Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Honors The ‘Voices Of The 500’

ABC Sports brought the Indianapolis 500 into the living room beginning with “Wide World of Sports” in 1965. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is honoring the greats of broadcasting with its newest exhibit.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

In a week when the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum won a prestigious international award, an exciting new exhibit will honor the history of bringing the world’s biggest race to the masses.

On Saturday, November 22, the museum located in the infield of the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened a new exhibit featuring the history of radio and television at the Indianapolis 500.

“Now Stay Tuned” opened in The Chip Ganassi Gallery in the Lower Level. It’s a rotating exhibit that replaced, “Best of the Best: The Four-Time Winners.”

“Now Stay Tuned” explores how broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 helped make the race a global phenomenon. The title is a nod to Sid Collins’ famous phrase, “now stay tuned for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’”, which was created by copywriter Alice Greene in 1955.

Guests will hear the voices of generations past as they’re immersed in different eras of broadcasting. With sections including IMS Radio Network, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and present-day FOX Sports coverage, guests will learn and listen to the voices of beloved broadcasters who have led race coverage, from Sid Collins and Paul Page to Jim McKay and Bob Jenkins.

“The IMS Museum staff has done a remarkable job of putting ‘Now Stay Tuned’ together. This exhibit showcases the tools and stories of the history of broadcasting, an industry I was proud to be part of for 47 years,” said former chief announcer Paul Page. “Throughout my career, I watched radio, then television, grow and this room is full of memories.”

The exhibit also dives into the evolution of technology, with artifacts including an early radio from 1924, a television receiver from 1948, to a modern-day audio mixing board from IMS Radio Network. Additionally, Marcus Ericsson’s 2022 Indianapolis 500 winning car will showcase how onboard cameras are utilized today.

Guests will also have the chance to become announcers themselves by stepping into a broadcast booth and recording their own race call from pre-selected years.

“The stories of the Indianapolis 500 couldn’t be told without people like Sid Collins, Paul Page, and now, Will Buxton,” said Jason Vansickle, Vice President of Curation and Education. “Many people have fond memories of listening or watching the race growing up, and this exhibit honors the legacies of those broadcasters.”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum ‘Setting The Pace’

In addition to “Now Stay Tuned”, the IMS Museum recently opened another rotating exhibition, “Setting the Pace.” Eight Indianapolis 500 pace cars are being showcased in The Bobby Rahal Family Gallery in the Lower Level, replacing the NASCAR Brickyard 400 winning cars that were on display.

“Setting the Pace” highlights the legacy of pace cars, a tradition that started at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 and continues to this day. The pace cars include: 1915 Packard Model 5-48, 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, 1971 Dodge Challenger, 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88, 1991 Dodge Viper RT/10, 1996 Dodge Viper GTS, 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS, and this past year’s 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which was driven by Michael Strahan.

Both rotating exhibits will be open through June 2026.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Honored As ‘Museum Collection Of The Year’

The new exhibit comes days after the IMS Museum won the “Museum or Collection of the Year” award presented by the International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA), beating out prestigious institutions that included Silverstone Museum (England), Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles), National Motor Museum (England), Autoworld Museum (Belgium), Museo Alfa Romeo (Italy), and Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection (Germany).

The IHMA is considered the world’s most prestigious awards in the collector car world. The winners were announced at a ceremony in London on Friday, November 14.

“On behalf of the board and staff of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, I am deeply honored to accept the prestigious ‘Museum of the Year’ award given by the International Historic Motoring Awards,” said Chuck Jones, IMS Museum Board Chair. “This recognition is a testament to the passion, dedication, and vision of our entire team, who work tirelessly to preserve and share the rich history of motorsport and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the world. The award underscores our commitment to celebrating innovation, speed, and the human stories behind racing, while inspiring future generations to appreciate the cultural significance of motorsport.

“We are proud to represent the legacy of Indy car racing on the global stage and are grateful to International Historic Motoring Awards for this acknowledgment. This achievement strengthens our resolve to continue expanding our collections, enhancing visitor experiences, and ensuring that the legacy of the Speedway remains vibrant and accessible for years to come.”

The “Museum or Collection of the Year” award is given to the museum or collection that has made the greatest achievements this year, whether in special exhibits, additions to the collection, or new innovations.

The IMS Museum reopened to the public in April 2025 following a $61 million renovation that added an additional 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and allowed for 10 distinct galleries that are more interactive, engaging, and educational than before. Since then, more than 150,000 guests have visited from around the world, already surpassing annual attendance from previous years.

The awards were judged by a distinguished panel of experts and prominent figures from the motoring world. The judges included TV stars Jay Leno, Wayne Carini and Donald Osborne, Le Mans legend Derek Bell and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance chairman Sandra Button.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s Impressive Collection And History

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum represents more than a century of motorsports history and is driven by its mission to celebrate and preserve the history behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Since 1956 when the IMS Museum first opened, it has brought to life the innovation, thrill, and cultural significance of motor racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What began with only 12 cars on display has become one of the world’s premier collections of racing automobiles and artifacts – with more than 55,000 artifacts and over 150 vehicles. The IMS Museum ignites curiosity, sparks discovery, and embraces tradition.

The International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA) presented by Lockton were launched in 2011 by the team behind Octane magazine. The aim of the awards was to celebrate the achievements of the global collector car community, something which no other awards has ever done. The IHMA’s first venue of The Renaissance St Pancras was soon outgrown, and the event moved to a series of prestigious London locations over the following decade. In early 2024, the IHMA and Octane magazine were acquired by Hothouse Media, led by two of the original founders of the awards and Octane. The new team relaunched the awards, with a focus on even higher quality, at the new venue of Peninsula London.

The prestigious award is a significant honor for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which honors the incredible racing history of the internationally-famous venue.