Indianapolis 500 commemorative program now available

The 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Program and an Indianapolis 500 commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated are on sale now as a special bundle at selected national and Indiana retail locations, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gift shop and online at www.brickyardauthentics.com.

The bundle costs $15.

The 2011 Indianapolis 500 Official Program will feature multiple, fold-out covers, a special autograph pull-out, numerous feature stories, driver bios, statistics, event and Indianapolis Motor Speedway fan information and more.

For the first time in IMS history, the 256-page program will feature three different program covers. The covers feature art by Thomas Kinkade, David Uhl and Gregory Beall. Each portrait includes different aspects of the 100 years of history of the Indianapolis 500, with Kinkade depicting a start of a “dream race” including cars from all eras of the race, Uhl depicting legends from the 1911 race and Beall depicting several iconic cars crossing the famed Yard of Bricks.

Each of the three covers folds out into a larger, double-paneled image of the artwork.

The program also features a fold-out, mini-poster that showcases the names of all 732 starters of the Indianapolis 500 on one side and the images of the admission tickets from 1911-2011 on the other.

Other features in the program include:

•A 96-page section about the Indianapolis 500’s history, featuring a recap of every year’s race by IMS Historian Donald Davidson and previously unpublished photographs.

•An extended piece on the photography shoot with 33 Indianapolis 500-winning cars on the front straightaway at IMS last fall.

•Anniversary stories about A.J. Foyt’s first Indianapolis 500 victory in 1961 and Rick Mears’ fourth Indy victory in 1991.

National retailers offering the 100th Anniversary Official Program-Sports Illustrated commemorative bundle include Borders, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo (Canada), Hudson News, Paradies, HMS Host and Trofie. Most of the Paradies, HMS Host and Trofie outlets are located in airports and use region-specific names.

These additional major retailers are offering the bundle in Indiana: Meijer, Marsh, Kroger, Walmart, Martin’s, Target, Costco, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.