Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and Tour

I’m in Indy for two weeks for work, this Saturday I had to myself. My hotel was less than ten miles from the track, so what is a guy to do but go and have a look.

The museum admission is $15 USD with a half hour bus tour around the track with a stop at the “Yard of Bricks” to kiss the bricks for an additional $10 USD. It is fairly small, but has quite a few winners and second place rides in it. Some samples and a link to the full gallery.








I was disappointed that none of the Turbine cars were there at this time, they and Mario’s 1969 winning car are at the Smithsonian. The 1969 Mario car on display is a replica.

Link to full gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/tF0MtYH

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the place is rather unique, but it’s what you can’t see that is so remarkable. They could change all the cars almost weekly, and still not see everything! Taking a trip west on Crawfordsville Road, you’ll see Jim Hurtebese’s garage on the northside of the street. Many of the storied places are now gone. Driving south on Main Street you’ll pass the old Allison Plant One (just north of the rail road tracks). That’s where they built race car engines prior to WWI. Been inside there a few times before they sold it. It’s all art deco inside, and reeks with history. Right across the street is where the Allison Plant Two stood for years. That’s where the first U.S. jet engines were built. Due south (the road has been changed now) is where the first V1710 engines were designed and built before building Plant Five in Maywood (another five miles south). On the backside of Plant Three you will see a creek, and a small road heading south (maybe two miles long). That’s Gasoline Alley. Mostly newer stuff, but still quite a few of the old racing groups are head quartered along that road.

Right across the street from the zoo is where they built Dusenburgs. Later it became Curtis Wright, and built the electric propellers. A drive north on Senate will take you past a large yellow brick building still called the Stutz building. That where they built the Stutz Bearcats. If your headed north on I-69 stop in Auburn Indiana, and see the Auburn, Cord, Dusenburg place. (a little north of Ft. Wayne) So much history in that building that it’s mind blowing!

gary

Thanks for the info Gary, maybe next year when I’m here for the NFL Combine again I’ll have a chance to look around at some of those places. How far north on Senate? I was working at IU Methodist on Senate for the player imaging.