DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 25, 2013) — Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR National Champion, lent a hand to the U.S. Postal Service recently in dedicating the "America on the Move: Muscle Cars Forever" stamps.
"The Muscle Cars stamps celebrate an exciting era in American automotive history," Mr. Petty said. "These examples of raw power bring back fond memories for me and my family, a testament to how aerodynamics transformed racing.
"I've been around racing and muscle cars all my life. These stamps bring back the memories of our racing heritage in the '60s and '70s. This is a great way to share our stories, old and new, about the Petty history in racing."
As a roll-up to the Daytona 500 weekend of racing, Mr. Petty, his son Kyle and Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe dedicated the limited-edition stamps Feb. 22 at Daytona International Speedway where "The King" won a record seven Daytona 500 championships. The limited edition stamps feature five iconic muscle cars:
"The muscle cars gave everyday Americans the opportunity to experience the rush of driving a fast, powerful car," Mr. Donahoe said. "Just looking at the stamps evokes a feeling of speed.
"As Forever stamps, they'll always be good for mailing a First-Class letter anytime in the future. And when you think about it, that's fitting. Because these stamps—just like the great cars they represent—are timeless."
The Post Office said the Muscle Cars Forever stamps are the third issuance in the America on the Move stamp series. The artwork was created by Tom Fritz of Newbury Park, Calif., under the art direction of Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vegas. Other issuances in the series, '50s Sporty Cars (2005), followed by '50s Fins and Chrome (2008), were the work of artist Art Fitzpatrick of Carlsbad, Calif.
The Muscle Cars stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in self-adhesive sheets of 20 (four of each design). Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
More information is available at visit "Beyond the Perf," the Postal Service's online website for information on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.
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