Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Reviews

We enjoyed a couple of hours learning all about hot rods in Southern California. Even though my husband is really into those kind of things I personally found it really interesting also

A really unique museum with some great cars and automobilia.
Not huge but nioce and intimate and a nice setting.
Well worth visiting whilst attending events at the Fairplex (wasn't LA County Fairgrounds a much more evocative name?).
Go on Sunday morning and get the place to your self.

The one and only true Hot Rodding Museum!
The one and only true Hot Rodding Museum!
The one and only true Hot Rodding Museum!

This museum is refreshingly full of information on the development of the sport and the individuals who played important parts. The displays are great and you could easily spend a couple of hours here.
Staff are friendly and there is plenty of parking with some charging stations for EVs. Well worth a visit.

The museum was filled with muscle cars from all era's. Well laid out and spotless. Plan on spending at least an hour. Nice job.

A must for petrol heads free to get in during races but I think about $10 other wise cool stuff and merchandise 👍🏻 staff very friendly

When ever we get near the NHRA Motorsports Museum it is a must stop, and should be for any drag racing fan & anyone new to drag racing... Lots of history that makes Fast & Loud make perfect sense! It is always changing so if you have been in before, know it will be different on every visit. NHRA race weekend it is FREE to get in!

Depending on how interested you are in drag racing you could spend some time here. There are a lot of signs to read with good info. I spent about an hour and I’m more interested in hot rods than drag cars. Well worth a visit free parking and discounted entrance fee with AAA membership.

Classic museum for all racing enthusiasts. This is a learning historic tour, great stuff you won't always read about.

If you are into drag racing....GO! Lots of super cool nostalgia stuff, and right close to the race track. In fact! Park there and take the tram to the track!!

A very nice, small historical NHRA museum. Worth the stop and won’t take much of your time. I got the impression that if you are going to the raceway, this is a must stop. Great displays, convenient parking.

Located on the LA fairgrounds, this place is a must for any "gearhead"! I loved the old dragsters, some of which I built models as a kid. The entire staff is very friendly and will answer just about any question.
If you like any kind of racing, then this place is for you. If you like drag racing, this place is a must-see when in Los Angeles.

What ever you do, do not make an online purchase from the gift shop. They will take your money and you will never get your item.

Back to the beginnings of drag racing and dry lakes racing, this place has it all! The cars, the helmets, jackets, engines, pictures, and the feeling! Amazing history, this area is the cradle of American hot rodding, where the pioneers of the culture began experimenting with Detroit iron, making machines in their back yard faster, more interesting, and more attractive than the big three could with huge staffs and unlimited budgets. See it!

nice collection of hot rods and racers. Learned a lot about how the sport grew. Some very interesting cars on display

Don't go to this Museum during the LA County Fair in September. We were told we would have to pay $15 Parking then we could walk through the Fair. Reluctantly we did this but after parking we found out they wanted $14 each to get into the fair to get to the museum. Unbelievable. We gave up and I will say Battled to get our parking money back. Provision should be made to get to the museum during this fair. I did contact the Museum that night about out disappointment and they tried to get us in the next day via a lot of mucking about but we were head back to Australia. we will probably never get an opportunity to go there again so never go in September

The NHRA and Hot Rod museum is really cool to go and visit for Hot Rod Enthusists. It is really worth seeing. It only takes about an hour to go thru it, but well worth it.

Anyone that loves hot rods should love this museum. There are lots of vintage rails, funny cars and salt flat cars to see. You will also come across a few more modern drag cars. You will only need a hour or two to see it all, but it's worth it.

The NHRA musuem is required visiting for any drag racing fan and, particularly, a NHRA member. There is a lot of history to be viewed there. Some of the exhibits aren't drag racing related, but I think that the exhibits change on some irregular basis.

We Spent a few hours there,didnt think it was as big as it was.The people that work there are all retired and so happy to have a chat and tell you all about the cars.

Love cars ? You'll find enought to fulfill all your dreams. For special events they bring in a parking lot full of more cars !!

Great place to visit if you where into drag racing in th 60/70/ 80 era lots of memories that one can relate to.

Great displays of vehicles and memorabilia. Items change so come back and see what you missed the first time!

