Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum


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 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

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.
In 1975, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway broke ground on a new 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

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.
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 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 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, and major AMA-sanctioned motorcycle racing. 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.
Voting is held annually and inductees typically are announced on or around Founders Day, 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