[Editor’s Note: this is an expansion of the “Embracing Tucson” series because the writer has traveled beyond Tucson and taken in sights and things of interest in the rest of the state. Thanks for reading.]
While it isn’t listed in Atlas Obscura, the Penske Racing Museum is, nonetheless, a hidden gem in Arizona and the Valley of the Sun. And while not large in square footage, like the Pharmacy Museum, it packs a lot of details into a small space.
Shoehorned in between the Bentley and Ferrari dealerships on Scottsdale Road, the Racing Museum is really an homage to The Captain and his accomplishments at the Indianapolis 500. Banners hanging from the ceilings and on the walls, depict all 20 of his Indy 500 wins. A replica of the 1972 winning car driven by Mark Donahue and the 2019 winning car sit across from one another. And a “yard of bricks” goes out the backdoor of the museum. The bricks are from the same brickworks in Indiana where the famous Indy 500 track bricks were made.
Seeing banners and cars driven by Rick Mears brought back some great memories. Mears and his brother were off-road racers from Southern California that converted to open-wheel racing quite well. This experience brought back so many memories of Memorial Days gone by when we tuned in the race on a scratchy radio while we did yard work for dad. And having hometown hero, Roger McCluskey, in the Indy 500 field from 1961 to 1979, sure helped.
Of special note to me is the banner showing 2023 Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden. That was the race my sons and I attended in perwon for my 70th birthday. Newgarden climbed the fence right in front of us when he won!
There is a trophy room upstairs that is closed on Sundays. So I’ll be back to check that out.
If you are ever in the Valley of the Sun, bwesure and check this space out.
Relentless
