Former IndyStar reporter Will Higgins has opened a new exhibition titled "The Speedway's Attic" at the Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis (CAMi), running until August 16. The show presents nine quirky, true stories from the margins of the Indianapolis 500, featuring artifacts recreated by Higgins based on his own research. One highlighted tale involves a fake 1938 Mercedes Benz convertible linked to Adolf Hitler, which appeared at the 1949 Indy 500 with mannequins and alleged "Hitler's wife's underwear." Higgins, known for his gonzo journalism style, previously created exhibits like "The American Society of Presidential Urine Collectors" and "The Museum of Fabulosity."
This exhibition matters because it offers an unofficial, grassroots counterpoint to the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum, celebrating the weird and wild lore of a major American sporting event through a visual art lens. It underscores how journalism and storytelling can merge with museum display to preserve marginalized histories, and it highlights the role of local artists and reporters in shaping cultural memory. The show also reflects a growing trend of unconventional, narrative-driven exhibitions that blur the line between fact and creative reconstruction.