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The Countdown to May Begins: Iconic Blue Envelopes Carrying Indy 500 Tickets Hit Mailboxes

Kevin Kelley
For race fans across the world, the arrival of a blue envelope from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) is more than just mail—it’s a symbol that May is almost here. On Wednesday, the highly anticipated tickets for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 began their journey to eager fans across all 50 states and 38 countries, marking the unofficial start of the biggest month in racing.
IMS kept tradition alive with an official ticket mailing event, enlisting NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers Devlin DeFrancesco, Louis Foster, and Felix Rosenqvist to help send off the first wave of shipments. These drivers even signed a few lucky envelopes heading to fans in their home countries—Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, respectively.
The Scale of the Indy 500 Ticket Mailing
Sending out tickets for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is no small task. Here are some staggering numbers from the process:
  • 170,000 Indy 500 Race Day tickets were sent out as part of over 215,000 total items, including practice and qualification tickets, concert passes, and parking permits.
  • More than 32,000 blue envelopes were mailed out.
  • It took 1,000+ person-hours over 46 days to package everything by hand.
  • The envelopes and trays combined weighed over 6,600 pounds.
  • The U.S. Postal Service sent a special truck to IMS to handle the enormous first batch of shipments.
Why the Iconic Blue Envelope?
IMS’s famous blue envelopes date back to 1994 when ticket mailings were color-coded to distinguish between different races at the Speedway. While Brickyard Weekend tickets go in purple envelopes, and Sonsio Grand Prix tickets are mailed in green, the blue Indy 500 envelope remains the most cherished.
With just 73 days until the green flag drops, anticipation is building for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25. For fans still looking to secure their seats, tickets are available at IMS.com/Tickets or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at 317-492-6700.