Iconic Blue Envelopes Containing Indy 500 Tickets Mailed to Fans across Globe 

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It’s that time of year.

From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, March 12, 2025) – Indianapolis 500 fans will watch their mailboxes after the highly anticipated blue envelopes featuring Race Day tickets were mailed Wednesday, March 12 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist were on hand to assist with the initial mailing, which included shipments to all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and 38 countries around the world as race fans eagerly await the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25.
“I just like to do this to kind of amp myself up a bit for the ‘500,’” Rosenqvist said. “It feels like you’re actually kind of starting May when you’re here. I love it.
“It’s cool to see the manual processes. It gives you a good perspective when you see all the tickets and everything, and the logistics behind everything.”
DeFrancesco, Foster and Rosenqvist also took time to write notes and signatures on a few envelopes, with these special messages going to ticket buyers from their native countries.
DeFrancesco hails from Canada, with Foster from Great Britain and Rosenqvist from Sweden.
“It’s hugely rewarding and very grateful to be here, helping loading the tickets for them to get shipped out,” DeFrancesco said.
“So many fans from my country in Canada, to be able to see passes already going out today and people’s anticipation for this race in May is great.”
It takes approximately nine weeks to package all pre-ordered tickets for mailing, from orders the day after the previous year’s race up to current orders. Hard work from employees in the Ticket Office and other Penske Entertainment Corp. departments ensures the ticketing process runs smoothly and on schedule.

A few facts and figures about this year’s initial ticket mailing:
Number of tickets sent: More than 215,000 items (includes 170,000 Indy 500 Race Day tickets, parking, qualification and practice tickets, concert tickets, etc.
)Number of blue envelopes sent: More than 32,000
Number of U.S. Postal Service trays to accommodate envelopes: More than 650
Weight of all ticket envelopes and trays in first mailing: More than 6,600 pounds
Hours needed to fill envelopes by hand: More than 1,000 person-hours
Number of working days to package envelopes: 46
Number of Penske Entertainment employees who fill envelopes: 56
Number of states distributed: 50
Number of countries distributed: 38 (including United States)

Federal postal inspectors came to IMS with a large truck for the first mailing. DeFrancesco, Foster and Rosenqvist joined several IMS employees in helping to load the trucks.
“It’s pretty impressive,” NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500 rookie Foster said. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it’s super cool to see all the guys and girls here working super hard and getting fans ready who have probably been waiting for this day since Monday after the ‘500’ last year. It’s a super-cool event, and I’m super happy that we’ve been invited to be here.”
Receiving an eagerly awaited blue envelope in the mail is a rite of spring for thousands of fans of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” But why are the envelopes blue?
In the 1970s, Indianapolis 500 tickets were mailed in brown envelopes with the IMS return address in the upper left corner. In the 1980s, a heavier-stock, gray-colored envelope was introduced to mail the tickets, with just the IMS Post Office box number in the upper left corner. A computerized printer also was used for the first time in the 1980s to print ticket customers’ name and address on each envelope.
When the NASCAR Cup Series was added to the IMS schedule in 1994, the Ticket Office needed a way to distinguish between the envelopes containing tickets for the Indianapolis 500 and the annual NASCAR race, especially if the Postal Service returned the envelope as non-deliverable.
So, the IMS Ticket Office decided to color-code the ticket envelopes for each event. Indianapolis 500 ticket envelopes became blue, Brickyard Weekend envelopes became purple, Sonsio Grand Prix envelopes became green, and ticket envelopes for other IMS events use a variety of colors, including red, cream, gray and yellow.
Tickets for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25, the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 10 and all other Month of May events are available at IMS.com/Tickets or via the IMS Ticket Office at 317-492-6700.

Sato Returns to RLL for Indianapolis 500

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This is great news to wake up to. Story from RLL;

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (March 11, 2025) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that two-time Indianapolis 500 champion, Takuma Sato, will return to the team for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. AMADA AMERICA, Inc., a leading global machine tool manufacturer and supplier in the sheet metal industry, will again be the primary sponsor for 2017 and 2020 Indy 500 winner Sato’s No. 75 Honda-powered entry in the May 25 event as they were in 2024.

