History Say GOODBUY to NHRA Museum..WTF

The word on the streets tells of NHRA's desire to close the doors and transfer ownership of its exhibits to the Petersen Automotive Museum, located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. This particular museum came to be in 1994 thanks to a 5-million-dollar donation to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum by benefactors (and Wally Parks' former boss), publishing magnate Robert. E. Petersen. In 2000, another 24.8-million was donated to the L.A. County Natural History Museum (by Petersen) to retire the bond debt and establish the Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation as a non-profit organisation. Sure, it's an interesting place, but it's not OUR place. Besides, the Petersen has no room for such a large amount of historical race cars, displays and artifacts, and it would likely benefit only by tax deductions if this deal were to occur. However, if this scenarion were to play out (and it may have by the time you read this), I fear the displays and cars that helped shape the sport of drag racing would be relegated to a subterranean storage garage where they'd never see the light of day.

Now, here's the irony in all of this: NHRA is attempting to push it's history off in a corner and forget about it, while NASCAR is building an opulent, mega-million-dollar Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to celebrate ITS past. And while nothing stays the same in life, certain decisions seem to make no sense whatsoever. That, my friends, is the difference between an organisation with genuine p***ion and one that's hell bent on looking through the windshield while having reckless disregard for where it's been. Long live the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum. I can only hope the Auto Club of Southern California has a say in all this.

 

I know a guy who has his car in the museum. He told me he would never let his car go to the Peterson and he would pull it out and park it at his house. From what I understand a lot of other car owners feel the same. WTF NHRA !!!

 

This past LA Roadster show I went to the museum and now one there had any idea what I was talking about, so if it is closing none of the staff know about it.

 

Compton has everything in a mess

 

So if they close it what will happen to the Hot rod reunion's ?

 

its time for new leadership in the nhra. we need some cars guys making the decisions again. sad to hear about the museum.

 

The CHRR and NHRR are money makers, so you can bet your a$$ they'll still be around.

 

wtf is "word on the streets"??

is that like"i heard it through the g****vine"?

 

The sad thing about NHRA is that you can't even see a drag race on normal TV. (NASCAR Toilet bowl racing) is on in HIGH DEF. I Don't have cable. Whatever happend to wide world of sports and sunday drag racing in the afternoon. Now every time i want to see a race It's always postponed until after girl basketball or golf or more useless bull ****. Nhra has no idea how to market itself in the media. It will be very sad to see it go.

 

wtf. california gets all the cool ****. first it is the nice weather, then it is the hot chicks in bikinis, now this. wtf.

 

Who really gives a Damn!!!Drag racings gone with the 60s.

 

Man, I know there was a previous post on this before the last L.A.R.S., but it seems to have vaporized. One of us even inquired about it to the staff at the museum and they seemed to confirm the rumor and suggested we express our concerns to N.H.R.A. via Email.

 

They don't care what "you" think.
On a weekday, I have been the only one in there except for staff. On the weekends there might be 10-15 people in the max...without any corporate $, it's going to vanish...
I went in June hearing all the rumors and took 500 photos of everything, just in case it all gets squirreled away into the hands of all the private owners.
I'll post 'em someday on a separate thread..........





all Barney Navarros tools





I have a bunch more...........................

 

this is what happens when dog food company execs try to run a sport they have no intrest in except the bottom line and dont understand or care about the history.......

 

not to change the subject,but one of the biggest car meets here in Columbus have been ruined by the Arthritis foundation.it usually runs a week before good guys

it used to be called the Len Immke cl***ic,but Arthritis foundation took it over.

it's all screwed up now,nothing but a bunch of new Mustangs and PT cruisers

because they want the money

 

It would be sad to see all those exhibits be broken up. It only seems to make sense to have it all at Pomona where it started. Though, maybe they would have better luck here in Phoenix, But seriously, If they just don't get the traffic needed to keep the doors open, maybe they would do better by relocating the whole thing to a more central location. Possibly Kansas, where the first N.H.R.A. nationals were held. Which was rained out and concluded Phoenix, so technically you could say they were held held here too. Just a little history lesson for ya.

 

+ 1

 

Yes, however, if nobody is going to it in So-Cal with the population what it is, why would it survive in Phoenix? Agreed all the Pavilions guys would eventually make it there, but what about after that.

Regarding location, it should be as close as possible to large population base.

 

It was a joke.

 

Yes!

As mentioned above. I'd attended the museum as well, not many people there, but I didn't go to see people. I went and saw an awesome arrangement of racing artifacts, big and small. Anyone who hasn't been should do so while they can, if this rumor is actually true.

 

I give a damn!

 

Why the dislike for the Peterson Museum?

 

No dislike from me...cool place to visit, will be going in a few weeks for the R&M Auction....exhibits are always changing....hope its not next to go, seems like these treats of ours have such little appeal that they can't sustain themselves...

 

Bob Petersen paid Wally's salary while he was putting together the NHRA. Look at the names of the first Safari and compare them to the HRM masthead in the early fifties. Those "traditionalists" that bad mouth the Petersen and Wally Parks don't know **** from shinola when it comes to the history of hot rodding.

Quite frankly, the Petersen may be the best place to house the NHRA museum with some help from SEMA.

 

Bottom line the NHRA is a big deal with tons of history and should have it's own museum.

 

No money = no museum. NHRA staffers have not been given word that the museum is a gonner yet. Most likely no announcement until the Winternats in February. I know AAA wants it to stay put. I just keep my fingers crossed that it remains in Pomona where it belongs. It truly is an amazing place. And it it heads to the Petersen, then I'll just go check it out on my lunch break.

 

sounds like the NHRA is going down the same path as the AMA. shame

 

Don't write off the museum just yet. Did you see that big AAA logo in one of Mazooma's pics? The Auto Club has put millions in NHRA, Pomona and Famoso race tracks, and the museum. THEY don't want the museum closed. NHRA will think long and hard about ******* off one of their biggest monitary supporters.

 

Damn! I've done my bit - I flew 1/2 way round the world to see it. And I'd go again.

Re. the Petersen, it's a bit of a cave.