Sixty-seven winning Indy 500 cars featured in display at IMS Museum
The exhibit, which will be on display through June 1, will provide fans an opportunity to see 67 winning cars, representing 71 Indianapolis 500 victories.
As a special start to the exhibit, many legendary Indianapolis 500 winners will sign autographs and meet fans from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, March 20 at the Museum. Drivers schedule to attend include four-time winner Rick Mears, three-time winner Bobby Unser, two-time winners Al Unser Jr. and Arie Luyendyk and 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion Gil de Ferran.
The exhibit is one of the many fan-friendly components of the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 in 2011.
"We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the world's greatest race by building a once-in-a-lifetime collection of winning cars," said Ellen Bireley, IMS Hall of Fame Museum director "The entire Museum will be devoted to the cars that won the Indianapolis 500 over the last century."
The exhibit will include the 31 winning cars owned by the IMS Hall of Fame Museum and 36 privately owned cars that have been loaned for this unique exhibit. Cars highlighted in the exhibit:
•The Marmon "Wasp" driven to victory by Ray Harroun in the 1911 Indianapolis 500
•All four cars to earn consecutive victories in the Indianapolis 500 (Boyle Maserati, Wilbur Shaw, 1939-40; Blue Crown Spark Plug Deidt/Offy, Mauri Rose, 1947-48; Fuel Injection KK500A/Offy, Bill Vukovich, 1953-54; Belond Exhaust Salih Offy, 1957, Sam Hanks, 1958, Jimmy Bryan)
•Each winning car driven by the three four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears
•Roger Penske's private collection of his team's Indianapolis 500-winning cars
•Every winning car from the 1950s and 1960s, including the Ken-Paul Watson-Offy driven to victory in 1960 by Jim Rathmann and the Lotus-Ford in which Jim Clark won in 1965
•Every winning car from the 1980s and 1990s
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is open every day of the week from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for ages 6-15 and free for 5 and under. The Museum is located inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and can be accessed through the Main Gate (Gate 2) tunnel from W. 16th Street.
A special track tour also will be available Sunday, March 20 for fans that includes a lap around the famous IMS oval in a tour bus, with a stop at the historic Yard of Bricks for photos. The tour fee is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-15 and free for 5 and under.
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2011 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, "The Most Important Race in History," on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.