Sato competed for RLL in 2012 and from 2018-2021 as well as last year’s Indy 500 with primary sponsorship from AMADA. He has earned six NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins, four of which have come with RLL, including the team’s second Indy 500 win in 2020. Sato competed in oval races with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 and returned to RLL in 2024 for the Indy 500. He set the second fastest qualifying speed of Honda-powered drivers in 2024, his 15th time to participate in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and sixth with RLL.

The team’s relationship with AMADA goes back to 2023 when the manufacturer was the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 30 entry at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on April 30, 2023. In addition to being the primary sponsor of Sato’s entry in the 2024 Indianapolis 500, they were also a major associate sponsor of the team’s No. 30 entry at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, near their Buena Park, Calif. Headquarters and primary sponsor at Portland.

Sato, a native of Tokyo, Japan, has made 221 starts in the INDYCAR SERIES since his rookie season in 2010, which is seventh among active drivers and 22nd all-time. His Indy car highlights include wins in the 2017 and 2020 Indianapolis 500, 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, 2018 Portland Grand Prix, 2019 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and Bommarito 500 at WWT Raceway, with four of the six coming with RLL. Of his 14 podium finishes to date, 10 have come with RLL as have three of his 10 Indy car poles. Prior to joining the INDYCAR SERIES, he competed in 90 Formula One races between 2002-2008 with his highest finish of third at the 2004 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 2 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 21st Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, August 31. All on-track action can be seen live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

About AMADA AMERICA, Inc.
AMADA AMERICA, INC. is headquartered in Buena Park, California. AMADA is the leading global machine tool manufacturer and supplier in the sheet metal industry. The AMADA brand represents Quality, Service, and Sustainability. AMADA machine tools consistently set global standards for performance and reliability. Each year, AMADA continues to develop and perfect innovative sheet metal manufacturing solutions with the objective of maximizing our customers’ productivity.

About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Zionsville, Ind., is co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2025, the team will compete in its 34th year of competition and will attempt to add to its 30 Indy car wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice and the 2020 Indy 500 with Takuma Sato — their 37 poles, 112 podium finishes and 1992 series championship. The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 – Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. From 2014 to 2021, BMW Team RLL competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program. In 2022, BMW M Team RLL competed in the GTD PRO class in IMSA while simultaneously ramping up for a two-car program in the much-anticipated GTP class in IMSA for 2023. In total, the team has earned 24 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 30 poles and 103 podium finishes prior to the start of the 2025 season. BMW M Team RLL highlights also include second-place finishes in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017 and being named the 2020 Michelin North American Endurance Champions.

QUOTEBOARD

TAKUMA SATO, Driver of the No. 75 AMADA Honda: “I’m very excited to return to the 109th Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to Bobby, Mike, David, and the entire organization for this incredible opportunity. I’m also deeply grateful for the continued support from AMADA as the primary sponsor, alongside Panasonic Automotive Systems, Niterra, Deloitte Tohmatsu, NAC, Honda, HRC, and all our loyal sponsors. The new No. 75 car carries over RLL’s historic design with a refreshed and dynamic new livery – it looks absolutely stunning. Last year was an incredible experience, reconnecting with the team, and this year, even more familiar faces have joined the effort, which makes this moment even more special and gives me great confidence. I can’t wait to get to work.”

MIKE GUERIN, CEO, AMADA AMERICA, Inc.: “We are thrilled to once again partner with the prestigious Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team and Takuma Sato for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500! This partnership reflects our shared dedication for pushing technological boundaries and achieving peak performance. We look forward to showcasing the synergy between our two organizations on racing’s biggest stage.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are excited to have Takuma part of our Indy 500 program again. His experience, talent and bravado at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in particular, is evident by his two wins. The work ethic he brings, in addition to his attention to detail, adds immeasurable value to our program. We are thrilled to have AMADA return as the primary sponsor for the entry. They continue to be an integral part of our racing programs, not only for the Indy 500. We utilize their equipment on a daily basis and couldn’t be happier with our partnership.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is very proud to have Takuma Sato back at the Indy 500. Takuma has always been quick at the speedway and his two wins confirm his abilities at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. I personally look forward with great optimism, to be the team that gives Takuma the opportunity to win the trifecta and am thankful to have AMADA as primary sponsor again.”

