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Behind the Scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Behind the Scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

How Downtown FabWorks brought the thrill of race day to the museum floor

Staff
May 15, 2025

Now that the racing season is in full swing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it seemed like a great time to talk about our recent project for the renowned property. Over the winter, our team had a great time installing multiple exhibits at the newly reimagined Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

The museum, which reopened its doors to the public on April 2nd, boasts 40,000 square feet of added space—including a once-restricted lower level and a brand-new mezzanine showcasing never-before-seen artifacts—and offers so much more than a walk through racing history. It’s a celebration of the craftsmanship, passion, and people who’ve shaped this singular sport over generations.

Honoring a legacy, one detail at a time

Working in close collaboration with our creative partners at Scenario Global, we had the opportunity to fabricate and install several key museum exhibits and architectural elements throughout the museum. Each piece was thoughtfully engineered to support the museum’s mission: to preserve and showcase the legendary history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the iconic Indy 500.

Here’s a closer look at some of the work to which we contributed our technical design, project management, experiential fabrication, and museum exhibit installation knowledge:

Welcome Center Reception Desk

The museum’s front desk, built from HSS steel framing and custom cladding and topped with a sleek Quartz Corian counter, makes a bold and welcoming first impression.

Red automotive paint details and LED lighting give it a subtle nod to the world of motorsports.

Interactive Pin Map Wall

This hands-on exhibit invites guests to explore where they’re visiting from using touchscreen monitors and a large, removable aluminum bezel surrounding the main display.

Starting Line Yellow T-shirt Exhibit

The Starting Line Yellow T-Shirt Exhibit is a simple yet powerful multimedia piece that brings a personal story to life through video, sound, and clean, functional design.

Winner’s Gallery Exhibit

One of our most technically intricate builds—this space showcases historic race cars against a backdrop of aluminum panels and hidden LED strip lighting. The hinged panels allow for car lift access, while maintaining a sleek, uninterrupted surface for daily viewing.

The Faceted, Lighted Wall

This one’s a showstopper - a glowing, multi-layered backdrop that illuminates prized race cars with precision.

Carefully constructed with aluminum framing, curved acrylic, and integrated lighting—it’s as much a technical feat as it is a visual one.

Customer Service Desk and Halo

Built for form and function, this element mirrors the Welcome Center design with steel framing, soft lighting, and thoughtful tech integration—bringing both beauty and utility to the visitor experience.

The Model Base Exhibit

At the heart of the new space lies a stunning scale replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Projection-mapped and surrounded by interactive monitors, it invites guests of all ages to explore the track’s rich history from every angle.

Fabrication IS storytelling

For us, this project wasn’t just about building beautiful structures. It was about honoring decades of racing heritage, creating moments of connection between visitors and the sport, and adding our voice to a much larger story.

It’s not every day we get to work on a National Historic Landmark. And it’s not every day we get to collaborate with teams who care as deeply about craft, experience, and legacy as we do.

So if you’re ever in Indianapolis, make time to visit the museum. Take in the stories, the sounds, the speed—and when you do, we hope you’ll feel the heart behind every detail.