Carolina legislature assists NASCAR Hall of Fame bid

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The General Assembly agreed Thursday to allow the Charlotte area to raise its hotel tax to help pay for a proposed NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Without debate, the House voted 92-18 to give Mecklenburg County the right to raise its occupancy tax from 6 percent to 8 percent.

The tax already has the Senate's approval and now becomes law. It's designed to generate about half of the money needed for a proposed $137.5 million bid by North Carolina to bring the hall to Charlotte.

Daytona Beach, Fla., Atlanta, Kansas City and Richmond, Va., also are in the running for the hall. NASCAR's bid deadline is Tuesday.

About $65 million generated by the tax would help finance the museum and a new ballroom for the Charlotte convention center, next to the proposed site.

The hotel tax increase wouldn't be permitted unless NASCAR chose Charlotte.

* Officials wih Virginia Racing for the Hall of Fame this month announced its proposal for the hall would cost an estimated $103 million, have 68,000 feet of exhibit area and require a 20-acre tract of land. The group's economic analysis suggested the hall would attract 700,000 fans in its first year.