The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, east central Alabama. It enshrines those who have contributed the most to motorsports either as a developer, driver, engineer or owner. History 20th century The IMHOF was established in early 1970 following NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.'s decision to hire short track racing promoter Don Naman to build a museum and hall of fame in order "to preserve the history of motorsports and to enshrine forever the people who have been responsible for its growth." George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, formed an 18-member observer commission in 1975 to choose a site and select a design. Following the failure to pass a state-wide referendum on a state bond finance distribution to build the IMHOF, France donated of land from former race car driver Johnny Ray's family. France opted to build the IMHOF in Alabama rather than in his hometown of Daytona Beach, Florida because Floridian politicians threatened to levy a tax on Daytona International Speedway. Construction was undertaken with private and federal funding released with new Alabama governor Fob James' approval. The first phase of construction consisted of the building of three of the first six planned buildings on the IMHOF. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred at the site on the afternoon of March 26, 1981, with approximately 100 individuals such as Wallace, Bill France Sr., and Bill France Jr. present. The first half was opened on April 28, 1983, and the second half on July 28, 1990. Track owners International Speedway Corporation (ISC) rented office space from Alabama to run the IMHOF. It has a museum containing racing vehicles, banner, helmet, medals, posters and trophy displays, the ISC offices, and ancillary spaces. The Alabama Sports Writers Hall of Fame; the Automobile Racing Club of America Hall of National Champions; the International Motorsports Hall of Fame; the Quarter Midgets of America Hall of Fame; the Western Auto Mechanics Hall of Fame; and the World Karting Hall of Fame are the six halls of fame on-site. The McCaig-Wellborn International Motorsports Research Library is also contained in the IMHOF. Naman had been appointed IMHOF director in 1988, and he began setting out his objective to establish a working hall of fame. The first induction ceremony was broadcast live on The Nashville Network, and was hosted by