Sprint Car Hall of Fame Displays Significant Cars At Penn Mall

Four sprint cars are now on display at the Penn Central Mall. They are on loan from the Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – As summer nears an end and people look for relief from the heat that has settled over the area, the Sprint Car Hall of Fame gives you one more excuse to head for the air conditioned space of Penn Central Mall.

Tom Schmeh, the curator at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, talked about the significance of four cars on display at Penn Central Mall. “They show the evolution of the sprint cars. The four cars that we are bringing are all different.”

“This 25 car is a dirt championship car. It’s actually a larger version of a sprint car, it has a longer wheelbase and bigger fuel tank, and runs primarily on mile dirt tracks. Oskaloosa and Knoxville are half-mile dirt tracks, this car primarily runs on mile dirt tracks,” Schmeh explained giving a brief history of the car.

“The number 94 car is actually a super modified, predecessor to today’s modern wing sprint car. That one actually won the 1965 Knoxville Nationals with Kenny Weld of Kansas City driving.” Schmeh explained that it had the primitive wing, boxier tank , a tin top. The 94 was a regular visitor to the Knoxville Raceway.

“We are excited to have them here at Penn Central Mall for the next 2 weeks. I think it will bring exposure to sprint car racing, with both Knoxville and Oskaloosa having events over the next 10 days,” Schmeh said about having the cars located in the mall during this time.

The Sprint Car Hall of Fame is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 7 days a week all year round, with a cost of no more than 4 dollars per person, with seniors and students getting a discount of a dollar. The museum opened it’s doors in 1992, and there is a rotation of cars as some come off of loan from other collections and others are brought in. So if you have been there, and think you have seen it, chances are, there are some new things to see.