Clarksville, TN – After over a year-and-a-half of planning, the long-anticipated, heart-thumping, high-octane exhibit Start Your Engines! A Celebration of Racing in Montgomery County is open at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.
The exhibit is sponsored by Tri-Star Beverage and MPG Transport and spans across several galleries within the Museum.
Celebrating the history of auto racing in Montgomery County, Start Your Engines! spotlights the local legends that formed the sport in our area, including Jeff Purvis, Tony Albright, Eddie Pace, the Greenfield family, and numerous other veterans of dirt track and drag strip racing.
The exhibit also features the storied history of the Clarksville Speedway and Dragstrip, while highlighting other historic tracks in the area.
Many types of racing vehicles will rotate throughout the Museum for the duration of the exhibit; check out the famed No. 9 NASCAR stock car driven by Kasey Kahne, Barry Carpenter’s epic 1968 drag rail, Mickey Jerles’ prized late-model crate, and many more.
“This exhibition has morphed and grown over time since its inception – like our city,” said Terri Jordan, Curator of Exhibits. “We are thrilled to bring an exhibition to the public featuring an iconic and historic location in Clarksville – the Clarksville Speedway and Fairgrounds – and the stories, artifacts, and memories of its family, its patrons, the pit crews, and drivers.”
Additionally, a three-part documentary series was produced by Goodwin Productions for CDE Lightband’s Clarksville Community Network, complete with interviews from local drivers, track owners, and racing influencers. A commemorative magazine with more in-depth features accompanies the exhibit and is available for purchase at Seasons: The Museum Store.
“This is one of the largest exhibits produced by the Museum in 15 years,” explained Executive Director Frank Lott. “Hundreds of hours of video interviews, site visits with race car owners and drivers, filming races at the drag strip and dirt oval track, researching and writing story drafts, and scrolling through dozens of scrapbooks were all required to make this exhibit happen.”
Start Your Engines! A Celebration of Racing in Montgomery County is on view at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center through December 31st, 2021
About the Customs House Museum
Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State’s second-largest general museum. The original portion of the building was constructed in 1898 as a U.S. Post Office and Customs House for the flourishing tobacco trade. Incorporating a number of architectural styles, the original structure is one of the most photographed buildings in the region.
With over 35,000 square feet of the region’s best hands-on activities and special events…people of all ages agree – the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!
The Explorer’s Gallery is packed with fun, learning and fantasy in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and kitchen, and of course – the Bubble Cave! Finally, get “all aboard” to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers “ride the rails” every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $7.00, Senior Citizens and College ID $5.00, Ages 6 to 18 $3.00, and under six years and Museum members are free.
The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org
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