The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Is Looking For a New President. Could It Be You?

As far as car museums go, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum has got to be one of the best in the world. Though it’s 47 years younger than the Speedway itself, the museum still predates a lot of race tracks in America. It’s also literally inside the oval of the track, its current location since 1976, which means it’s been witness to some of the greatest races in America. Because of that, it’s absolutely packed to the brim with motorsports history.

When the museum opened in 1956, it had just 12 cars on display. Now, though, it’s become the premier destination for American open-wheel racing history, housing over 150 cars and more than 55,000 car-related artifacts, including stuff like trophies, parts, clothing, photographs, magazines, newspapers, and posters. The wonderful Jason Torchinsky got to visit the museum just a couple of months ago while limping a 375,000-mile New York City taxi across America, and it looked like a lovely time.

Now, the IMS museum is looking for a new leader. The former president, Joe Hale, stepped down from the position in June after nearly five years in the role. He was responsible for overseeing a massive 17-month, $65-million rennovation of the museum this past year, which added 40,000 square feet of exhibition space. He also oversaw the establishment of a $100 million endowment for the facility. Mighty big shoes to fill, then.

Running what’s arguably the most important car museum in the world is no simple task, of course. There are 21 people currently working at the museum you’ll be directly responsible for, including a finance team and a guest services team. In addition to the day-to-day running of the museum itself, the president will be in charge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and the IMS Foundation. The museum also has an in-house restoration department that buys historically significant race cars for future display.

Going by the job listing, it sounds like you’ll need a lot of past experience as the Head Honcho to have any chance at a callback:

The ideal candidate should demonstrate a career path of progressive leadership and management experience. Applicants should have significant experience in growing the capacity and impact of an organization that focuses on guest and member engagement, has created innovative, cutting-edge programming and events that drive interest, attendance, and awareness.

As the key spokesperson for the Museum, the President will be a dynamic, energetic communicator who can influence others to action, be they board members, donors, elected officials, corporate executives, or other supporters. The ideal candidate will show evidence of successful fundraising leadership that includes the acquisition of major gifts and grants from foundations, corporations, individuals, and the public sector at the local, state, and national level. Experience managing and overseeing long-term projects and initiatives such as capital campaigns is advantageous.

Interestingly, the listing doesn’t mention anything about needing to know the history behind Indy Motor Speedway, or about racing at all. This isn’t terribly surprising—the IMS museum operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that needs to make money to ensure its continued existence. The board of directors would rather have a president who knows how to form relationships and cultivate donors than someone who knows who came in 13th place in the 1984 Indy 500 (it was a guy named Howdy Holmes, according to the Indianapolis Star).

If you’re one of the small handful of people in the country who qualify to be president of the IMS museum, you’ll be compensated handsomely. The job listing shows a salary range of $275,000 to $300,000, which is about four times the average yearly salary in the US. The listing also mentions an annual bonus of up to 30 percent, depending on how the board of directors thinks you’re performing.

Though Hale officially stepped down in June, he announced his departure all the way back in April. And as of today, the job listing is still very much active (Kirk Hendrix, a current board member, has been acting as interim president for the past two months). That means IMS has been searching for nearly six months. Are you the candidate the organization is looking for? Statistically, I doubt it. But considering the wide range of Autopians from different walks of life that read this site, there’s got to be one or two of you who can do this job.

Top photo: IMS Museum

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