The $1.7-million, four-story structure houses a range of permanent and rotating exhibits dedicated to sprint car and big car racing. The first floor features the Donald Lamberti National Sprint Car Museum, a museum store, and administrative offices. The museum's 8,000-square-foot exhibit space holds approximately twenty-five restored sprint cars, supermodifieds, and big cars on loan from collectors and racing families, alongside displays of trophies, paintings, photographs, plaques, helmets, and other racing memorabilia.
Beyond the exhibit floor, the facility includes a library and research center, a 40-seat theater, a catering kitchen, a conference and banquet facility, and a 150-seat clubhouse available for race-viewing on race nights at the adjacent Knoxville Raceway. In 2018, the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower was added adjacent to the original structure. The five-story tower, named in honor of the late sprint car racer Bryan Clauson, houses twelve suites across its top three floors and features a rooftop observation deck reserved for suite holders.
The hall of fame component honors outstanding achievers across the full spectrum of sprint car and big car racing history. The nomination and election process is administered by a 72-member National Induction Committee, divided into regional panels — East, West, Mideast, and Midwest — comprising media members, historians, and representatives from major retired-driver organizations across the United States.
Inductee categories are organized into four classes:
Driver-Oriented: Racing drivers
Vehicle-Oriented: Owners, mechanics, builders, car sponsors, and manufacturers
Event-Oriented: Promoters, officials, media members, and event and series sponsors
Pre-1945: Individuals across all three above categories whose careers primarily took place before World War II
To be eligible for nomination, a candidate must have participated in sprint car racing in one of these roles for a minimum of five racing seasons, with exceptions permitted for those who moved on to other divisions such as IndyCar or stock car racing. A nominee must also meet at least one of three conditions: be retired for five years, be at least 50 years old as of January 1 of the nomination year, or have been deceased for at least six months prior to nomination. Nominations close on September 1 of the year preceding induction.
The selection process runs in two ballots. The first ballot is reduced to a second ballot featuring nine drivers, five vehicle-oriented nominees, five event-oriented nominees, and a pre-1945 category field. On the second ballot, the top three drivers, top two vehicle-oriented, top two event-oriented, and the leading pre-1945 nominee are inducted, provided each has accumulated at least 25 percent of all ballots cast, equating to a minimum of 18 votes from the 72-member panel.
The first class of inductees was honored in 1990, two years before the physical facility opened, establishing the Hall of Fame as an institution before the museum building itself was complete.
Knoxville's selection as the museum's home reflects the city's central place in American sprint car culture. The Knoxville Nationals, held annually at Knoxville Raceway, is widely regarded as the most prestigious sprint car race in the world, drawing competitors and fans from across the country. By situating the museum and hall of fame on the Marion County Fairgrounds adjacent to the raceway, the institution benefits from the annual convergence of the sport's community during race week, turning Knoxville into a pilgrimage destination for sprint car enthusiasts.
The museum's research library and archival holdings serve historians and fans seeking records of early big car racing, dating back to the pre-war era when open-wheel sprint racing was among the most popular forms of American motorsport. The breadth of the inductee categories — extending beyond drivers to include mechanics, car builders, manufacturers, promoters, and media figures — reflects a deliberate effort to document the full ecosystem that makes sprint car racing function, not merely the most visible competitors.