International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Talladega Raceway, Alabama
I VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME IN ALABAMA
While on a recent business trip to Alabama, I visited the incredible International Motorsports Hall of Fame at the Talladega Raceway. What a treat!! Cars, race cars, engines, bikes, rockets…it’s all there, and more! Feast your eyes…
ABOVE: 2nd-gen Camaro NASCAR Sportsman racer.
BELOW: Not a pace car exactly, this 4th-gen Camaro was an “Official Car” at Talladega.
ABOVE: Pace cars abound throughout the museum.
BELOW: ’55 Chevy NASCAR racer.
ABOVE: This ’68 Camaro was an official Pace Car at Talladega.
BELOW: The King himself, Richard Petty won his 5th NASCAR Winston Cup Championship in 1974 with this ’74 Dodge Charger. It went so well that he used the same car again the next year and won his 6th.
ABOVE: This ’72 Ford Torino was driven by Red Farmer “The Dean of the Alabama Gang” to a 4th place finish in the ’72 Talladega 500.
BELOW: Butch Hartman won the USAC National Championship for 1975 & 1976 in this ’74 Dodge Charger.
ABOVE: This ’82 Pontiac Trans Am was the official Pace Car at the Talladega 500 that year.
BELOW: A wicked ’69 Dodge Daytona, first of the legendary “Wing Cars”.
ABOVE: Louise Smith was one of the first women ever to race in NASCAR, and between 1949 and 1956 she won 38 races, earning the title of “The First Lady of Racing”. This was her race car.
BELOW: How’s this for a racing seat? Not even a seat belt!
ABOVE: 1999 Panoz LMP-1 Roadster concept.
BELOW: Check out this NASCAR racecar cutaway.
The Budweiser Rocket
ABOVE & BELOW: The Budweiser Rocket Car used a 40,000 HP rocket motor plus another 12,000 HP rocket motor to break the sound barrier at 739.666 MHP. On the way, it went zero-to-140 MHP in 1 second!! Zero-to-400 MHP in just 3 seconds!!! That’s fast!
International Motorsports Hall of Fame – Engine Gallery
ABOVE & BELOW: There’s an awesome collection of race engines, including some real history-makers.
ABOVE: There’s nothing like a flathead.
BELOW: This is the world’s first successful OHC V8 racing engine, built by Ford in 1937.
International Motorsports Hall of Fame – Hall of Wrecks
ABOVE & BELOW: Who doesn’t love a good crash, right?
International Motorsports Hall of Fame – Bikes & other stuff
ABOVE: There are also a lot of other types of vehicles at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, including classic motorcycles, even pedal cars.
BELOW: There’s a whole section dedicated to Quarter Midgets.
Artwork of the Race Cars & Drivers
ABOVE & BELOW: Both cars and drivers are immortalized in countless pictures, paintings and pencil sketches.
VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME YOURSELF
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is located on Highway 20 east of Birmingham AL. If you’re ever in the area, don’t miss the opportunity to tour is incredible landmark museum. I’m not even a NASCAR fan, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. And it’s only twelve bucks! You could spend an entire day there and never see it all. For more info on location, hours, and special exhibits, go to their website at http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com.
