The International Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum in Talladega, Ala. is launching the largest fundraising initiative in its nearly 40-year history. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum hosts legendary race cars, artifacts, vintage motorcycles, features the 3,000 square-foot McCaig-Wellborn Motorsports Research Library and more. 

Years of neglect have left the museum in desperate need of repairs and updates to preserve the history of this great sport. 

The campaign named “#SaveSpeed” was launched this fall with the  goal of raising $75,000. One hundred percent of funds raised will go directly to renovating the museum, restoring cars, and ongoing building maintenance and upgrades. All donations made are tax deductible. 

A grant received in early 2021 has started the renovation process, with necessary updates to the HVAC system taking place as well as upgrades to LED lighting across the museum. 

“The launch of our fundraising campaign is an effort to preserve the heritage of our state’s rich racing history, and the men and women who made it happen for many generations to come,”states Mike Raita, Executive Director of International Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum. “We encourage race fans to donate what they can in order to help ensure the Hall of Fame is a place where race legends live forever.”

The museum features championship winning cars from Richard Petty, Fireball Roberts, Bill Elliott, Bobby Allison, JImmie Johhson and more. Other attractions include equipment used by legends from all racing series, a hall of fame room paying tribute to the 145 inductees and Dale Earnhardt’s vintage motorcoach. 

The McCaig-Wellborn Motorsports Research Library features more than 14,000 volumes of books, magazines and other research materials. It is quite possibly the largest and most comprehensive collection of motorsports information in the world. The Library is open weekdays only. 

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is located in Talladega, Alabama, adjacent to  the famous Talladega Superspeedway. A new exhibit was opened in September 2021 featuring the accomplishments of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and is the museum’s first new exhibit in nearly 10 years. 

The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., and closed Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Museum tours are self-guided and generally take one to three hours to complete. 

To learn more about the museum and the #SaveSpeed campaign and donate, visit: https://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/