Shanks Brings Knowledge, Passion, Ideas

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Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment

“We are going to blow the doors off Indy,” Eric Shanks, CEO of FOX Sports, told the assembled media last Saturday at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.. Shanks joined IndyCar CEO M ark Miles and IndyCar President Doug Boles to talk about the direction FOX planned to take their coverage of the series.

Shanks, who owns a motor home across the street from IMS on Georgetown Road, has attended the 500 as a fan for more than 20 years. He understands that a broadcast partner’s obligation isn’t just the Indianapolis 500.

-” …we also wanted to make sure that our
focus is not just on Indy. So, you see what we’re doing
here. You’re going to see what we’re doing at Thermal,
Long Beach, as it goes out. But we are going to blow the
doors off of Indy. We’re going to bring everything that Fox
has to bear.”

Shanks takes a driver centered approach to his network’s coverage.

“The really cool thing about this series is it really is all about
the driver. The cars are so similar, and there’s an
enormous amount of engineering that goes into these
things, but at the end of the day it’s how aggressive, how
smart, how strategic are these drivers. These drivers are
elevated more than any other series in the world probably.”

“Honestly,” Shanks continued, “what I would love to see is the relationship with Fox help teams get new sponsors, help the league get new sponsors, because that’s what sets us off on this flywheel,
right, is economic success. Every sponsor that comes on
then uses their voice to actually market the sport as well,
and I’m kind of hearing this from teams, too. They’re
hearing better conversations with people either wanting to
buy in or sponsor, because they believe in the trajectory
that these guys have built and the media trajectory as well.”

FOX plans a mass marketing campaign to promote the 500, involving fox affiliates nationwide.

“I think what you’ll see around the 500 is much more of all of our local stations all over the country really dive in and our marketing team
will be working with each of them,” Shanks said.

Shanks wants to make the sport more approachable, and his driver centered approach is a big part of that.

“I would say everything that we’ve done technology-wise
here is to make the sport more approachable. As much as
it’s easy for me to watch, I just put myself in fans who are
trying to get into this, and first and foremost, they need to
know the rules, so we’re going to have a lot of technology
to show the car and what the rules are and the impact of
that, but then also just who is in what car, right? So, I think
that will go a long way highlighting how easy it is to attach
yourself to the drivers and to this sport.”

We saw some of this approach in Sunday’s broadcast, when blurbs appeared explaining a rule, and a cartoon representation of a driver accompanied their name. I think photos would be better, and I hope to see some of the kinks worked out by Long Beach.

Shanks has lofty goals, and he seems to be really invested in IndyCar both as a network executive and as a fan. when these two sides of Shanks clash, I hope the fan wins.


Back-to-Back Winner Newgarden Unveils 109th Indianapolis 500 Ticket in Two City Celebration 

