It is a really special treat going to the museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My lovely wife has to be dragged to go, but a lot of women are like that. She managed to go with me today because she is a fan of Legos, and some guy built a replica of Indy using off the shelf Legos. It was actually pretty cool.
As usual, I have constructive criticism. The price is a little higher today than it has been in years. It used to be $3.00 for entry and $3.00 for the bus ride. Today it’s $5.00 for admission and the bus ride is unknown. There is snow on the track, so no bus rides. $5.00 is still not bad. By comparison, the fantastic museum at Barber Motorsports Park is $15.00.
The problem is, the $2.00 difference in the ticket price doesn’t really offer that much that is new. As a matter of fact, some cars are missing. The 18.5 minute video has not been changed in years. The replicated old garage is still neat, but mostly it’s the same old same old. That is still far from bad.
Here are some ideas. It’s the Centennial Era and this year is the 100th anniversary. Should there not be some sort of theme to that effect? Given the wealth of audio and video, how about a blockbuster new movie? Why not a display of rotating content from the photo shop in the museum? That might inspire many to spend more money on the 2nd floor.
When will there be a program to let folks get special tours of the basement? The last time my party went to Barber they let us into their basement just for asking. Rumor has it nothing except winning cars will be in the museum for a while this year. If so, when does that begin? Also, when will there be an honest to goodness Hall of Fame for Indy Car?
Perhaps as a frequent visitor things have gotten stale. Perhaps a few minor modifications are in order. It is still great.
Defender of IndyCar 
I’m really glad you got to go! Wasn’t the Lego Speedway a trip?
I would like to see some more displays, but I just discovered the photo department on the 2nd floor, so I’ll be busy for a bit. 🙂
Last time I visited the museum, admission was free with a hard card.
I read somewhere (but I may be wrong) that the bus ride is something like $7 now, and for $25 they will stop and let you get out for photos at the bricks.
I’ll be bringing my 3 kids to our second Indy this year and we will definitely make the museum a must-see – I haven’t been in many years and the kids have never seen it.
Looking forward to reading more on your blog.