The Top Five NASCAR Race Shops in North Carolina

Race City USA! It's heaven to all race fans. I had the pleasure of going down to North Carolina in January 2009.

Why? No reason other than wanting to be only a glass shield away from Dale Earnhardt Jr's car, and the people who make that car go.

I am going to count down the top 5 race shops for fans to have a great race car experience.

5. Jr. Motorsports

Jr Motorsports is the perfect spot for any Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. The "Dale Jr. fan experience" is an inside look into Dale Jr.'s life.

It is filled with pictures, trophies and merchandise of the No. 88 Sprint Cup car, Brad Keselowski and the No. 88 Nationwide car and the No. 5 Go Daddy Nationwide car.

Fans can also see a wax figure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. created my Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. It was the next best thing to meeting him for me. Fans also have a large viewing window right into the race shop.

The shop is located at 349 Cayuga Drive, Mooresville, N.C.

4. Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. was a beautiful building. Dedicated to the Intimidator, its theme is black. Filled with pictures and memorabilia of everything DEI, it is a perfect place for Dale Sr. fans and DEI fans alike.

A beautiful showroom filled with some of the most memorable cars for this team.They have a store with merchandise as well.

The only downside is that there is no viewing of them working on cars. Beautiful place to visit while down there.

This is located at 1675 Dale Earnhardt Highway 3, Mooresville, N.C.

3. Penske Racing

This was the first shop I visited on my tour of North Carolina. They had a viewing window as well as an awesome catwalk, so you could look down and see the crews working on the cars.

It was a great chance to see them and what they do on the cars. They also have a really nice merchandise store. This was a very nice shop for fans to get a good view.

Located at Penske Racing South, 200 Penske Way, Mooresville, N.C.

2. Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports was a huge three part viewing. The first stop for most is the gift shop filled with merchandise and real Hendrick Motorsports cars.

They are museum cars of Hendrick's including Tim Richmond and the original car used in "Days of Thunder."

You continue on to the shops. One is of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Show cars are in the front with a slight view of the shop.

There is another shop for Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin as well. This is a Hendrick Motorsport fans dream. A great place to visit.

Located down the corner from Lowes Motor Speedway.

2. Joe Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing has a great souvenir store with exclusive merchandise. Glass cabinets are filled with memorablila for each driver and sponsor, as well as one dedicated to Coach Gibbs.

You can also view them working on the cars as well. JGR is tied for second with Hendrick Motorsports. A great race shop.

Located at 13415 Reese Blvd. West, Huntersville, N.C.

1. Waltrip Racing World

Raceworld USA aka. Waltrip Racing World is a very suprising race shop. 110,000 square feet of buildings, this is the first interactive race shop.

There is a skywalk through the facility where you see where they store all the parts and work on the cars.

You can also take a walking tour through live pit road sessions and the fabrication room.

You can view a movie, have lunch in the restaurant, and shop in a awesome retail store. This was the coolest place to go to, and I personally had a blast here.

Located at 20310 Chartwell Drive Cornelius, N.C.

The End

Hope you enjoyed an inside look at my personal perspective of Race City USA. A ultimate fan experience for all!