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'Driven to Win: Racing in America' exhibition sets March 2021 opening date

Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography
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emailBy RACER Staff | February 9, 2021 9:37 AM

Driven to Win: Racing in America, the first comprehensive exhibition covering various forms of American auto racing, including stock car, sports car, drag racing, IndyCar, hillclimb and land-speed racing, will open on March 27 inside Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Presented by General Motors, the 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.

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Driven to Win

view 8 images “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.

Driven to Win, The Henry Ford,

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Driven to Win: Racing in America
1966 Ford Galaxie driven by Wendell Scott, the first African American driver to compete full time in NASCAR.
© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021


Driven to Win: Racing in America
Inside the Driven to Win Theater, guests will see “Fueled by Passion,” a 15-minute cinematic experience…© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021
© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021


Driven to Win: Racing in America
Inside the Sports Car Performance Center presented by Multimatic, guests can compare the Ford GT race car and production car.
less© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021

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Driven to Win: Racing in America
Driven to Win explores the topics of performance, safety and risk in the world of racing.© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021


Driven to Win: Racing in America
Get a closer look at the 1967 Le Mans-winning Ford Mark IV.© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021



Driven to Win: Racing in America
Visitors can try their hand at a NASCAR tire change in this interactive display.© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021


Driven to Win: Racing in America
The 1987 Chevy Penske PC-17 driven by Rick Mears to victory at the Indianapolis 500.© Wes Duenkel Motorsport Photography | 2021