NASCAR HOF losses reach $1 million

The NASCAR Hall of Fame lost $187,983 in January, pushing its cumulative loss for the fiscal year to $1.03 million. The hall's total attendance for the month was 23,177, which includes nearly 12,000 people who visited for free during a one-week open house. Before the hall opened in May, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority projected the hall would have a surplus of roughly $700,000 for its first year. But that budget has since been revised, and the CRVA now forecasts a loss of $1.29 million for fiscal year 2011. The good news for the CRVA is that the hall's financial performance is now matching the revised budget. In its revised budget, the CRVA had projected a loss of $1.07 million through January. That means the hall is slightly ahead of its new budget. The hall probably will have two more lean months in February and March before crowds grow again in April, May and June. Charlotte Observer