We spent half a day visiting the museum, Outstanding collection of historic race cars, show cars and memorbillia. Staff are very helpful, telling stories about various cars. A Wide variety of merchandising to purchase. If you a car nut and visiting the area do not hesitate to visit this museum.

I have been a fan of NHRA for a long period of time, but until recently have never been to the museum. I went to kill a few hours, arrived as soon as the museum opened, and in the course of my time there finally realized that I had spent the whole day wandering from exhibit to exhibit. If you like NHRA and happen to be in the area this is a great place to kill a few hours.

If your into racing, this is the place to go! Lots of great displays and older cars. Loved seeing the older dragsters I remember from childhood. You can cover the museum in about 2 hours.

If you are into hot rod and drag racing nostalgia this is a 2 hour blast from the past not to be missed. All the famed cars from the 50 60 and 70's are present. Reasonable entry and no parking problems.

My husband and I were in Pomona for the swap meet and had some extra time so we decided to visit the museum. Now I am not a fan of the sport but I must say it was quite interesting. There are a lot of cars and memorabilia that is well worth the visit. And it is quite inexpensive. Took us about an hour.

Small museum, but really interesting, well cared for even in small details. Unique pieces, and very kind staff. Time x visit one hour. $6 admission: worth it

This is a great Museum. When I seen the Mono Wing of Don Garlitts I was excited. also Kenny Bernstein's First to 300mph Dragster. Wow. some special cars there. well laid out and very Pleasant Staff. Talked for ages. well worth the visit.

WOW had a great time at the Museum, such history and wicked cars, not a huge place, but wonderful displays and as a hot rod NZHRA member it was great to suport such a cool organisation

If I carry on too much, you have to know I have been coming to the races at Pomona since 1967 so many of the cars in the Museum I have seen on the drag strip when they were in their prime and at the top of their game. What memories. The displays are fabulous. To have all these machines preserved and in such wonderful shape is a feast for the imagination and the eye. I would be a docent if I lived near by, really. Be aware of some special setups that they have at the museum, special cars that travel around the country to various Museums and car shows. I had the opportunity to take a friend who loved batman so much she had a logo tattoo installed. When the docents at the museum saw it she was allowed to get in the bat-mobile for a photo shoot. How nice. It is a must see for drag racing fans and a good show for everybody else!

Wonderful museum. A great tribute to Wally Parks who spent so much of his life to the betterment and safety of drag racing. Several cars that I have seen in Hot Rod magazine are here. Lots to see and do. Highly recommended.

Bring back the 70's and see the cars driven by drag racers from the 70's and 80's. Some even older. Great place if your into drag racing.

Going to the NHRA Museum is like going back in time. Wonderful displays of archives including cars. You need about 2 hours to go through the museum. It is well worth your time. They take Senior Citizen discounts or Triple A discounts. If you're a car enthusiast or a drag racing fan you won't be disappointed. It takes you back to day 1 of putting the NHRA in competition. I enjoyed it immensely!

While I'm not a big fan of straight line racing, their is an amazing collection. My 6 year old was crazy about the simulator set up in the John Force funny car.

A 'must see' for anyone who is interested in racing cars and the history of drag racing. It's a large (30,000 square foot) well appointed museum loaded with retired racing cars, motorcycles and things close to a racing fan's heart.

This museum is an absolute must for any drag racing fan. It is excellent.
The cars date from virtually the start of drag racing to the modern era. There are so many cars and interesting memorabilia to read that you can be there for hours.
It should not be missed by anyone who has an interest in motorsport.

Nice exhibits of early drag racing and salt flats racing. Lots of history. Gift shop also for many closed drag strip items and books.

TWILIGHT CRUISE, Free entrance to Parking Lot at the NHRA museum, Free Classic Carshow and free entry to the museum. ON THE 1ST WEDNESDAY of each month, 4pm to 8pm. Grab a Burger and a Beer and enjoy

Great collection of historic cars in the hot rod field.

Just around the corner from the Pomona Swapmeet

$10 entry which goes to helping keep the place open. It isn’t very big but some awesome cars inside and take the time to read about the history of Drag Racing
A great place to visit

If you are into drag racing this is a stop for you. Located near the track it is inexpensive and has a tremendous amount of racing history photos, exhibits, and cars.