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From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, March 6, 2025) – Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Josef Newgarden celebrated Southwest Airlines’ first nonstop flight from Indianapolis to Nashville when he unveiled the ticket for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Thursday, March 6 at Indianapolis International Airport (IND).
Newgarden earned his second victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May and became just the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years. He powered the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet to the back-to-back victory with another last-lap pass.
One of the many honors bestowed upon the winner is unveiling the ticket for the next year’s race. Featuring the winning driver on the next year’s “500” ticket dates to Mauri Rose’s appearance in 1948.
Nashville native Newgarden pushed a button to unveil a larger-than-life digital rendering of the colorful ticket in Civic Plaza, IND’s community gathering area. From there, Newgarden and INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles engaged with Southwest passengers and race fans at the gate as they boarded the flight from Indianapolis to Nashville, taking the celebration to Newgarden’s hometown.
Designed in house by Senior Art Director Mandy Walsh, the ticket celebrates the back-to-back wins with full-color images, including Newgarden’s Victory Podium celebrations and his almost identical liveries. Vibrant images from 2024 are shadowed by similar images from 2023.
“It’s very cool to be here in the Indianapolis International Airport,” Newgarden said. “Indiana and Tennessee are my two homes, so the fact we have the Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and the (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) championship finale in Tennessee is a great parallel. To top it all off is seeing this beautiful ticket from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500. It’s an incredible-looking ticket.
“To see my likeness on there, to see our team represented, it’s a very special feeling. You don’t know if that day will ever come when you drive into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The fact we’ve been able to pull it off twice, back to back, and that it’s been celebrated on this ticket, I’m super, super thankful.”
Once arriving in Nashville, Newgarden and Boles will visit Indianapolis 500 ticketholders and media in Nashville and conclude the day with a Fan Event at Big Machine Distillery and Tavern, where the 2025 Indianapolis 500 ticket and the Borg-Warner Trophy will be on display. Newgarden and Boles will be on hand to meet with fans and conduct a brief question-and-answer session.
Newgarden will attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s on Sunday, May 25 in the 109th Indianapolis presented by Gainbridge at IMS, with live coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Tickets for the Indy 500 and all Month of May activities are on sale at IMS.com, by calling the IMS Ticket Office at 317-492-6700 or by visiting the ticket office. 
 
 

St. Pete Wrap Up

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I watched the race replay on YouTube yesterday, and it confirmed a few things that I suspected.

Pit stops hurt Colton Herta badly. I hope his team can get it together because he has a strong enough car to fight for the championship. He now has a significant gap to make up given Alex Palou’s consistency.

Tire strategy made the race compelling for a diehard fan, but if I were watching as a casual observer, I may not have stayed until the end of the broadcast.

I learned this morning that race day attendance was 165,000. I would like to know the total for the weekend. Television numbers are not out yet.

Speaking of television, a few notes about the broadcast. Much willecho what others have said.

The IndyCar on FOX debut was a solid extra base hit, probably a double. The commentary was very good. James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell seem to have stepped up their game from NBC. Will Buxton had a decent first outing.

Pit reporting was solid with veterans Kevin Lee and Jamie Little. Jack Harvey’s debut was very good, and I’m sure he will improve each race. During the media scrum on Friday Harvey took copious notes and asked questions of drivers. He was well prepared.

The biggest presentation issue I had was when Newgarden’s pass of Dixon wasn’t shown live because they were covering a pit stop. All pit stops are pretty much the same, and we don’t need to see all 27 cars pit two or three times a race. It’s okay for the first stop, but late in the race just show the leaders’ stops, especially if they pit together and race off pit road.

Graphics

As many have pointed out, this the network’s biggest issue at the moment.

The scoring pylon is a bit too large. We nee to see which tire the cars are on and the intervals between positions. Spots below the top 5 need to rotate more often. Fans want to see where their favorite driver even if he isn’t contending. The lap counter seemed to come and go.

Fox fell into the trap every other network has in switching from counting laps to showing how many laps to go. It reverted to the lap counter. I think most fans are smart enough to count.

FOX did show some informational tidbits in the lower right hand corner, such as how many cars pitted during the caution. More things like that would be fine.

The telemetry display is a nice feature, but I wonder if teams afre happy with their sponsors names being blocked while it’s running. I think some kind of workaround is needed. I found it hard to get used to yellow for accelerating and blue for braking.

One thing I did not miss was the ERS deployment display. I never thought last year that contributed much to my understanding of the race.

I think FOX overall had a very good debut, and I’m sure we will see improvement every race. I want a perfect telecast by the Indianapolis 500. Eric Shanks talked some about that on Saturday at St. Pete. I will share that later this week.

Quick Thoughts- St. Pete

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It took 75 laps to make it a race, but what had been a processional event got suddenly interesting as Sting Ray Robb held up leader Alex Palou and allowed Josef Newgarden to inch closer. The early caution changed the race long term as several drivers ditched the primary tires. The move worked out for many of them.

