Racing folklore, mystique found in basement of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is filled with every kind of historical past.

Race followers can come and discover one thing they honestly love and luxuriate in. Automobiles from all totally different generations cowl the showroom flooring, however, for a deeper have a look at historical past, you’ll must go to the basement.

“The basement has at all times been a spot of form of folklore and mystique,” stated Luke Edwards with the museum. “You have been solely allowed to return down right here when you have been an worker and wanted to, or when you knew anyone and also you had a connection.”

It was at all times a secret to the surface world as to what was within the basement, till now.

“There are over 100 totally different vehicles down right here at one time, effectively over, and I feel it’s necessary to maintain that mystique. Now you possibly can say, you possibly can inform your pals, you possibly can inform your dad, ‘I’ve been to the basement of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’ve seen a few of the most respected vehicles on this planet they usually’ve been proper underneath your toes all these years,’” Edwards stated.

The folklore and thriller stays. Photographs and video will not be allowed within the basement. “We really make folks go away their cellphones on the door, and that’s one other means that it maintains it’s mystique, is there aren’t any footage popping out from down right here,” Edwards stated.

There are vehicles from actually each technology. A few of them are race vehicles, and a few of them will not be, however all of them are sights to see.

“Proper while you stroll in you might be greeted by arguably two of probably the most invaluable vehicles in your entire world that simply sit beneath the basement and it’s their residence, and we’ve created a particular show for these automobiles as effectively,” Edwards stated.

Being round all that historical past is an eerie feeling. It’s virtually onerous to consider the basement assortment has been there the entire time.

“Strolling by, you simply get this sense of historical past. It virtually feels such as you’re strolling amongst the ghosts of the Speedway,” Edwards stated.

Seeing the vehicles up shut and personally transports you to a time when these ghosts have been alive. “You’ll be able to swear you virtually hear the vehicles working and what they gave the impression of again within the day on the observe, so yeah, it’s a particular place,” Edwards stated.

You’ll be able to really see the basement assortment. For $150, you get the VIP tour by all of the archives to see each little bit of historical past the museum has within the basement.