Welcome to the National Indy 500 Collectors Club. This is the first edition of our club newsletter which will be called the SHORT CHUTE. It is the intent of this publication to keep members informed of club activities, news of fellow members and as a tool for buying, selling and trading race memorabilia. I hope you enjoy the SHORT CHUTE and welcome suggestions and comments for its improvement.

As mentioned in my previous letter I have met several Indy 500 memorabilia collectors over the last few years. All seemed enthusiastic about collecting and very proud of their own collections. Some individuals collected anything and everything while others specialized only in certain items. I have read about fellow collectors in magazines, yearbooks, local newspapers and met collectors at flea markets and auctions. There seemed to be more of us around than I ever dreamed. I kept asking everyone if a club existed that I could join and the answer was always the same - no. So, I decided to organize a club myself. I had no idea what the response would be when I placed the ad in the Fall edition of the Racing Memories and Memorabilia magazine. I received replies from collectors in 12 states. To date, 20 members have joined representing the states of California (2), Illinois (3) , Indiana (6), Michigan (I), Montana (I), New Jersey (I) , New York (I) , ohio (I), Pennsylvania (I), Texas (2) and Wisconsin (I). I hope to be able to increase membership in 1985 through advertizing, word of mouth, and possibly a booth at the May annual memorabilia show held in Indianapolis. Any other ideas you may have to increase membership would be appreciated. If you should know of any fellow collectors please have them write or call me for an application.

The official starting date of the National Indy 500 Collectors Club was January I, 1985. All collectors joining in 1985 will be considered chartered members. The SHORT CHUTE will be published six times a year. Each issue will contain three sections: Club Notes, Member Spotlight and a Want, Buy, Trade column. I encourage all members to use the latter for any collectible item you may want to sell, trade or need. It's free to all members. Just drop me a line. It has been a pleasure to hear from all of you and I hope to meet you individually someday. In the meantime, best wishes and good luck in your collecting.