This year’s running of the iconic Indianapolis 500 will be the 100th in the series (although not its 100th anniversary). To celebrate this most worthy of sporting events, I’m sharing some Indy 500 program covers from my collection. The full collection, and ones for many other racing series, can be seen on the site’s Auto Racing section.
Since this post is celebrating the 100th running of the 500, I’ve chosen to present every 10th cover. All of these are scans or photos of genuine covers with the exception of the first race in 1911. Clicking on any cover except for the first will take you to its page on the site.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
Until 1980, the race was officially known as the International 500 Mile Sweepstakes, taking place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Exceptions were made in 1916 and 1919 when it was known as the International Sweepstakes and Liberty Sweepstakes, respectively.
The 30th running was held in 1946 after a four-year hiatus due to World War II.