Quick trip for the winter nationals. Museum is donation only and tons of history. Great find. Definitely a great stop to look around. The ladies of drag racing had a photo shoot just as we were getting there.

What a fascinating museum. The NHRA ladies had a photo shoot there the day we toured and that added to the amazing day. Tons of history in the museum and it is definitely a do not miss place on your trip.

Excellent facility and service from all personnel. Incredible history of the NHRA is preserved and displayed!

Located at Fairplex in Pomona, a huge property that encompasses buildings and the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona dragstrip, this museum really is a must-see for racing fans. There's artifacts and vehicles all displayed beautifully; it's easy to spend hours enjoying this wonderful museum.
The best time to visit - aside from making it a destination - is during the two drag races that start and end the NHRA Mello Yello series.

An excellent cross section of speed related displays , but the lack of docents limits the value to those who could benefit from more information. The collection includes vehicles from a variety of racing genres. If you are into racing this is a must see. When we went it was free, but there may be a charge . Check out the website before you go as the exhibits change as there are a lot of items and limited space.

This has always been a dream visit for my husband and it didn't disappoint!
To see cars that he has read about and watched race was overwhelming for my husband and his mate!
If you a a car fan then this is a must do!

This place was awesome! Amazing to se all of the history in one building! It's "smallish" as for the numbers of "vehicle" in the building, but huge when you consider how much history i packed in here. Give yourself a few hours to take time and READ th info hroughout the displays! AWESOME place!

The NHRA Motorsports Museum located at The Fairplex in Pomona,California is terrific place to see up close and personal an excellent collection of hot rods,drag cars,dry lakes and Bonneville Salt Flat cars!
Lots to see here and the museum keeps the cars in pristine condition including informative descriptions and details for a great motorsports historical and educational experience.Lots of photo opportunities here so bring your cell phone or camera!
The staff is very friendly,helpful and knowledgeable! They also have a large souvenier,book,memorabilia and clothing section to bring some memories home with you or for a motorhead gift!
Plenty of free parking and discounts for Auto Club of Southern California members and seniors.Open 7 days a week.
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As car enthusiasts, it was very interesting to see all the cars and memorabilia that this museum houses.
Would definitely recommend going through this.

If you like cars, and racing, this place is for you. Lots of history and information here. Lots of memorabilia and cars to see.

a fun day outing whether you're into cars or not. However, if you're into Cars you will be next to heaven in this small but well-equipped museum.. the whole family had fun and enjoyed it. something to peak everyone's interest

This place is the Holy Grail for those who are interested in Drag racing and hot rod history,Best time to attend is during the Nov/Feb Nhra national events especially Fiday night when they put on a Q/A session with current/past drivers,this is normally entertaining and educating..

Lots of cool stuff to see, I've been more than a few times and enjoy it every time. I will go back, if you go to the fair, or are just in the area it is worth a visit.

This museum provides a great history of drag racing with cars from every era and most classes. This museum is right up there with the Daytona and Indy museums.

This fantastic museum is devoted to speed. Not any sort of speed, but the racing associated with hot rods, dragsters, and dry lake record breakers. For those of us who never got to go to a race, but, instead, read the magazines and built the plastic model kits there were exhibits for us, too.

On the day I visited the famous Tom Medley Ford coupe was on display along with two of the Chuck Porter cars that were featured in the most recent issue of The Rodder's Journal. I was a real treat to see these cars in person.

The racing cars included machines of all kinds including rails, funny cars, and more. The Force funny cars were very special. Then there was the twin engine dragster, then there was the . . . well, you get the idea.

The museum is located in Pomona, just off I-10. It is very easy to get to. Just find Gate 1 of the Fairplex. You can't miss it. The layout is very logical. There is stuff to see everywhere. You get very close to each car so you can see all the detail.

I highly recommend the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum to anybody interested in racing. I hope to return.

