U.S. Postal Stamps Honoring American Racing Heroes

Racing has been a part of the social fabric of America nearly as long as the automobile has been in existence - the first contest being held in Chicago in 1896. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, although its signature event, the Indy 500 won't celebrate its centennial until 2011. There must be a way to honor the people who have contributed to the sport's legacy. What better way to do this than a commemorative series of U.S. postal stamps? After all, there have been stamps honoring athletes, inventors and entertainers. Motorsports, which blends man, machine and competition, has produced heroes who are all three.

According to the stamp subject selection guidelines, the general policy is to consider American or American-related topics and only events, persons and themes of widespread national appeal and significance are to be considered for commemoration. Stamps honoring American racing heroes should fit the bill. Typically commemoratives are approved years in advance in order to allow time for the stamp artwork to be commissioned and approved. These programs are already in place for 2009 and 2010, so a 2011 series in time for the Indy 500 centennial might still be possible.

This petition will be sent to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee asking that a full commemorative set of stamps honoring American Racing Heroes be issued. In addition signing onto this effort, we have a list of names you can vote for in order to put forward a list of potential honorees. In July, we'll send this petition off to the committee and hope for the best.

You can also vote for your top 10 picks from a list of 40 American racing heroes at: www.roadandtrack.com/stamps