The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan has begun fundraising for an ambitious exhibit that they are calling “Racing in America”. When completed, the exhibit will measure more than 22,000 square feet (roughly half and acre!) and will include historic drag racing, road racing, land speed racing, and stock cars along with an overview of auto racing in the USA.

We think that this rules because auto racing doesn’t get near the credit that it deserves when it comes to the evolution of the automobile in America. Lots of people fail to realize that before computers, shaker tables, advanced simulations and dedicated R&D labs, the only way people could test technology was on the race track.

Knowing the quality of the exhibits at The Henry Ford, we bet this one will be epic. 

So you’re wondering how the museum will come up with that $15,000,000 to set up the permanent display? We were too until we read that the gents who are co-chairing the effort to raise the cashola are Roger Penske, Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick, and Edsel B. Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford.

Henry shocked the world when his burly “999” (pictured) kicked the asses of all comers with Barney Oldfield at the tiller back in the day. This exhibit will be perfectly at home at the museum which bears his name. 

Source — ChicagoTribune.com — Henry Ford Museum plans $15M auto racing exhibit