U.S. Postmaster General Issues 100th Anniversary Indy 500 Stamp At IMS
May 20, 2011 | By
Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, began racing his Marmon “Wasp” through the nation’s mail stream Friday, May 20 in the form of 50 million First-Class Mail Forever stamps to celebrate 100 years of racing at the iconic Indianapolis 500.
The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Fast Friday practice for the 100th Indianapolis 500.
“At the Postal Service, we understand the power of our stamps in celebrating American history and culture – in this case, the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in dedicating the stamp. “I won’t be so bold as to predict the winner of the race, but I will predict that 50 or 100 years from now the U.S. Postal Service will issue another stamp to commemorate the next milestone anniversary of this great event.”
Joining Donahoe in dedicating the stamp were Greg Ballard, Indianapolis mayor; Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer and Pancho Carter, 1985 Indianapolis 500 pole winner.
“We’ve eagerly been awaiting this day since the United States Postal Service announced the commemorative stamp honoring the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 last December,” Belskus said. “It’s a great honor and an important part of our Centennial celebration that the iconic image of the Marmon ‘Wasp’ will be seen on mail sent from coast to coast.”
The Indianapolis 500 Forever Stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at local Post Offices, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:
Indianapolis 500 Stamp
Postmaster
125 West South Street
Indianapolis, IN 46206-9998
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by July 20, 2011.
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2011 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, “The Most Important Race in History,” on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.