Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
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Former name	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
Established	April 7, 1956; 68 years ago (1956-04-07)
Location	4790 West 16th Street Speedway, Indiana 46222
Type	Automotive
Visitors	1 million (2019)

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, which houses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400, but it also includes exhibits reflecting other forms of motorsports, passenger cars, and general automotive history. In 2006, it celebrated its 50th anniversary. The museum foundation possesses several former Indianapolis 500-winning cars, and they are regularly rotated onto the display floor exhibits.

The museum is independently owned and operated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) organization. The museum dates back to 1956, and moved to the current building in 1976. It is located in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race course, and is open year-round, except on certain holidays including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

History

Entrance of the museum, 2015

The first museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was completed April 7, 1956 It was located on the southwest corner of the property, outside turn one of the famous oval, at the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road. Its exhibits included Ray Harroun's 1911 Indy 500 winning car, and a handful of other vehicles. Karl Kizer became the first curator. When it opened, it only had six cars. Within a number of years, dozens of collector cars were being donated and acquired. It did not take long for management to realize that the building was of insufficient size. According to Speedway publicist Al Bloemker, by 1961 the museum was seeing an average of 5,000 visitors per week (not including month of May crowds).

In 1975, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway broke ground on a new 96,000-square-foot (8,900 m²) museum and administration building, located in the infield of the track. The two-story white building was made of Wyoming quartz, and along with the museum, housed the Speedway's administrative offices, the ticket office, a gift shop, and the IMS photography department. It officially opened to the public on April 5, 1976, coinciding with the year-long United States Bicentennial celebration. It officially operated under the name Hall of Fame Museum, but was known colloquially as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The original museum building outside turn one was kept intact and converted into additional office space.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. A plaque commemorating the Historic Landmark status for the Speedway is on display in the museum.

In the summer of 1993, the original museum building outside of turn one was demolished. In its place a multi-million dollar administration building was erected. The IMS administrative and ticket offices were moved out of the infield museum building, and relocated to the new admin office.

In 1993, the museum parking lot hosted the first "Indy 500 Expo" during race festivities, an outdoor interactive spectator exhibit. In 1995, it was expanded and renamed "Indy 500 FanFest". It was discontinued after 1997, but in recent years, smaller displays sponsored by Chevrolet have featured former pace cars and other exhibits.

In 2016, a revitalization and modernization project began to expand the museum's floor space and add interactive displays. In addition, in April 2016 the name of the museum was officially renamed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and the mission was changed "to specifically honor achievement at, and outstanding contributions to, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."

Exhibits

On display in the museum are about 75 cars at any given time. With floor space totaling 37,500 square feet, only a small portion of the total collection can be displayed. Frequently, cars are sent on loan for display at other museums, historical car shows, parades, and other activities.

The collection includes over thirty Indianapolis 500 winning cars, various other Indy cars, and several racing cars from other disciplines. It also includes pace cars and passenger cars, with a particular focus on those manufactured in Indiana and by Indiana companies. Other items on display include trophies, plaques, and racing paraphernalia such as helmets, gloves, and driver's suits. Rotating exhibits include such elements as model cars, photographs, toys, and paintings. Displays include highlights of the history of Speedway ownership, the evolution of the track, and memorabilia from past years.

Indianapolis 500 winning cars

Harroun's 1911-winning Marmon "Wasp" on display at the museum.

The winning cars of Arie Luyendyk (30), Jacques Villeneuve (27) and Eddie Cheever (51) on display at the museum in 2008.

