Charlotte Sports History Driving Tour

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The CMC-Northeast Stadium, formerly known as Intimidators Stadium and Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, is a 4,700-seat stadium that is home to the Kannapolis Intimidators—a class Low-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The team has played in the South Atlantic League under various names and team affiliations since its establishment in 1995. Dale Earnhardt partnered with the owners of the baseball team in 2000. The stadium features six luxury suites with a higher view of the field, box and reserved seat sections with chair backs, general admission bleacher seating, and a lush grassy area down the 3rd base line to accommodate the excess crowds. The stadium overall cost $6.8 million, including adjacent property, to construct. Adjusted for inflation, it would be around $10.7 million if it were built today.

2. Dale Earnhardt Sr Statue

Dale Earnhardt is widely regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time. Earnhardt lost his life in February 18, 2001, while competing in the Daytona 500. The statue of Dale Earnhardt Sr. is in his hometown of Kannapolis, NC. The 9ft tall 900-pound bronze statue, sculpted by Clyde Ross Morgan, was debuted in 2002, a year after Earnhardt’s death. The statue perfectly portrays the "working man's driver" in his Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots. Costing upwards of around $200,000 the statue reads on the left plaque, “Honoring Our / Hometown Hero / City of Kannapolis,” and on the right you can see transcribed, “In Loving Memory / Gerald L. Moore / Wesley A. Moore.”

3. Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway was constructed in 1959 and opened a year later. It is the site of major Nascar racing events each year, along with smaller events held at the track throughout the course of the year. The track is a mile and half of oval asphalt that is owned by Speedway Motor Sports Inc. The capacity of the track has changed many times over the years do to expansion and improvement but now seats around 89,000.

4. Independence High School

The Independence High School or, as it is well know as 'The Big I', was established in 1967. With a student body of a little over 2,000 students that puts it in the Southwestern 4-A Conference. With a graduation rate of 84.5%, the school is in the above average category when it comes to academics. The surprising thing is that, 'The Big I', is more well known for its superior athletic programs.

5. American Legion Memorial Stadium

American Legion Memorial Stadium is a 20,000-seat stadium. The ground was broken on the stadium in 1934 and the gates were officially opened two years later in 1936. Named in honor of local soldiers who fell in World War I, the stadium was a project of the Works Progress Administration. Considering the age of the stadium it is doubtful anyone knows the original construction cost. The Memorial Stadium is mainly used for high school sporting events and also serves as a public venue. Before the construction of nearby Bank of America Stadium in 1996, Memorial Stadium was Charlotte's largest outdoor stadium, and is still the largest public site in the city.

6. Spectrum Center, 1988-2017

Charlotte Coliseum was home to the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association, as well as the Charlotte Sting, one of the first WNBA teams in the league. The stadium was built in 1988, and opened in August of that year. It was the largest stadium built specifically to host a professional basketball team at the time, seating 24,000 people. The Coliseum hosted the 1991 NBA All Star Game and the 1994 Men's Final Four. The Coliseum struggled after the announcement that the Hornets would be relocating to New Orleans in 2001. Although the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004, the building was deemed out-of-date. The Charlotte Bobcats played at the Coliseum during the 2004-2005 season while construction was completed on Time Warner Cable Arena. The Charlotte Coliseum was demolished in 2007. In it's place, the new Spectrum Center would take over as the home arena of Charlotte sports.

7. NASCAR Hall of Fame

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is an 86,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility with over five acres of exhibits and interactive displays which not only share the history of the sport but preserves it. Exhibits allow fans the perspective of drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have shaped the sport. The NASCAR Hall of Fame includes exhibit spaces, a Hall of Honor, interactive entertainment, a restaurant, retail outlet, and a media center. There is even a race-car simulator and on rare occasions, scheduled visits from drivers.

8. Bank of America Stadium

Bank of America Stadium opened in 1996, originally known as Ericsson Stadium until naming rights were bought by Bank of America in 2004. It is currently home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The stadium and near by practice fields are located on about 30 acres of land in uptown Charlotte. The stadium site itself has access to around 30,000 parking spaces in the vicinity. It stands at a height of 211 feet and has approximately 75,500 seats available. The stadium has a hybrid Bermuda grass field with a complex channel and irrigation system that is mainly used for football purposes but was designed to house a regulation-size soccer field.

9. Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course

This was Charlotte’s first public golf course. When the construction of I-77 overwhelmed the original back nine, the front nine deteriorated over time consequentially. The county pumped $10 million into completely renovating it—adding gorgeous practice facilities and a sports academy—and they also renamed it for the Charlotte native who was the first African American golfer on the PGA Tour. Now it is an affordable nine holes, approximately five minutes from uptown.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Charlotte Sports History Driving Tour

Created by HST 231 (Marshall University) on May 3rd 2017, 8:00:36 am.

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The Charlotte Sports History Driving Tour will take you across the city showcasing all the monumental history throughout. Not only is Charlotte the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, included in this tour, but it is also very well known for its vast football and baseball history. Also included in this tour you will see places like the Carolina Panthers home field to the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course. This tour does not focus on just one specific sport in order to show the appreciation and dedication that Charlotte has always shown towards their own people and city. These are the types of things you do not want to miss when you come to the town of Charlotte.

Entries on This Tour

Charlotte Sports History Driving Tour

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