Charlotte, N.C. ? NASCAR’s first Hall of Fame will be built in downtown Charlotte, within miles of the garages and sprawling mansions that make the region an epicenter of the sport.

The selection of Charlotte for the site of the $107.5 million hall ended a yearlong race featuring four other cities. The hall is expected to lure hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans annually, and officials hope it will open in 2009.

“In the end, you look at what’s going to be best in the long run,” NASCAR chairman Brian France told a crowd of about 1,000 people at the city’s convention center Monday.

The remaining finalists were Daytona Beach, Fla., and Atlanta. Richmond, Va., and Kansas City, Kan., were eliminated earlier.

“As a guy, I’m disappointed. They decided to marry the girl next door,” Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said. “We had a lot to offer. It could have been a great marriage.”

Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory waves a checkered flag after the announcement that Charlotte will be the location of NASCAR's Hall of Fame during a news conference in Charlotte, N.C., Monday March 6, 2006.

Robin Braig, president of Daytona International Speedway, added: “It would’ve been a great show for us, but we’ll rebound from it.”

Sports-marketing experts have described the hall as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to spur tourism among NASCAR’s famously loyal fan base.

Charlotte’s proximity to the heart of the sport was cited repeatedly by supporters. Lowe’s Motor Speedway in suburban Concord is home to the longest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, and has long hosted NASCAR’s annual all-star race.

Nearly all the top race teams are headquartered in the communities north of the city, and many top drivers own luxury condominiums in downtown Charlotte or palatial homes on nearby Lake Norman. Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular drivers, lives nearby and has said Charlotte should get the hall.

Under NASCAR’s deal with Charlotte, ground is to be broken by the spring of 2007, with opening scheduled for no later than March 31, 2010.