Places to Go – Penske Racing Museum

1972 Indianapolis 500 winning McLaren 16B driven by Mark Donohue

Admittedly, most of us do not expect to find much of interest at the local auto mall except for those occasions when we are in the market for a new car. An exception to that general rule is The Penske Racing Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. Located on the grounds of the Scottsdale 101 Auto Collection – with dealerships for Porsche, BMW. Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin – the facility is a testament to the longevity and success of Roger Penske. With 15 victories at the Indy 500, Penske has more victories at the Brickyard than any other owner and his Penske Motorsports teams compete in several series including NASCAR and Indy Car as well as winners in sports car events like the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

March 84C driven by Rick Mears to victory in the 1984 Indy 500 next to the 1973 Porsche 911 RSR driven to the first IROC Championship by Mark Donohue

A championship driver in his own right – named the SCCA Driver of the Year in 1961 by Sports Illustrated – Penske started early in the industry when he bought and sold cars while a teenager in Cleveland, Ohio. When he started racing, Penske found that he was adept in a variety of vehicle types from Formula One single seat racers to stock cars. Upon his retirement, Penske shifted gears and worked on building an empire that began with a single Chevrolet store in Philadelphia. Along with his many successful commercial ventures, Penske Racing continued to collect checkered flags with hundreds of victories across many different series.

Driven by Mario Andretti and Rick Mears this car won the 1979 Indy 500 with the latter behind the wheel

The Penske Racing Museum is the hub of the dozen or so luxury dealerships and features an impressive array of Penske vehicles over the half-century of his career in motorsports. The collection includes a replica of the 1963 Pontiac Catalina that he drove to victory in the 1963 Riverside 250 to several Indy 500 winners including those driven by legends like Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, Rick Mears, Al Unser and Tom Sneva.

Mario Andretti’s IROC ride

In addition to the open-wheel racers that battled at Indy, there are a pair of IROC cars including the 1973 Porsche 911 RSR driven to the 1973 Championship by Donohue and Indy Pace Cars from the 70s to today. Modern NASCAR rides are also on display as are countless trophies from some of the premier events in racing.

Replica of the 1963 NASCAR Pontiac Catalina driven by Penske in the Riverside 250

Unlike most museums where the gift shop and cafeteria are afterthoughts, the Turn 4 Café occupies its own level and includes views of the Valley of the Sun, the collection located on the floor below and memorabilia from the museum’s vault. While the exhibits rotate, there is almost always a solid selection of Indy 500 winners on display as well as sports cars from the long history of Penske Racing.

View from the Turn 4 Cafe

The Penske Racing Museum is located at 7125 East Chauncey Lane in Phoenix, Arizona and is open 7 days a week. Admission is free.

(480) 538-4444