Williams Travel Centers Racing, sponsor of the #27 Brewco Motorsports entry for driver Jamie McMurray in the BGN, announced a joint promotional opportunity with the U.S. Postal Service for the upcoming BGN race at Daytona. The joint collaboration will feature a special, one-race only “patriotic” paint scheme design featuring the U.S. Postal Service logo on both rear quarter panels. The U.S. Postal Service’s new semi-postal stamp, “Heroes of 2001”, will also be prominently displayed on the hood. The “Heroes of 2001” stamp was created to help generate funds to provide assistance to families of emergency relief personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty in connection with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This affiliation marks the first time the U.S. Postal Service has used a professional stock car to help promote a new fundraising stamp. Postmaster General John E. Potter, along with members of Congress and other special guests, dedicated the stamp June 7 in New York City. He said the stamp is a tangible way for all Americans to become involved. The Heroes of 2001 stamp is now available at all post offices. The price of the self-adhesive, non-denominated stamp is 45 cents. As a semi-postal, it is valid for postage at the First-Class first-ounce letter rate in effect at the time of purchase (currently 34 cents), with the difference between the sales price of the stamp and the underlying postage consisting of a tax-deductible contribution. Funds raised in connection with sales of the stamp, net of the Postal Service’s reasonable costs, are transferred to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Over the next several months, FEMA will develop a program designed to meet the intention of Congress to assist the families of the emergency relief workers killed or permanently disabled as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. FEMA will announce the details of the program later this summer. Designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., the stamp features a detail of the famous photograph taken by Thomas E. Franklin of three firefighters as they raised the U.S.flag at “Ground Zero.” Franklinis a staff photographer at The Record newspaper in Bergen County, NJ. In addition to running the special paint scheme at Daytona, Williams TravelCenters will have a simulator/show car replica of the #27 U.S. Postal Service machine that will be making appearances at local post offices in the Daytona area during race week. To see an online image of the Heroes of 2001 stamp, go to www.usps.com/news/2002/philatelic/sr02_029.htm.(Williams TravelCenters Racing PR), see images of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery. go to the BGN section.(6-25-2002)
