The Borg-Warner Trophy is the trophy presented to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. It is named for and was commissioned by automotive supplier BorgWarner. It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Speedway, Indiana. Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the trophy was officially declared the annual prize for Indianapolis 500 victors. It was first presented at the 24th annual 500-mile race, where Louis Meyer, that year's champion and its first recipient, soon thereafter remarked, "Winning the Borg-Warner Trophy is like winning an Olympic medal."
Felix Rosenqvist won the 2026 Indianapolis 500, and is the current reigning champion. Each year, the winning driver is presented with a miniature replica ("Baby Borg") during a reception, which for the 2019 race was presented in early September, about three months after the race. Prior to the trophy's inception, the Strauss Trophy (first awarded in 1919) was once presented to the winner. The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy was awarded to the leader at the 400-mile mark, but was retired when car owner Harry Hartz claimed it three times.
History
The trophy, which has been presented in the winner's circle after every race since 1936, is a very large, multi-tiered item which bears the high relief sculpture of the likeness of each driver to have won the race since its inception in 1911. Inscribed are the winner's name, year of victory, and average speed. This information is alternated with the faces in a checkerboard pattern, evoking a checkered flag. Included on the base is the gold likeness of Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 to 1977. On the top of the trophy is an unclothed man waving a checkered flag. Because this man is depicted naked, after the traditional depiction of athletes in ancient Greek art, the trophy is most often photographed at an angle so that the man's arm blocks the view of the figure's genitalia.
In 1935, the Borg-Warner Automotive Company commissioned designer Robert J. Hill and Gorham, Inc., of Providence, Rhode Island to create the trophy at a cost of $10,000. The trophy underwent a refurbishment in 1991 and again in 2004. Today it is insured in excess of $1.3 million.
Design Made of sterling silver, the trophy is just under tall and weighs nearly . The trophy body itself is hollow, and the dome-shaped top is removable. From 1936 to 1985, the trophy appeared in its original form, with the bottom rim of the body serving as its stand. The original body had room for 70 winners of the Indy 500, and was destined to fill up after the 1986 winner was affixed. During the early years, the trophy was polished often for protection, but appeared too seldom be buffed to a glossy "mirror finish" and often was seen with a dull or matte finish. At no point has the trophy been allowed to fall in a state of tarnish or major disrepair. When the race was suspended during World War II, the trophy was stored in a secure location.
A base was added in 1986 to accommodate more winners, similar to what has been done with the Stanley Cup. In 1991, the trophy went through a thorough restoration. In 2004, the first base was removed, and replaced with a new, larger base to accommodate more winners. Enough space is currently available to hold all winners through 2033.
Since 1990 the winning drivers' likenesses on both the Borg-Warner Trophy and the replica trophies have been sculpted by prominent American sculptor William Behrends, who also created the statue of baseball great Willie Mays that stands at the entrance to Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Baby Borg
The actual perpetual trophy is not given to the winner; it remains at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winning drivers since 1988 have been presented with an tall free-standing replica of the trophy, sitting on a beveled square base. Officially titled the "Indianapolis 500 Champion Driver's Trophy", it has been affectionately nicknamed the "Baby Borg". The Baby Borg is typically presented the following January at a Speedway reception or sometimes at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, near trophy sponsor BorgWarner's headquarters.
Starting with the 1997 race, a second Baby Borg was added, presented to the winning car owner(s), officially named the "Indianapolis 500 Champion Owner's Trophy". The owner's trophy is nearly identical to the driver's trophy, except it is mounted upon a round base. Multiple owner's trophies are presented if there are co-owners to the winning team.
The bas-relief likenesses from the main trophy are not replicated on the Baby Borgs, nor is the cylindrical base of the main trophy (the first of which was added in 1986). In some years, a duplicate of the sculpted likeness of the winner has been affixed to the beveled base of the driver's Baby Borg trophy. The driver's trophy can be lifted from its base if desired.
Prior to 1988, winners received a upright model of the trophy mounted on a walnut plaque. Since then, some pre-1988 winners have been presented with the newer Baby Borg version. In 2011, race winner Dan Wheldon was fatally injured before he received his Baby Borg. His widow Susie accepted the trophy in his honor.
In 2003, 3-time champion Bobby Unser was awarded the newer Champion Driver's Trophy in a surprise event for the 2002 race winner Hélio Castroneves's celebration. Since 2013, starting with Parnelli Jones (the 1963 winner), the Speedway began a tradition of presenting living winners the newer Champion Driver's Trophy on the 50th anniversary of their wins had they not been awarded a Baby Borg. Jones, Mario Andretti (2019), and Al Unser Sr. (2020) have each been awarded with such on the 50th anniversaries of their wins. Since then, it has been given to different drivers who had not been awarded a Baby Borg, regardless of the number of years since their win. In 2021, Gordon Johncock was awarded Baby Borgs to represent his 1973 and 1982 wins at his Johncock Forestry Products business in South Branch, Michigan during a birthday party organised by BorgWarner. In 2022, A. J. Foyt, who has an owner's Baby Borg from 1999, was awarded a driver's Baby Borg, without the sculpted likeness, but with each side carrying one of his four wins, in 2022. In 2023, William Behrends was given a Baby Borg by BorgWarner in celebration of being the artist on the past 33 Indianapolis 500 winners, as traditionally the field consists of 33 cars.