As a young man growing up in NJ in the 60's, I can vividly recall waiting impatiently each month for the next issues of Hot Rod & Car Craft magazine to arrive. Living on the east coast was a world away from the California car culture and those magazines were our connection to what was going on customs, muscle cars and, of course, drag racing.
Back then, the NHRA only ran a handful of "National" events but there were more classes and different types of race cars than we see today. Besides the Top Fuel, Pro Stock & Funny Cars there were Gassers and Fuel Altereds, Stocks, Super Stocks and Modified Production cars too.
Visiting the Wally Parks NHRA Museum was like having every issue of Hot Rod Magazine I read as a kid come to life right before my eyes. There was Mickey Thompson's Challenger 1 "in the flesh"! The Stone Woods & Cook Willys Gasser! The Greer, Black & Prudhomme Top Fuel car! Mooneyes! Tommy Ivo's Buick powered 4 engined dragster! The Pure Hell Fuel Altered!....and on & on & on. The cream of the crop from drag racing's heyday lives on at the Wally Parks Museum and it's a MUST SEE if you're into cars and are visiting southern California.
The hot setup is to time your visit in conjunction with one of the bi-monthly Pomona Swap Meets held on the same grounds at the Fairplex. Hit the swap meet and car show first (come EARLY!) then as the swap meet dies down head over to the Parks Museum.
You'll be exhausted but you'll have a day to remember.

This is a very cool place to visit especially if you are interested in hot rods and drag racing.Lots of cool exhibits and friendly staff.

Great place to visit. New cars and memorabilia always come in and every time you visit there is something new.

This is a little gem of a Museum! We toured through the museum while we visited the LA County Fair. We thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the cars and reading about the history. They have THE Top Fuel car that broke the 300 mph speed barrier in 1992.

What a sport! We never followed NHRA but still really enjoyed the museum.

Great collection of cars just need a little more variety seems like nothing changes much.
seen all these cars in the same place every time i visit.should change it up a bit.

Learn the history of NHRA. See the all the cars. Discover who Wally is. Plan to spend at least an hour at the museum. You're able to take pictures. I suggest taking pictures of the cars and also the read ups about them.
We are so proud to see of the Hawaii boys names and cars in the museum.

We had our Christmas party at this location. There was plenty of things to see & do. I felt the venue was a little cold but not uncomfortable.

This is an excellent automobile museum. It is close to the fairgrounds at the LA County Fair.
We enjoyed seeing the cars and learning more about the impact of motorsports on American culture. The museum is named after the founder of the museum.

There is a lot to see here. We spent about 90 minutes or so to see it and could have spent more. Very good exhibits and well worth the time to see it if one likes cars.

We have also visited it when the LA County Fair is going on; its open during fair time which is around September each year. So if you are in the area in September, its a good time to do the fair and also see this museum.

NHRA Museum is well worth the time spent; great to see some famous old iron like Kookie's hot rod from 77 Sunset strip to National Speed Champions. Allow a couple hours to fully appreciate all the vehicles on display. There are even turbo charged diesel hot rods in the mix. Active duty and retired military get in for free and seniors get a discount. If you're in the area, you really should see this attraction.

If you happen to find yourself in Pomona and have some time to burn, be sure to walk into the Wally Parks museum. Wally was the founder of drag racing and its earliest aspects of safety, so this museum is a must see if you like cars and drag racing as a whole. There are full displays of the actual cars that ran back in the 50's and right up into today. If you can imagine it, you will see it at the museum.
Do yourself a favor and drop in for a peek. I planned just to glance, and walked out two hours later.

Just FYI...if you have ever seen the trophy that is given to drag racers who win national events, its a bronze statue of a man standing next to a drag slick tire.....the man is Mr. Wally Parks.

Talk about History of Drag Racing, this place has it all. I can and have gone through this museum numerous times and always find something new and interesting as it relates to Drag Racing! It's a must see for any Drag racing fan.

Love the older cars and the great tradition of racing. Many great cars on display. Many of the people you meet there know the complete history of NHRA drag racing.

this is a must see for the entire family - even the grand children could not get enough - it was a learning experience of a life time

Great museum for drag racing fans. We visited during the NHRA Winter Nationals. I'm sure we will go back.

Wow! What a place! So much car history of racing. Take your time(3-5+ hours) to enjoy all of the history here. So many of my heroes on display. Don Garlits, Don the Snake Prudhomme, Frank Hawley, Joe Amoto, etc. Many that I've witnessed break records at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA. There are many interactive displays to enjoy. You can even sit in a funny car. Nice gift shop right in the museum. Don't miss this massive collection of some major accomplishment in racing history. Enjoy, I did !!