A. J. Foyt's 1977 winning car

• 1911 Marmon Wasp (winner of first Indianapolis 500) (Ray Harroun)
• 1912 National (Joe Dawson)
• 1914 Delage (Rene Thomas)
• 1922 Duesenberg (also won 1921 French Grand Prix at Le Mans; painted in 1921 livery) (Jimmy Murphy)
• 1925/1927 Duesenberg (driven by Peter DePaolo in 1925, and by George Souders in 1927)
• 1928 Miller (Louis Meyer)
• 1932 Miller-Hartz (Fred Frame)
• 1939–1940 Boyle Special Maserati (back-to-back winner) (driven both years by Wilbur Shaw)
• 1941 Noc-Out Hose Clamp Special (Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose)
• 1946 Thorne Engineering (first race under Hulman ownership) (George Robson)
• 1947–1948 Blue Crown Spark Plug Special (back-to-back winner) (driven both years by Mauri Rose)
• 1950 Wynn's Offy (Johnnie Parsons)
• 1951 Belanger Special (Lee Wallard)
• 1953–1954 Fuel Injection Offy (back-to-back winner) (Bill Vukovich)
• 1955 John Zink Offy (Bob Sweikert)
• 1957–1958 Belond Special Offy (back-to-back winner) (Sam Hanks in 1957; Jimmy Bryan in 1958)
• 1960 Ken Paul Special (replica) (Jim Rathmann)
• 1961 Bowes Seal Fast Offy (A. J. Foyt)
• 1962 Leader Card Watson Roadster (Rodger Ward)
• 1963 Agajanian Watson Offy ("Calhoun") (Parnelli Jones)
• 1964 Sheraton-Thompson Watson Offy (A. J. Foyt)
• 1967 Sheraton-Thompson Coyote Foyt (A. J. Foyt)
• 1968 Rislone Special Eagle (Bobby Unser)
• 1969 STP Hawk Ford (replica)(Mario Andretti)
• 1972 Sunoco McLaren (Mark Donohue)
• 1973 STP Eagle Offy (replica, first win for Gordon Johncock)
• 1977 Gilmore Racing Team Coyote/Foyt (A. J. Foyt)
• 1978 First National City Traveler's Checks Lola/Cosworth (Al Unser Sr.)
• 1980 Pennzoil Chapparal (Johnny Rutherford)
• 1982 STP Wildcat/Cosworth (Gordon Johncock)
• 1983 Texaco Star (Tom Sneva)
• 1990 Domino's Pizza Hot One Lola/Chevrolet (Arie Luyendyk)
• 1995 Player's Ltd. Reynard/Ford Cosworth BX (Jacques Villeneuve)

Other Indy cars

1925 Miller Junior Eight on display at the museum.

• 1912 Fiat driven by Teddy Tetzlaff to second place
• 1925 Miller Junior Eight
• 1925 Miller Special
• 1931 Cummins Diesel driven by Dave Evans (first car to complete the Indianapolis 500 without a pit stop)
• 1935 Miller-Ford
• 1938 Bowes Seal Fast Special driven by Louis Meyer (flipped car during race, and retired)
• 1940 Sampson Special
• 1948 Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 driven by Johnny Mauro
• 1950 Cummins Diesel Special driven by Jimmy Jackson
• 1950 Russo-Nichels Special (won the open wheel race at Darlington by Paul Russo)
• 1952 Ferrari Special
• 1954 Dean Van Lines Special (Jimmy Bryan; 2nd-place finisher)
• 1956 Wolcott Special (driven by Len Sutton, and Rodger Ward at Darlington)
• 1957 Dean Van Lines Special (winner of 1957 Race of Two Worlds)
• 1958 Leader Card Monza (winner of 1958 Race of Two Worlds)
• 1961 Cooper Climax driven by Jack Brabham, the first car of the European rear-engined revolution (the car in the museum is the back-up car a normal Cooper T53 Grand Prix car and not the T54 that Brabham drove).
• 1963 Lotus Powered by Ford driven by Jim Clark
• 1967 STP-Paxton Turbocar driven by Parnelli Jones (on loan from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History)
• 1976 Bryant Heating & Cooling Offy driven by Janet Guthrie during practice.
• 1977 Bryant Heating & Cooling Lightning/Offy driven by Janet Guthrie, the first female to qualify for the Indy 500.
• 1968 STP Wedge Lotus/Turbine
• 1995 Reynard/Ford Cosworth XB driven by Arie Luyendyk (set current IMS track record in 1996)
• 2005 Panoz/Honda driven by Danica Patrick, the first female driver to lead a lap during the Indianapolis 500

Passenger cars

Rubens Barrichello's SF02 on display at the museum.

Sid Collins exhibit

PPG Trophy for the Brickyard 400

Entrance to the basement at the IMS Museum.

North wing.

• At least one Indy 500 pace car from 1911, 1930, 1964, 1966, and 1975 to the present.
• 1886 Daimler "Motor Carriage"
• 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen
• 1903 Premier
• 1903 Premier Special owned by Carl Fisher
• 1908 Richmond Surrey
• 1909 Haynes
• 1911 Cole 30
• 1914 Marmon roadster
• 1925 McFarlan TV6 passenger roadster.
• 1935 Duesenberg Model JN four-door convertible passenger car

Other race cars

• A NASCAR Winston Cup stock car driven and donated by Richard Petty in 1993.
• A sprint car driven by A. J. Foyt and George Snider
• 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winning car driven by Tony Stewart
• 1998 Stewart SF02-Ford Formula One car
• 1991 Benetton B191B-Ford Formula One car
• 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM.
• 1964 Hussein 1/Dodge Zerex Special driven by A. J. Foyt
• 1957 SSI Corvette
• 1954–55 Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula One car
• 1929 Bugatti 35-B
• 1907 Itala G.P. race car
• 1906 Laurin & Klement race car
• 1906 Renault Grand Prix
• Indy car used during the filming of Winning (not restored)
• 1965 Spirit of America – Sonic 1 Land Speed Record car