While the perpetual trophy is not given to the winner, it has, on occasion, traveled to various locations to honor the winner. In 2017, the trophy traveled to Japan accompanying Takuma Sato on a victory tour of his home country, and went on display in Sweden after Marcus Ericsson's win in 2022.
Odd features have been put on the driver's likeness on the "Baby Borg" since it was introduced in 1988. In 2013, Parnelli Jones's trophy featured a cowboy hat on his head (prior to 1970, champions were wearing an open-face helmet on their sculptures; since the bas-relief bust of the driver was newly created by Behrends, it was done without helmet and with the cowboy hat he wore primarily during that season). In 2019, because of fan requests, Simon Pagenaud's Baby Borg also featured the likeness of his Jack Russell Terrier Norman. BorgWarner added a donation to the Humane Society of Indiana as part of the event, primarily because the dog had participated in the winner's circle photos.https://www.wthr.com/article/indy-500-winner-simon-pagenaud-shares-baby-borg-his-dog-norman >
Lore
The trophy has had quite a history; track historian Donald Davidson has noted a particular story in which a Butler University student was given the trophy to watch in the 1930s before race day. The young man hid the trophy under his bed one night and proceeded to have a night out. Upon his return to his fraternity house, the man found the trophy missing. He looked and looked and became very worried about the trophy's whereabouts. Upon looking in the frat house's basement, he found the trophy surrounded by men who were drinking beer out of it. All of 115 beers were inside of the trophy. Emptying the beer, he wondered how he would get the smell off of the trophy and decided to take a shower – taking the trophy in with him.
The winner of the 1950 Indianapolis 500, Johnnie Parsons, had his name misspelled on the trophy. It was scripted into the silver as "Johnny" Parsons (which incidentally, is how his son's name was spelled). Evidence of the engraver's mistake can be seen in MGM’s 1950 movie To Please a Lady. In a scene in which they filmed the trophy and feature a shot of Johnnie Parsons's bust image, his name is clearly misspelled. During the 1991 restoration, it was proposed by the handlers to correct the spelling, even though Parsons had died seven years earlier. The decision was made to leave the misspelling in place as part of the trophy's historic lore.
Through 1985, the trophy was hoisted by handlers directly behind the driver, typically on the roll bar of the car. The trophy could be easily carried by one individual, and was usually simple to transport. After the trophy was affixed with a base in 1986, the trophy's weight, height, and stability became an issue with displaying it on top of the car. At least two men were required to balance the trophy behind the driver. Since about 2004, when the trophy was expanded with the newer base, it is no longer hoisted behind the driver. Initially, the now-heavier trophy was displayed next to the car. However, the trophy was often mired in the tight, crowded confines of victory lane, and became less visible and even risked damage due to the bustling, celebrating crowd. For 2012, coinciding with the introduction of the DW-12 chassis, a special platform was constructed that fits between or behind the rear wheels and rear wing of the cars. The trophy is now placed upon this platform during the victory lane celebration, giving it once again a prominent and more visible presence during the celebration.
Two or more safety patrol workers are assigned with guarding and transporting the trophy during the month of May. It is polished often, and polished several times during the month of May. In contrast to the earlier years, the trophy is almost exclusively polished and buffed to an elegant, glossy, "mirror finish." During routine times of the month, it is usually situated upon a large, sturdy, custom-built rolling dolly.
Legacy
The trophy has appeared in several films, including Winning (1969), starring Paul Newman, and Turbo (2013). During the month of May, the trophy has several prominent locations for display. During time trials, the trophy is typically displayed outdoors on a platform near the start/finish line. During down times, it returns to the museum. It also makes several appearances, including the Public Drivers' Meeting and the 500 Festival Parade, as well as prominent social events and gatherings (such as banquets and balls downtown).
The Borg-Warner Trophy was exclusively featured on the cover of the Indianapolis 500 Official Program in 1981, 1998, and 2002. It also appeared on the cover in lesser prevalence in 1988, 1996, and 2006. It is depicted in the cover art of the Atari video game Indy 500, in the Midway pinball machine Indianapolis 500, and on the cover art for the Papyrus IndyCar Racing Indianapolis Motor Speedway Expansion Pack.
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