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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIt’s not hard to find the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum if you’re a fan of the track: It’s tucked on the inside of the short chute between turns 1 and 2. The ironic thing is that while the Speedway was originally built as a testing ground for new technology and the IndyCar Series has always made a habit of adopting racing innovations, the museum has seemed increasingly mired in the past. Its exhibits have been mostly static, including a gallery of Indy 500-winning cars that some say resembles the lot at a car auction. Until very recently, the museum only featured one or two new exhibits per year.
On July 11, museum officials announced plans for an $89 million transformation, ushering in a totally redesigned experience for visitors, a robust educational program for school-aged children and a beefier endowment that would help pay for more and better exhibits. Race fans might be tempted to think that this change is being driven by Roger Penske, who bought the Speedway and the IndyCar Series in 2020, but the museum actually is owned and run by an independent not-for-profit which leases the museum facility from the track owner.
In this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, Joe Hale, the museum’s executive director, explains how the planned renovation will be much more than a tuneup—more like a rebuild, with a sleeker design and all the latest technology to give visitors a greater sense of being in the driver’s seat.
Click here to find the IBJ Podcast each Monday. You can also subscribe at iTunes, Google Play, Tune In, Spotify and anyplace you find podcasts.
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Looking for another podcast to try? Check out IBJ’s The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman, a monthly discussion about diversity and inclusion in central Indiana’s business community.
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The cars are the stars of the show. Some of them are “priceless” assets I would assume. Very exciting future for the museum. I would love to see the basement cars on display.