in Indiana Statehouse ceremony
The 2009 Indianapolis 500 ticket was unveiled March 10 by 2008 Indianapolis 500 champion Scott Dixon in a ceremony honoring the Indiana motorsports community at the Indiana Statehouse.
The ticket was unveiled in front of the Indiana General Assembly during the proclamation of March 10 as Indiana Motorsports Day. Indiana lawmakers, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood, Target Chip Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi and executives from the National Hot Rod Association participated in the ceremony.
Each General Assembly member received a small replica of the ticket about 1 foot long.
The ticket features a smiling Dixon wearing the traditional winner’s wreath while hoisting a bottle of milk, Dixon’s No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar and the 2009 Indianapolis 500 event logo. Indianapolis 500 tickets traditionally honor and feature the previous year’s champion.
As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating its Centennial Era, many design elements of tickets throughout the 100-year history of IMS are reflected in the 2009 ticket. For the first time since 1994, the ticket returns to a horizontal design.
Also returning from past ticket designs is the reference to the “93rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes.” Virtually every ticket from 1913 to the early 1980s called the race a “sweepstakes,” a reference that faded away with the development of an annual event logo. The term “Gateman’s Stub” also returns to the section of the ticket that grants admission to the grounds.
Another historic feature revived with the 2009 ticket is the inclusion of a signature from a prominent speedway official. The “Admit One – Tony George – CEO” is an element that was on almost every ticket from the beginning until the late 1970s, with signatures of James Allison, T.E. “Pop” Myers, Eddie Rickenbacker and Tony Hulman.
Much of the design, created by Brad Walters of the IMS Creative Services department, was inspired by tickets from the mid-1930s through the early 1960s.
Tickets for the 93rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24 are available by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ticket office or by visiting indianapolismotorspeedway.com
