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In sports, nothing compares to winning it all and hoisting the trophy into the air. In motorsports, especially the Indianapolis 500, having your face engraved on the Borg-Warner Trophy is one of INDYCAR’s highest honors.
Through a world war and 82 500-mile races, the Borg-Warner Trophy remains a sight to behold. It is the only physical award on which the winner’s face is engraved each year.
With hardware of such importance and renown comes many defining moments that some motorsport fans may not be aware of. Learn more about the development of the famous Borg-Warner Trophy over the years ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
1. The trophy weighs over 100 pounds and stands over 5 feet tall
The trophy isn’t something you can carry on the floor of your passenger seat, but it is large enough to compare to a human. The trophy is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds.
The tradition of the trophy consists of adding a physical face to it.
The trophy originally measured 4 feet 3 inches and could accommodate 70 winners. As the tradition progressed, the trophy was resized twice – once in 1987 and once in 2004 – to allow more space for winners until 2033.
2. There are 104 faces engraved in trophies, but only 101 races completed
How can there be 104 faces engraved on the trophy, when only 101 races were completed? This is due to multiple drivers occasionally sharing a winning car, allocating space to both drivers if they cross the finish line first.
The trophy was first introduced in 1931, despite the first race beginning in 1911. Even with 20 years of winners having passed, the tradition of the face began the year it was introduced, as Louis Meyer was the first face to be engraved. Ironically, the three-time winner was also at the forefront of the iconic milk celebration tradition.
3. How much does the trophy cost?
Given that the 110 pound trophy is made entirely of sterling silver, the price is high.
Currently, the trophy is valued at $3.5 million. Originally, when the trophy initially weighed 80 pounds and stood 52 inches tall, it was listed at $10,000.
4. Winner wins a 14-inch replica
As Indy 500 winners pose next to the sterling silver award after victory, the trophy is actually returned to its home base, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Drivers can go home with hardware known as the “Baby Borg,” an exact 14-inch replica of the real Borg-Warner trophy.
What’s worth noting is that the Baby Borg hasn’t existed since the introduction of the Borg-Warner. It was managed by four-time winner Ricky Mears in 1989.
Drivers always returned home with something rather than nothing. In 1936, winners received a small wooden plaque on which their name was engraved as well as a half-replica of the trophy. Mears’ idea quickly came to fruition in 1989 when he received the 14-inch replica with his name, the winning year and his face engraved on the trophy plinth.
5. Origin of the naked man on top of the trophy
The main spectacle of the Borg-Warner Trophy are the engraved faces, but what if there was a funny story behind the naked man atop the trophy?
The top of the trophy features a completely naked man – yes, completely naked – waving a checkered flag. But why is he completely naked? The design was inspired by a Greek athlete who competed naked. The Borg-Warner Trophy embodies the Olympic spirit, hence the trophy mascot presented naked.
6. How many repeated faces are there?
Of the total 112 faces of the Borg-Warner Trophy, there are 35 repeat faces of multiple winners. And yes, they do the exact face again in the same winning base if they are a repeat winner.
Some drivers have won four times (Helio Castroneves, AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears), three times (Louis Meyer, Mauri Rose and Wilbur Shaw) and 12 drivers have appeared twice.
