Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

What Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum does

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1956 and operated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, located physically inside the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval between Turns 1 and 2 at 4750 West 16th Street, Indianapolis. The museum spans 80,000 square feet across 10 distinct galleries and houses over 55,000 artifacts and more than 150 vehicles, including rare and one-of-a-kind racing automobiles tied to the history of the Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 since its 1911 inception. Its core technology is museum collections management and conservation, augmented by hands-on STEAM educational infrastructure including the Qualifying Zone (racing simulators and pit-stop challenges) and the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Innovation Workshop. The museum operates 363 days per year, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The museum serves four primary customer segments: motorsports enthusiasts and general tourists (daily general admission plus three track-tour add-ons—Kiss the Bricks, Victory Podium, and Golf Cart tours), K-12 school groups and homeschool families (field trips at $8/student or $2 for Title 1 schools, homeschool days), youth ages 6-14 (four summer camp programs—Robo Racers, Robo Racers 101, Faces of the 500 with BorgWarner, Racing Careers), and corporate/donor segments (multi-tier memberships from $125 Individual Plus to $1,000 Platinum, facility rentals, and photo passes). Revenue streams include one-time admissions, recurring annual memberships, educational program fees, gift shop retail, facility rentals, and contributed revenue from corporate sponsors and foundations such as BorgWarner and the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the museum's website, phone, and on-site box office, with no third-party resellers. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok), email newsletter, the imsmuseum.org content hub, and significant earned media tied to Indianapolis Motor Speedway coverage.

Governance is provided by a board of directors led by Board Chair Chuck Jones (GE HealthCare Chief Design Officer, 43 patents, board member since 2019, Chair since February 2025) with Michael Good as President and Phil Foster as Director of Finance. The museum is structurally distinct from the for-profit Penske-owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway operations, though it benefits from close association with the Indianapolis 500 brand, which is approaching a third consecutive sellout with 300,000+ expected attendees. Strategic priorities under current leadership include a planned Restoration and Event Center, expanded STEAM programming, accessibility certification via Kulture City, and active rotation of temporary exhibitions to drive repeat visitation.

Name

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Legal name

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://imsmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum located inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, housing over 55,000 racing artifacts and 150+ vehicles across 10 galleries. It serves motorsports tourists, K-12 and homeschool groups, youth summer campers, and donor members via admissions, track tours, STEAM education, and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Racetracks (711212), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Motorsports heritage museum
• Museum general admission
• Track tour experiences
• STEAM educational programs
• Racing artifact exhibits

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for museum admission. The museum is open 363 days a year. Ticket reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance through the website.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership tiers offering unlimited admission, complimentary tours, discounts, and exclusive events. Memberships are non-refundable and valid for one year.
3. Track Tours: Revenue from Kiss the Bricks bus tours, Victory Podium tours, and Golf Cart Tours of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds. Separate ticket purchase required in addition to museum admission.
4. Educational Programs: Revenue from field trips ($8/student), summer camps ($250/week), and homeschool days ($8/child). Additional fees for STEM challenges, custom plans, and extended care.
5. Gift Shop Sales: The Official Shop of IMS sells merchandise. Members receive 10% discount on purchases.
6. Facility Rentals and Photo Passes: Private events can be hosted at the museum. Photo/video shoots require single-day photo passes ($25).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum operates a single-location 80,000-square-foot museum inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, selling general admission tickets that provide access to 10 galleries featuring over 150 vehicles and more than 55,000 racing artifacts. The museum layers on ticketed narrated track tours (Kiss the Bricks, Victory Podium, and Golf Cart tours), STEAM-focused educational programs including K-12 field trips, homeschool days, and summer camps, and an annual membership program at six price tiers. An on-site gift shop sells official IMS merchandise and the museum also rents its facilities for private events.

