Memorabilia: Don Smith’s Incredible Racing Collection

Now this you gotta see! Don Smith of Terre Haute opened the doors of his extensive private racing collection to the public last fall to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (where was I when that happened??). Another race fan had the recent opportunity to view part of the collection and has posted photos on the forums of JalopyJournal.com.

Here’s the direct link to the forum thread with the photos:

Photos of Don Smith collection at JalopyJournal.com

And a sample photo (there are many more):

Don Smith is the chairman of the board of Terre Haute-based First Financial Corp., a major sponsor of local short-track racing in Indiana. He is also a former promoter of the Terre Haute Action Track and founded the Sumar Racing team with Chapman S. Root which raced from 1953-1960.

This is truly an unbelievable collection, and the dream of all of us who squirrel away all kinds of racing-related “stuff” in our drawers, closets, attics, basements, etc.

The good news is that apparently a museum is being planned by Smith’s grandsons, to be located on Ohio Street in Terre Haute, and could possibly open this year. More information about the collection is available in this article from the Terre Haute Tribune Star:

Racing enthusiast opens private collection to raise money for Breast Cancer Foundation

If anyone has any information about the planned museum, please post a comment here or contact us.