Final weekend to visit Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – This weekend is your last chance to experience the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque.

The Unser Family recently announced they will be moving their extensive collection of racing memorabilia to a museum in Nebraska.

KOB 4 caught up with one volunteer at the museum who has a special connection to the exhibits.

“When I moved out here, I could not wait until the museum opened in 2005,” said Matthew Mercier, a museum volunteer.

Mercier is not your typical museum volunteer.

“After trading a few Indy 500 stories, Al Senior actually invited me to volunteer here,” said Mercier. 

Mercier got that personal invitation for good reason – he witnessed Al Unser Sr.’s win at his fourth Indy 500.

“It was a race I was privileged to actually be sitting in the fourth turn stands, so I got to see him win in person,” Mercier said.

But on Memorial Day, that gig will come to an end.

“It’s very sad to see it go,” said Mercier. 

The museum will close, and the exhibits will soon be moved to Lincoln, Nebraska at the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed. The Nebraska museum says it will honor existing Unser Museum memberships.

“It just means I’ll have to make plans to visit Lincoln, Nebraska,” said Mercier. 

While local fans may be disappointed, museum officials say the move will showcase the Unser legacy even more.

“The important thing is that the Unser legacy is not over, and it will be going to a museum 10 times as big as we are,” said Mercier.