Product overview

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is a single-location physical museum offering general admission as its core product, with supplementary ticketed experiences including three distinct track tour offerings (Kiss the Bricks bus tour, Victory Podium tour, and Golf Cart tour). The museum operates an educational division providing summer camps for youth (Robo Racers, Racing Careers, Faces of the 500 programs), student field trips, and homeschool days featuring STEAM-focused programming in the Innovation Workshop. Additional revenue streams include membership programs at multiple tiers, facility rentals, and an on-site gift shop. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions such as the 'Setting the Pace' pace car exhibit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum General Admission General admission tickets providing access to the 80,000 square foot museum featuring 10 distinct galleries, over 150 vehicles, and more than 55,000 artifacts showcasing the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500. Visitors can purchase up to 60 days in advance through the website; the museum is open 363 days a year.
• Kiss the Bricks Tour A 30-minute narrated bus tour featuring one lap around the famous 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, with a stop at the start-finish line and the historic yard of bricks where winning drivers celebrate by kissing the bricks. Pricing: adults $15, military $12, youth (6-16) $10, children 0-5 free.
• Victory Podium Tour A 30-minute tour offered on days when the track is in use, featuring a trip through the Garage Area and Gasoline Alley with a final stop at the Victory Podium where the Indy 500 winner celebrates with the traditional bottle of milk. Requires separate ticket purchase in addition to museum admission.
• Golf Cart Tour A 90-minute in-depth driving tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds showcasing backstage areas, the 2.5-mile oval, Pagoda, Gasoline Alley, Victory Podium, and Snake Pit, with one-on-one conversations with knowledgeable tour guides. Pricing: $55 per person; participants must be 12+. Offered select dates April-October.
• Robo Racers Summer Camp A STEAM-focused week-long summer camp for students in grades 5th-8th where participants design, build, and code autonomous LEGO robots to compete in an 'Innovation 500' challenge, learning sensor-based coding and team branding. Pricing: $250 per week with optional extended care ($100/week).
• Robo Racers 101 Summer Camp A foundational robotics week-long summer camp adapted for students in grades 4th-7th, focusing on basic coding skills with LEGO robots and team brand identity development.
• Faces of the 500 Summer Camp A 5-day immersive camp in partnership with BorgWarner for students in grades 1st-3rd (ages 6-9), designed to spark curiosity about the Indianapolis 500 through hands-on STEAM exploration and connection with racing traditions.
• Racing Careers Summer Camp A week-long immersive camp for students in grades 5th-8th where participants step into the role of rookie Team Owners, managing every aspect of a simulated racing season from brand formation and sponsorships to budget tracking and drag race car building.
• Student Field Trips Guided educational experiences for K-12 schools, homeschool groups, and youth organizations featuring STEAM-focused activities in the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Innovation Workshop, with optional STEM/Design Challenges and track tours. Pricing: $8/student for groups of 15+ (Title 1 schools: $2/student); one adult free per 8 children.
• Homeschool Days Self-guided and instructor-led STEAM-focused educational activities for homeschool families with children in K-8th grade, featuring activities in the Innovation Workshop and access to the museum's galleries. Pricing: $8 per child (ages 3 and up); one parent free; additional parents pay general admission.
• Museum Membership Annual membership programs offering unlimited admission, complimentary track tours, member-exclusive events, discounts at the IMS Gift Shop, and priority registration for public events and programming. Tiers include Individual Plus ($125/year), Family/Grandparent ($175/year), Family/Grandparent Plus ($215/year), Gold Donor ($300/year), Sterling Donor ($500/year), and Platinum Donor ($1,000/year).
• Photo and Video Pass Single-day photo/video pass covering up to 2 photographers and 10 individuals for commercial photography and video shoots on museum grounds. Pricing: $25 per pass; does not include museum admission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Museum open 363 days per year, only closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BorgWarnercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026BorgWarner partners with the museum on the 'Faces of the 500' summer camp program designed for 1st-3rd grade students (ages 6-9). The program sparks curiosity and sense of belonging at IMS by connecting racing traditions with hands-on STEAM exploration.
• Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation provided funding for the Innovation Workshop - a dedicated STEAM classroom space where learners of all ages explore elements behind successful race cars and racing teams. This partnership enables the museum's educational programming focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
• Kulture CityminorOthersMuseum is working with Kulture City to become Sensory Inclusive certified. Partnership provides sensory bags with soundproof headphones, fidget toys, and glasses for guests with sensory sensitivities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NASCAR Hall of Fame: A motorsports hall of fame and museum in Charlotte, NC honoring NASCAR heritage with interactive exhibits and artifacts. Directly comparable as a purpose-built motorsports heritage museum with similar ticket, membership, and event-rental revenue streams.
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: A motorsports hall of fame honoring inductees across auto, motorcycle, boat, and air racing categories. Comparable as a motorsports heritage institution with curated vehicles/inductee displays and a museum-style visitor experience.
• Petersen Automotive Museum: A major automotive museum in Los Angeles with 100+ vehicles on display and rotating exhibitions. Closely comparable in scale (large vehicle collection, educational programming, facility rentals, premium membership tiers) and in combining heritage artifacts with hands-on programming.
• Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum: A Philadelphia-based automotive museum housing one of the world's finest collections of racing sports cars. Directly comparable as a specialty auto/racing museum with curated rare vehicles, donor-funded nonprofit structure, and educational programming.
• Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum: The world's largest motorcycle collection and a significant vintage motorsports museum at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Comparable as an on-site motorsports heritage museum adjacent to an active racing venue with similar visitor flow patterns.
• Lane Motor Museum: A Nashville-based automotive museum specializing in European and microcars with rotating exhibits. Comparable as a specialty auto museum with curated vehicle displays and educational programming, though smaller in scale and without the racetrack-location advantage.
• Marconi Automotive Museum: A Tustin, CA-based nonprofit automotive museum with a collection of rare and exotic vehicles. Comparable as a nonprofit specialty auto museum with similar donor-funded operating model, facility rental offerings, and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation: A large-scale American innovation and transportation heritage institution in Dearborn, MI with significant automotive history exhibits (including the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat). Comparable as a heritage/transportation museum with educational programming, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• New York State Museum: A larger public history and heritage museum with collections management capabilities similar to the IMS Museum's curatorial operations. Comparable as a museum operator but at much larger institutional scale and broader thematic scope.

Regional players

• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The world's largest children's museum, also located in Indianapolis. Comparable as a local STEAM-focused museum offering field trips, summer camps, homeschool programming, and tiered memberships that overlap with the IMS Museum's education and family segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMSMuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cepindy
• Facebookfacebook.com/imsmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/imsmuseum
• TikToktiktok.com/@imsmuseum?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imsmuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum