The Valley of the Sun is a big sports community, offering professional basketball, baseball, and hockey, but what many don’t realize is that we are a big racing community as well! Phoenix Raceway is home to our NASCAR racetrack and to a dynasty of racecar drivers, including names you may recognize such as the Penske team. Based out of North Carolina, the Penske team is known for enjoying 18 Indy 500 victories, and the museum we offer here in Phoenix celebrates the team, the cars, and the victories! Our hometown is designed so everyone will feel comfortable and at home during their visit, and our I Love Scottsdale vacation havens are a big part of the reason why your visit will be one you wish never had to end. This guide to the delights offered at the Penske Racing Museum and all the comforts and charm found in our home sweet vacation homes will give you a little something extra to look forward to before your big day arrives!
Located at 7125 E. Chauncey Lane in Phoenix
The Phoenix Metropolitan area is a large one, and yet the towns that make up the region are still closely connected, sort of like a big happy family. The Penske Museum is the perfect example. Located just a short drive from your I Love Scottsdale sports sanctuary, the museum is open every day except Sunday with operating hours being 10 AM to 4 PM weekdays and noon to 5 PM on Saturday. Also offering a café that provides snacks and beverages, the café is closed on weekends and open from 10 to 2:30 PM weekdays.
50 Years of Success
As we mentioned earlier, the Penskes are a super successful racing dynasty, winning the Indy 500 18 separate times, but also enjoying over 600 victories overall and providing exciting cars to watch racing around the most famous racetrack in the nation. The museum dedicated to the fastest cars in the world offers a display of at least a dozen of the cars the family drove to victory, including a replica of the car Roger Penske drove to victory in 1963 at the NASCAR Riverside 250. Painted jet black with the number 02 in white on its side, its large size may be surprising to those who are more used to the low-slung models that win races today! The cars in the museum weren’t all driven by Penskes, but most are winners of the Indy 500, and they include a 1985 March Ford driven to victory by Danny Sullivan, as well as a generous selection of colorfully painted cars that were also victors in their quest for speed. Winner of the 2009 Indy 500, the 2009 Dallara driven by Helio Castroneves, is also included in the display, adding even more excitement to the exhibition!
More Than Cars
The cars are important, because without them, would there be any winners? But this intimately sized museum also pays homage to the drivers who reigned over the racetrack and all the memorabilia that goes along with the sport. Posters mounted to the walls portray victories over the years, the trophies that were won, and other artifacts that are an integral part of the racing world are displayed under the roof of the Penske Racing Museum. The café that is open for limited hours (listed above) is known as Turn 4 and serves breakfast and lunch options. It is located on the second floor of the museum, looking out over the test track and the Land Rover off-road course, adding a touch of drama to your midday or late morning meal!
Souvenirs of Your Visit
We can’t help it. Often, our favorite part of our vacation adventures are the parts we spend shopping in the gift shops attached to the places we visited. The downside, of course, is having to lug all that stuff back home, stuffing pieces into overstuffed suitcases and worrying at the gate that our luggage will be over the weight limit and will cost us even more money. Online shops, however, such as the one offered by the Penske Racing Museum, ensure we can take a little piece of our journey home, but instead of having to carry it home with us, they will ship it to our home! The online store of Team Penske features autographed wares, posters of current drivers, hats, tees, and visors that you never knew you couldn’t live without until you saw them posted in the shop!
Obey the Speed Limits
After exploring the speed of the beautiful exhibits available at the Penske Racing Museum, you may be tempted to push the pedal to the medal on your return trip to your I Love Scottsdale vacation haven, but we hope you won’t! Nothing spoils an idyllic vacation more than an unexpected speeding ticket, so drive carefully and save all your speeding for the dreams you have each night of your stay. Contact us and reserve your favorite property with us today!