Trophies

• Permanent home for the Borg-Warner Trophy
• The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy, which pre-dates the Borg-Warner
• Permanent home for the PPG trophy, awarded to the winner of the Brickyard 400
• Historic Race of Two Worlds trophy
• Display case of historic trophies and medals from a broad range of racing events

Selected exhibits

• Various paintings and photographs from noteworthy artists
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network exhibit, including antique radio equipment
• The Tony Hulman theatre, showing a short film about the history of the race
• An additional admission includes a bus tour of the track

Special exhibits

Most recently, the museum has offered two special exhibits each year, one running from early spring through mid- to late October, and another in the intervening months. In 2019, Hoosier Thunder: Indiana's Short Track Racing Heritage will end on April 21, and Mario Andretti: Icon, presented by Shell V-Power Nitrio + will open May first and run through mid-November. Starting in April 2019, there will be special displays of winning Team Penske and Andretti Autosports race cars.

• 2011: The Ultimate Indianapolis 500 Winning Car Collection
• 2016: Team Penske 50th Anniversary exhibit
• 2016: Tony Stewart exhibit
• 2017: A. J. Foyt exhibit (40th Anniversary of Foyt's fourth Indy 500 victory)
• 2017: Incredible Engines of the Indianapolis 500 and 50th Anniversary of the Camaro Pace Car
• 2018: The Amazing Unsers: celebrating Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Al Unser Jr., and the rest of the Unser racing family.
• 2018: Hoosier Thunder: Indiana's Short Track Racing Heritage

Basement

Due to the size of the collection, and space constraints on the display floor, a large portion of the collection is in storage. Some cars are rotated into display, while others remain in storage permanently, out of public view. The museum's storage areas are strictly off-limits to the public, and admittance is by invitation only. The contents of the stored collection has become a source of folklore and mystique, as it includes some extremely rare vehicles that few visitors are allowed to see, and photography is strictly forbidden.

North Hall

In 2016, the museum display floor was expanded by 7,500 square feet after Speedway staff offices were relocated to another building. The new North Hall is used to display additional cars, and offers a view of a portion of the Speedway road course.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame

The Auto Racing Hall of Fame

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, formerly known as the Auto Racing Hall of Fame, dates back to 1952. It was established and supported by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Ford Foundation. It was originally the brainchild of Tony Hulman who had expressed interest in starting a racing hall of fame shortly after he purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1946. As of 2020, there have been 157 inductees enshrined into the hall.

AAA dropped out of racing entirely in 1955. After being established for only three years, and after only a handful of historical, "veterans committee" inductees, the hall of fame went dormant. A year later, the first Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum opened its doors. In 1961, Hulman acquired and revived the hall of fame, and incorporated it into the Speedway's museum organization.

Candidates can be nominated after at least twenty years have elapsed from the first date of active participation in activities involved with professional-level auto racing. Inductees are elected by a panel of roughly 150 members consisting of racing officials, living hall of fame members, historians, and select media representatives. In 2018, the scope of the Hall of Fame was clarified and defined as encompassing participants in all major racing events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, Formula One (2000-2007), and major AMA-sanctioned motorcycle racing (such as MotoGP and MotoAmerica). Subsequent to that, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart became the first drivers inducted whose accomplishments were primarily or exclusively attributed to a race other than the Indianapolis 500 (both were Brickyard 400 winners).

Voting is held annually and inductees typically are announced on or around Founders Day (March 20), the date on which the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was incorporated in 1909. The new members are formally inducted in May, a few days before the Indianapolis 500 race, during a special ceremony. There is no set number of inductees for each year, and the number varies annually.

On February 19, 2020, the Speedway named Janet Guthrie and Dale Earnhardt Sr. to the 2020 class. However, the 2020 induction ceremony was cancelled on July 21, 2020. Guthrie and Earnhardt will honored alongside the 2021 class.

Inductees – Drivers

Inductees – Contributors

Gallery

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  Indiana state historical marker outside the IMS Hall of Fame Museum

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  Trophy cabinet at the Hall of Fame Museum

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  Racing cars at the Hall of Fame Museum

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  1907 Itala G.P. race car with 14.75 liter (900 cubic-inch) engine

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  A replica of Mario Andretti's Brawner Hawk, the 1969 Indy 500 winner

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  Johnny Rutherford's 1980 pole and race-winning Chaparral 2K

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  1979 Le Mans winning Porsche 935

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  Race-worn helmet of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal on display

Images for kids

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  Museum atrium in 2015

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  Indianapolis Speedway Museum - Main Display Hall 2019