Pedal to the Metals: Preserving Automotive Racing History

ABSTRACT The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collections encompass vehicles, memorabilia, art, and archives documenting the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During a preservation needs assessment conducted by the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), Museum staff pointed out tarnish and corrosion on the trophies in the memorabilia collection. This raised a number of questions, foremost being, “What should the museum do to slow down the deterioration of these metal objects?” The two institutions embarked on a collaborative research project aimed at answering this question. Existing literature supplied best practices, but the Museum wanted solutions specific to its needs and priorities. The Museum’s collections manager and CCAHA’s preventive conservation fellow worked together to investigate air quality on a modest budget and timeline. This case study explores the cost-effective and low-maintenance methods that were used to monitor environmental conditions, dust, acid off-gassing, and metal corrosion: dataloggers, sticky dust collectors, A-D Strips, and metal coupons. Evidence-based testing informed, educated, and initiated progress in collections care. The techniques can be adapted by a diverse range of collecting institutions that similarly do not have access to high-tech analytical equipment.