Another near miss for Scott Dixon. Had his radio worked, he might have scored his first win at St. Pete. He ends the day with his fifth runner up, eighth podium, and 11th top five in the season opener. In the post race press conference Dixon said that he stayed out a lap too long, and was caught in traffic.

Of the top five finishers, four started the race on alternates and pitted during the only caution.

Alex Palou begins 2025 where he ended 2024- leading the points. Palou used an undercut pit stop to get to the front.

Pato O’Ward finished 11th after starting 23rd. O’Ward pitted during the first lap caution and pitted three more times during the race.

Bad Weekend– Will Power has had some rough weekends, and this one has to rank among one of his worst. A hybrid failure cut short Friday’s practice. He failed to make Round 2 in qualifying. This morning there was another hybrid issue in warm up. Power’s race ended just three corners into the race when he was caught up in the incident with Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster.

Strong team debuts– Alexander Rossi finished 10th in his first race for ECR. Rinus VeeKay came home in 9th as he begins his stint at Dale Coyne Racing.

PREMA had a solid debut with Callum Ilott finishing 19th and Robert Shwartzman 20th. Shwartzman was the top finishing rookie.

Keep an eye on Meyer Shank this season. Marcus Armstrong led three laps before a broken tow link ended his day. Felix Rosenqvist finished seventh.

Colton Herta had a disappointing day as he caught the wrong end of the pit cycle. he definitely had a car better than 16th. Teammate Kyle Kirkwood finished fifth, his fifth top five and 11th top 10 in his last 18 races.

I haven’t heard attendance figures yet, but I think the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg set another record.

That will do it for me this weekend. Thanks for following along. I will have more thoughts after I watch the FOX broadcast of the race.

Warm Up Complete; Let’s Race

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Four teams had drivers in the top five in this morning’s St .Pete warm up session. Josef Newgarden was fastest at 1:01.1952, 0.35 seconds ahead of Scott Dixon. Newgarden turned his quick lap on primary tires, Dixon was fastest on the alternate tire.

Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, and David Malukas completed the top five.

Front row starters Scott McLaughlin and Colton Herta finished 21st and 10th respectively.

Results

Race Day at St. Pete!

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Today’s Schedule:

All Times Eastern. Warmup and Indy NXT race on FS1. IndyCar race on FOX with pre race beginning at noon.

After 167 long days, IndyCar races again this afternoon with the 21st Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Drivers predictions for the race range from interesting to chaotic. Tires are the major concern. Firestone has created the wider gap between alternates and primary tires that the series requested. Some drivers aren’t sure the alternates can last a full fuel stint, and others say the primaries are degrading faster than usual.

Marbles could be an issue on track andfit should be fun for the fans watching how the different strategies play out.

Pato O’Ward will be coming from 23rd and will have to pick his way through field to get to the front. Will Power in 13th will be another driver to watch.

In the end, I like Colton Herta to end up in Victory Lane.

FOX Debut

FOX begins its coverage of IndyCar today. I am eager to see the replay later this week. I watched the replay of qualifying last ight, and I liked much of what I saw, but the still have some work to do.

I thought the booth was great. Will Buxton did a fine job, an James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell seemed to have stepped their game a notch too. I really like the telemetry graphic, which appeared as a faux dashboard. I like that it showed the car’s track location and he distance to the next turn. The driver portraits were a nice touch, although some were a bit cartoonish.

I thought Jack Harvey had a fine debut as a pit reporter. I could sense his nervousness, and he asked safe but good questions. I’m sure he will grow into the role and relax as the season goes along, but he is off to a great start.

For qualifying FOX needs to indicate which tire a driver is using, and also display the pace in comparison to other drivers. The scoring pylon wasn’t even on during McLaughlin’s last lap in the Fast Six. I wanted to see if he was on track to get the pole.

I will be back later with warm up results and tire selections in a bit, then a quick race summary after the race. Look for a more detailed analysis tomorrow.