If you are interested in drag racing or the history of motorsports, don't miss this place. There is so many historical pieces here. The beginnings of the sport are laid out. Amazing to see things you have read about or seen old pictures of. The quality of the exhibits is top notch. Early drag racing at its best.
Very happy I made this stop.

The NHRA museum has so much history tucked into this building.The cars, the history and the drivers listed in the museum is truly amazing. Being part of the museum community made me truly appreciate the history within the building and the significance in racing history it portrays. For new folks coming into the museum plan ahead to spend time reading up on all of the information. The museum staff was enthusiastic and the space was clean and orderly even during the Grand National Roadster show when I was there. Thanks to the staff, it was a very memorable experience and hope you will all take time to visit the museum and the wonderful staff.

Thank God, Wally Parks, the founder of the NHRA and others had the inside to build this beautiful museum! Climate controlled. Easy in and out parking. A modest fee to visit. Old time hot rods in the lobby, land speed record cars on exhibit, dragsters hanging from the ceiling, motorcycles on display. If you are a gear head, this is a must see museum, for sure. Drag bikes, helmets, gloves, leathers, original uniforms all on display. Close to the Pomoma drag race track and the LA County Fair Grounds. A must see for all drag racers!

Car guys must go here at least once in your life I go by here when ever Im in town, full of racing history, cost very little and they have a rotating show room that keeps changing

A worthwhile afternoon activity with lots of history in automobile racing evolution. We love the excitement of Pomona and the museum adds much information about the sport

I thought the Museum was pretty good. It was smaller then I thought. I really think it would be better if they had a few more interactive items or videos to watch why you were there. Also the gift shop didn't have to much to offer. If they got better in those 2 areas I might increase the grade to a 5. I went to the John Force Museum a couple of days later and I thought it was better then this one.

If you like drag racing you must stop here. All kinds of cars and bikes dating way back. There is plenty of stuff to see here. Really cool!

We returned for a repeat visit to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. We went on a Friday and had the place to ourselves (i.e. only the very nice staff member was there besides us.).

The cars and exhibits are very good. They also have some slide shows and movies to watch including one with Jay Leno.

There is lots of very good write ups and explanations and things to see. Since we had been to Bonneville Salt Flats on a recent trip, those interested me a lot this particular trip. Everything is great though to see!

If one likes cars, its definitely worth going to at least once. We enjoyed our return visit and having the place to ourselves was delightful.

When we were told there was a car museum (NHRA) we just had to go. Hot rods, dragsters, all under one roof, what was not to like.

If you are a bit of a petrolhead you will thoroughly enjoy walking round here. The variety of vehicles is amazing, and each has a plaque with its own story.

Lots to see, and of course there was a gift shop. Well worth a visit.

We have visited this place many times & we have always enjoyed the displays & memorabilia. We took our 5 1/2 year old granddaughter for the first tim & she loved it! She is a budding race car driver who started out at age 3 with a pedal car, graduated to an electric car & got a go kart for Christmas....in a few months she'll be driving a working miniature car complete with a matching teardrop trailer. Her favorite part was driving the dragster simulator & mastering the "Christmas tree".....drag race fans will be amazed by the car collection & my favorite part is all the memorabilia....enjoy!

Needed to fill the day as it was raining, while visiting the LA area. For $10USD, this was a very good visit for my wife and son. Spend a good two hours learning all about hot rods. Recommended for a short family visit.

No matter who you are, if you appreciate car racing, this museum is filled with interesting memorabila and information.

Love it!

I have been there three times...it is really, really cool! They have more than drag racing history....there is land speed record and motorcycle history here as well....GO SEE IT!

I'm not an especially big fan of drag racing, but I am a automobile fan. And if you're an auto fan the NHRA museum in Pomona CA is worth visiting. While dragsters abound, so do hot rods, custom cars, land speed record vehicles and other racers. You get to tour at your own pace, and spend as much time as you like at any one exhibit. Unless you're in a hurry, plan on spending a couple of hours at the museum. The museum has excellent wheelchair access

Traval from Ontario Canada for the Pomona NHRA Full Throttle weekend of racing.Saturday was very cold did not bring enough cloths to the warmer side of California.The races are loud and fast but good for marriage.City was small and friendly just like home.We will go to race again hope the weather holds up.