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There’s no better racing family to open a racing museum than the Unsers, and the Unser Racing Museum is the perfect way to honor their accomplishments.
Visiting
The museum is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s open Friday through Monday from 10am to 4pm and adult admission is US$10 (as of May 2023).
The Museum
The Unser Racing Museum opened in 2006 and contains interactive exhibits about the family that’s won nine Indianapolis 500s. There are plenty of cars driven by different members of the Unser family as well as plenty of personal items on display.
We only had about 40 minutes to go through the museum, which doesn’t do it justice. There’s a wealth of information about each item in the museum, videos, oral histories, and much more.
Jerry Unser’s Garage
Most of the museum highlights the Unser family history and contribution to racing, including Jerry Unser’s garage. Jerry Unser (1932-1959) was the first member of the family to compete at the Indianapolis 500. There are tools, photos, and other memorabilia on display.
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The Unser Racing Museum continues with the family’s rise at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which has taken place since 1916. The Unser family has won the race a whopping 26 times, starting in 1934 with Louis Unser (1896-1979), who ended up winning a total of nine. Bobby Unser (1934-2021) won ten, while Al Unser Sr. won two, Al Unser Jr. won one, and Robby Unser won four.
On display is a car built by Jerry; a car driven by Bobby; a car driven by Al Sr.; displays about Al Jr.; and much more.
Indianapolis 500
A section on the Indianapolis 500 covers the history of the race and the Unser legacy. As I mentioned earlier, the Unsers have won nine Indy 500s: 1968 (Bobby), 1970 (Al Sr.), 1971 (Al Sr.), 1975 (Bobby), 1978 (Al Sr.), 1981 (Bobby), 1987 (Al Sr.), 1992 (Al Jr.), and 1994 (Al Jr.).
It also covers the current and future generation of the Unser racing family and how they aspire to race in and win the Indy 500.
On display are trophies and memorabilia from Al Jr.’s two wins as well as the car he drove to win the 1994 race. Memorabilia from Al Sr.’s wins sit behind a glass case.
Other Items
There’s much more than just race cars. One display includes a 1922 Ford Model T, while there are also a couple stock cars in the collection.
There are also classic motorbikes used in racing.
Another section covers motors used in racing and their evolution over time. A section on tires explains how they’re built and when to use certain types of tires.
