Press Release

Driven to Win: Racing in America presented by General Motors to Open June 2020 inside Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

(Dearborn, Mich. – Jan. 16, 2020) – Driven to Win: Racing in America, the first comprehensive exhibition covering various forms of American auto racing, including stock car, sports car, drag racing, Indy Car, hill climb and land-speed racing, will open June 2020 inside Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.  Presented by General Motors, this 24,000 square-foot exhibition provides visitors an in-depth look at the people, the experiences, the culture, the spectacle, the risks and the innovations centered in the world of American auto sports.

“Racing is such a multisensory experience,” said Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO, The Henry Ford. “With Driven to Win, we hope to bring to life the excitement fans get at the race track and inspire our guests with the passionate stories of those innovators who have dedicated their lives to this exhilarating and game-changing sport.”

Previously announced as Racing in America, this exhibition offers up a stellar and unprecedented collection of some of the most important and significant vehicles in the world of racing, including: the 1906 Locomobile “Old 16,” the first American car to win a major international road race in the United States; the 1965 Lotus-Ford, the first rear-engine car to win the Indianapolis 500; the 1965 Goldenrod, which held a land speed record of 409.277 mph for wheel-driven cars until 1991; the 1967 Ford Mark IV, which earned an all-American victory at Le Mans with Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt at the wheel; the 1988 Chevrolet-powered Penske PC-17, driven by Rick Mears for the third of his four Indy 500 wins; and a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, a track-ready performance car used in engineering tests at Germany’s celebrated Nurburgring racing circuit.

“General Motors is proud to present this amazing new permanent exhibition at The Henry Ford,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors. “Our motorsports heritage goes back to the days of Louis Chevrolet and beyond, and it has always remained a big part of who we are, and what we do, especially in terms of driving engineering excellence and implementing the transfer of technology and innovation from the track to the street.”

The exhibition features multiple interactive zones including, Motorsports Performance Training where visitors can see what drivers go through before hitting the track and the Sports Car Race Shop to see how experts design and engineer winning race cars using their knowledge in planning, problem-solving and testing. The In the Driver’s Seat zone brings the ability for visitors to experience all the realism without the risks of the sport through six interlinked full-motion racing simulators.  This 15-minute virtual ride allows visitors to drive the world’s fastest cars on the most challenging tracks on the planet and  includes a five-minute qualifying session followed by genuine, wheel-to-wheel competition. In The Winner’s Circle presented by Rolex ® celebrates the achievements, the people behind them and the vehicles that embody stories of key moments in American auto racing.

Inside the 4D cinematic experience “Fueled by Passion,” visitors will get an all-access look into the hopes and dreams, successes and failures of those who live and breathe racing every day. The film includes exclusive footage and interviews with the actual drivers, crew members and engineers from five different forms of racing.  Visitors will feel they’re at the actual tracks, inside the vehicles, in the pits and at the starting line as they follow each of their journeys, before, during and after some of the most pivotal, and notable races of the season.

About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally-recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thehenryford.org, its national television programs, The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation and Did I Mention Invention? and other resources, The Henry Ford helps individuals of all kinds to unlock their potential and help shape a better future. The Henry Ford advanced its role as a catalyst for change in education with the acquisition of Invention Convention Worldwide, a growing affiliation of organizations dedicated to fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in students, K-12. With this merger, The Henry Ford is now home to the Michigan Invention Convention and the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, during which thousands of students from across the United States participate.

For more information:
Melissa Foster, Sr. Manager, Public Relations
melissaf@thehenryford.org, 313-982-6126