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Unser Racing Museum

Museum
In Albuquerque, New Mexico
3.2 mi from Route 66

The Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque, NM, has closed. It opened in 2005 to honor the Unsers, a New Mexico family known for generations of auto racing, and shut its doors in May 2023 after a funding dispute with local government. Its collection moved to Nebraska's Museum of American Speed. The page remains here as a piece of local history for Route 66 travellers.

What is Unser Racing Museum?

Now a former museum. It was a non-profit dedicated to the Unser family's racing achievements, from patriarch Jerry Unser down to younger generations including Mariana Unser and Al Unser III. The main building was designed in the shape of a steering wheel. Inside were exhibits and real race cars driven by family members, along with a rotating display that changed its racing theme every few months.

History of Unser Racing Museum

The museum opened in 2005 and ran for almost two decades. It closed in May 2023, when a disagreement with the local government over funding ended its run. The collection then went to Nebraska, where the Museum of American Speed, a larger institution, took it in.

Visiting Unser Racing Museum: tips

There are no exhibits to see here now, so it is not worth a special detour; it lies about 4 miles off the old road. If you are in this part of Albuquerque anyway, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is about 1.2 miles away and makes a pleasant replacement stop.

Practical info

Address: 1776 Montaño Road Northwest, Albuquerque, NM 87107
Website: museumofamericanspeed.org/unsercollection.html
Hours: Closed permanently
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Unser Racing Museum

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Mac's La Sierra
Albuquerque, NM · 4.9 mi from Unser Racing Museum
A New Mexican restaurant on Albuquerque's West Central Avenue, the city's Route 66, dating from 1952.
Diner & restaurant
Frontier Restaurant
Albuquerque, NM · 4.9 mi from Unser Racing Museum
A big New Mexican restaurant near UNM on Central Avenue, hung with portraits of John Wayne.
Diner & restaurant
El Modelo
Albuquerque, NM · 5.1 mi from Unser Racing Museum
A Barelas restaurant in Albuquerque that began in 1929 as the El Modelo Tortilla Factory.