INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

ABOUT THE COLLECTIONS

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, we are proud to be the caretakers of American open-wheel racing history. When the Museum first opened in 1956, there were only a few vintage race cars on display. But now, our collection consists of more than 55,000 artifacts, artworks, and automobiles. That includes more than 200 art pieces; thousands of photographs; two million feet of film; numerous helmets; and 500 awards and trophies from races across the globe. 

The pride of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is our priceless collection of historic vehicles—with more than 300 race cars, pace cars, and more. This collection encompasses race-winning and record-breaking vehicles from many racing series, including: IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula One, USAC Sprints and Midgets, and motorcycle racing.

Our collections team also cares for a variety of vintage passenger automobiles, many of which were manufactured in Indiana by companies involved in motorsports. These include spectacular examples of Duesenberg, Marmon, and Stutz marques, as well as Ferrari, Mercedes, and a variety of other European manufacturers.

COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit operated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation and governed by a board of directors. The Foundation is the owner and steward of our museum’s vast collection of rare—and often one-of-a-kind—vehicles and artifacts. 

As part of our mission, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum works diligently to preserve and display collection, while ensuring that it represents the rich history behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500, and Indiana’s automotive industry. Indiana is known as the Racing Capital of the World, so our collection must reflect the history of motorsports on a global scale. 

The Museum staff have established protocols for effective management of our collection, including strategic plans for new acquisitions and transparent deaccessions. As we look toward the future, we thank you for your ongoing support of the Museum and our mission to share the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

3D IMAGE ARCHIVE

The Museum is working collaboratively with the IUPUI Center for Digital Scholarship to digitize select items of our iconic collection. Under careful supervision, IUPUI students are scanning objects from our collection, creating a 3D image of their likeness, and making them available online on Sketchfab. 

This partnership is an invaluable opportunity to create digital scans for our archives, while giving students hands-on learning experience. Not only does it further our mission to preserve these racing artifacts, but it also offers a new way to engage our online visitors. Now, people from all across the globe can learn about racing history through the Museum collection. Look for more to come from this partnership as we add additional items in the future!