The badge itself is a piece of art. Before he passed away in 1977, IMS owner Tony Hulman actively participated, along with his longtime secretary June Swango, in the design of the badge. Now, the IMS creative department takes the lead on the design with input from other IMS departments.
The 2019 Bronze Badge pays tribute to Mario Andretti in celebration of his victory 50 years ago in the 1969 Indianapolis 500.
“It is one of the ultimate honors in Indianapolis to be on a Bronze Badge,” Andretti said. “I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family at the speedway, sending accolades in such a magnificent way.”
With their intricate designs over the years, the badges have become yet another item collected by race fans.
John Darlington, former president of the National Indy 500 Collector’s Club, is an avid collector of Indianapolis 500 memorabilia, including the Silver and Bronze badges.
“My grandfather was a co-owner of a car in the 1912 race, I grew up in Indianapolis,” Darlington said. “Growing up here, you can’t help but hear about the speedway every month of May. My first race was 1975 and I kept my program and ticket. Badges were just another item you could collect from the speedway.”
After attending a few races, the Carmel, Ind., resident became a serious collector.
“I have a full set and I’ve had a full set since about 1988. I do have a few that my late uncle, who was one of my influences in getting me interested in the 500, I do have a few of his,” Darlington said. “They’re all kind of neat. There are some better than others. The ’51 Borg Warner Trophy pit badge is a neat looking badge as well as the Pagoda from ’49. The ’50 badge that depicts Mauri Rose looking out over the windshield of his car is a cool badge.”
With the advent of the internet and eventually eBay, collecting Indy 500 memorabilia became easier.
“Anything before 1955 can be a little harder to find. The 1946 badge can be hard to find because they only made 500 or less of those,” Darlington noted. “The first year they did bronze and silver (badges) is 1947. In a year, you can just about build a full set of Bronze Badges.”
In the early 2000s, the speedway started creating badges with throwback themes.
“In ’69, there was the ‘Winning’ movie camera badge,” Darlington said. “And in 2004, they basically copied that badge, but instead of it saying ‘Winning’ on it, the badge said ‘Lights, Camera, Traction.’”
Badges are not only popular with collectors. The IMS credential office hears stories every year on how or why people obtain a Bronze Badge.
“My dad used to get a Bronze Badge through his work (Allison Transmission) every year,” said longtime 500 fan and former sports journalist Angela Revell. “When he retired, that (the badge) became my yearly birthday gift to him. He loves being able to cruise the garages and hear the inside chatter from the teams. For a guy that’s hard to buy for, this is a gift I know he will love.”
Revell also recalls the first time she was able to enter Gasoline Alley as a result of the Bronze Badge program.
“Thanks to Allison Transmission, dad also got me my first badge, and I met my idol/crush/favorite driver Kevin Cogan, which at the time was probably the best day of my life,” Revell said. “But the first time I had any badge of my own was four years later, when I was working at the Lafayette Journal & Courier and covering the 500 for my first job out of college. No prouder moment for a Hoosier girl. I still have all of my badges and credentials from IMS.”