Get your motor running … to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum! The landmark temple to IndyCar racing reopened in April 2025 after a $60.5 million, 17-month renovation, and the results are stunning.
Located at the south entrance to the IMS campus inside the famed 2.5-mile oval, the museum has been a fixture at the track since 1956. The recent revamp—the biggest upgrade the facility has received in the past 40 years—has gone a long way toward improving accessibility, adding 40,000 square feet of space for new exhibits and features.
There’s a lot to see and do here. Guests will want to plan on spending a couple hours to take it all in and appreciate the seven permanent and three rotating galleries at a leisurely pace.
After paying admission, visitors walk through “Gasoline Alley,” a stable of garage vignettes showcasing race cars of various vintages from Jimmy Clark’s 1964 Lotus Type 34 to the Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria/Bryant Heating and Cooling Special that Arie Luyendyk piloted in 1996.
From there, it’s into the museum’s most impressive new space, an immersive feature called the Starting Line that combines video, sound, and three cars on the yard of bricks. Viewers come away with the feeling of actually being on the grid race day morning with all its pomp and ceremony, from the sunrise cannon fire that signals the opening of the track to the waving of the green flag.
The interactive education center is guaranteed to be fun for kids and fans of all ages with racing simulators, play structures, a set-up that lets you see just how quickly you can change a tire, and other hands-on activities. Rows of helmets and racing suits line the walls of the Penske Gallery, and race-winning cars through the years surround the Borg-Warner Trophy in another area.
The prestigious “Best of the Best” wing highlights the four drivers who’ve won the Indianapolis 500 four times each, and a new mezzanine full of non-vehicle artifacts merits yet more exploration. NASCAR fans—the basement’s just for you, detailing the series’ history at the Speedway through cars, gear, and other memorabilia.
Stock up on T-shirts, stickers, mugs, and other merch in the updated gift shop on the way out, where customers pay for their purchases under a clever milk-bottle-themed light fixture hanging above the check-out.
For tickets, memberships, and other information, visit imsmuseum.org.
