Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum facts for kids
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| Established | April 4, 1998 |
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| Location | 1101 West McKinley Avenue Building 3A Pomona, California United States |
| Type | Automotive museum |
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is a cool place in Pomona, California, where you can see amazing cars, motorcycles, and other items from the history of hot rodding and drag racing. It's located at a place called the Fairplex in Los Angeles County.
Contents
Museum History
The museum opened on April 4, 1998. It was started by a group of people from the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), led by its founder, Wally Parks. The museum was named after him on his 90th birthday to honor his work.
A team led by Steve Gibbs, a former NHRA vice-president, fixed up an old 28,500-square-foot (2,650 m2) building to become the museum. The building was first built during a government program called the WPA.
What's Inside the Museum?
The museum is filled with awesome cars and racing history. You can see all kinds of things that tell the story of hot rods and land speed records.
Famous Cars and Collections
Some of the most famous items on display include:
- One of race car driver A. J. Foyt's famous Coyote Indy Cars.
- The first dragster driven by Kenny Bernstein to go faster than 300 mph (480 km/h). That's incredibly fast!
- A collection of racing helmets and photos from Bob McClung.
- Old passes and items from the famous Indianapolis 500 race.
Special Exhibits
The museum also has special exhibits that change over time. These exhibits have honored famous people in hot rodding like Vic Edelbrock, Don Prudhomme, and Parnelli Jones. They have also celebrated famous cars like the 1932 Ford and groups like the So-Cal Speed Shop.
In 2008, a special exhibit opened called "Banks Power: The First 50 Years." It was all about Gale Banks and the powerful engines he built for drag racing.
Keeping the Museum Running
The museum is a non-profit organization. This means it doesn't make money for a private owner. Instead, it uses money to keep the museum open for everyone to enjoy.
To raise money, the museum holds two big events every year for hot rod fans:
- The Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
- The NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, California.
