Home of the Hall of Fame

Wayne Lensing has graciously donated space for the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame (HOF) at his 36,000 sq. foot museum off of Rockton Road in Roscoe, IL.

During the course of building Lefthander Chassis into a nationally successful business, Wayne came upon what would become his next vision in life. While flying his plane around the country to watch various races his customers were in he would look for car museums to visit. He most enjoyed displays which showcased cars with historical ties, were owned by someone great or used in a significant event or place.

In 1990 Wayne visited the auto collection housed in the fifth floor parking garage of the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. He felt it was the most fantastic museum he had ever seen. It contained cars owned by world leaders and business people of great importance. He dearly wanted to own this collection for himself but it wasn't financially possible at that time. In 1999 Wayne learned that the owner of the collection was terminally ill and making arrangements to sell the contents of his museum. Wayne immediately flew to Las Vegas and began preparations to purchase 14 cars. He purchased those belonging to presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt, Kennedy, Nixon and Johnson. Also included were vehicles owned by world leaders Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Himmler, Kruschev, Hirohito, and the King of Siam and the Queen of England.

And so it began, Wayne erected the museum across the street from Lefthander Chassis on Metric Drive. He set out to make his museum better than the others he had seen. He set up each display to tell it's own story so people would be drawn into the history of the vehicles. He accomplished that in part by using special wallpaper to create murals with related pictures and texts. Wayne studied books to get the correct feel for each display sometimes taking weeks or months on one until he was totally satisfied with the content. He discovered a new purpose in life and he enjoyes it immensely.

The museum opened Memorial Day of 2001 and will celebrate it's 13th anniversary this year. The exhibits, collections and visitors continue to grow. His search for variety and different items led him into being interested in housing the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame and we will be eternally grateful for his generosity.