsonian Institute of the automobile." Not yet open to the public, those lofty goals are in the future, but the beginning on 35 acres adjacent to the speedwav is impressive. Three of six proposed buildings in the complex are nearing completion, including the main rotunda. The other two nearing completion will contain exhibits and the hall of fame. Naman makes one point in discussing the complex that it is a hall of fame and museum with the automobile as its focus point, not automobile racing. "THE HALL OF will honor and enshrine people who have contributed to the invention and advancement of the automobile.

People like Henry Ford come to mind quickly. And it will be world-wide in scope; it will not be confined to just the United States." Naman also points out the new facility is not a speedway operation, but a State of Alabama project. "What we did was donate 35 acres of land to the state for the project," says Naman. "Yes, our management, public relations and ticket operations will be in the main rotunda, but we will be paying the state rent on the space we tise." The speedway expects to occupy its new offices in the main rotunda by mid-May. bad winter we had delayed construction," says Namah.

"We had hoped to be in the new facility for this race (Winston 500 next Sunday). Now we expect to be moving the week after the race." The main rotunda, downstairs, will be occupied by the sgeedway ticket offices, an Alabama welcome center, a gift souvenir shop (run by the state), and ticket counters for the hall of fame and bus tours of the speedway. Speedway management and public relations offices will occupy the second floor. THE TWO EXHIBIT halls nearing completion will, according to Naman, be another four or five months before exhibits are in platie and open to the public. The exhibits will be there.

A few ready include: The famed Dodge, engineered by Harry Hyde, that the late Bobby Isaac drove to a world closed course speed record on Nov. 27, 1970. The speed was set here at A passer-by's view of Hall of Fame's main building A 1974 Dodge Charger from the Richard Petty stable. Petty, still active, is racing's all-time winner with 195 wins in Grand National. A 1967 Dodge dragster that Don Garlits won the national drag racing championship in back in 1967.

Harley-Davidson motorcycle that Joe Petralli drove to a record 136.183 mph on Daytona 's white sands on March 13, 1937. Many of the items mentioned come from the Museum of Speed collection in Daytona Beach which was purchased five years ago by Bill France, the man who built and yet controls NASCAR and who also built Alabama and its sister track, Daytona. The three buildings nearing completion carry a price tag of $1.7 million with an additonal three exhibit halls expected to add another $13 million to the cost. "A year from now when the people return for the 1983 Winston 500," says Naman, "I think they'll see why all of us are extremely proud of this." AIMS and, at 201.104 miles per hour and is still the world record. The car, now on display at Sunny King Ford in Anniston, also set 27 stock car records on the Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah) that same year.

Twenty-six of those records still stand. A replica of a 1969 Ford Talladega that Donnie Allison won the World 600 in at Charlotte in 1970. Only a few of the Talladega were ever built. Allison calls Hueytown home. The Dodge Daytona Buddy Baker broke the 200-mile-per-hour barrier in at 200.004 mph.

That came here at AIMS in March of 1970. The late Sir Malcolm Campbell's famous "Bluebird" he used to exceed 300 mph on the hard sands of Daytona Beach way back in 1936. One of the late Glenn "Fireball" Roberts' famous black-and-gold Pontiacs of the early sixties. One of the dominant, drivers of his time, Roberts died of burns suffered in a fiery crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway that also involved Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. That was also in the early sixties.

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