NASCAR Hall of Fame Congers Up a Surplus

"The mystical sway" (Charlotte version).

Link to September 9 Charlotte Observer article, "Despite generating less than half of the $1.65million expected, the Hall of Fame finished the month with a small surplus, officials say".

Excerpt:   The NASCAR Hall of Fame said it generated $818,364 in revenue for July, less than the $1.65million it had projected for the month.

Despite generating less than half of the money expected, the hall said it finished the month with a small surplus of $90,196. Much of the surplus was because of bills arriving later than expected, and those expenses will probably show up in next month's financial report, said Kimberly Meesters, a hall of fame spokesperson.  [Emphasis added.]

The NASCAR Hall of Fame made $577,616 from ticket admissions from monthly attendance of 33,312 people. It also made $240,747 from other sources, including merchandise sales, hall rentals and a sponsorship payment of nearly $74,000.

As a point of comparison, Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries tallied 6,316,895 visits in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, or an average of 526,407 per month.  (Not to mention that the Middleton Public Library reports 33,755 visits for the month of August 2010.)

The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened on May 11, 2010, is owned by the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. (As of June 2010, Mecklenburg County covered 96 percent of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system’s $30 million-plus budget.)

Seems like a case of bad timing. ("Economic Slowdown Catches Up with NASCAR. New York Times, 8/9/2010)

Somewhat related article:
Pro sports two-step:  seduce, threaten to abandon.  (9/8/2010)