Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500. New stamp commemorates first Indianapolis 500. The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 is little more than a week away now, so it's only appropriate that the U.S. Postal Service would commemorate the occasion.

It's doing so by honoring Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in his Marmon "Wasp." It's the first of 50 million first-class stamps. The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place yesterday at the Brickyard as a prelude to Fast Friday, the qualification runs. "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," said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in dedicating the stamp.

Really? Stamps -- or even mail -- won't go the way of the Pony Express?

On May 30, 1911, Harroun beat 39 other drivers to win with a time of 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds before 80,000. The car was built by the Indianapolis-based Marmon Motor Car Company and included one of Harroun's own inventions, the rear-view mirror. Today, it is a prime attraction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.