INDIANAPOLIS — For the second year in a row, the wraps came off the Borg-Warner Trophy to reveal Josef Newgarden’s face, cast in Sterling Silver.
By winning the Indianapolis 500 for the second year in a row, Newgarden joined an elite list of drivers who have had their faces next to each other on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy.
The unveiling took place at a special ceremony at COhatch Polk Stables, a coworking space for entrepreneurs and startups located in downtown Indianapolis.
It is one of the most significant honors since he won his second Indy 500 on May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Team Penske driver won the race for the second year in a row in the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet. It was the 20th Indy 500 win for Team Penske and the first driver to win back-to-back Indy 500s since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.
The Borg-Warner Trophy. (Scott R. LePage for BorgWarner Photo)
Castroneves scored the first three of his four Indy 500 wins for Team Penske. Only Wilbur Shaw (1939, 1940), Mauri Rose (1947, 1948), Bill Vukovich (1953, 1954), Al Unser (1970, 1971), Helio Castroeves (2001, 2002), and Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024) have won back-to-back Indy 500s.
“Having my face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy is one of the coolest parts about winning the race,” Newgarden said. “Seeing the finished product, with two side-by-side images of my face, is an unbelievable honor, and I look forward to hopefully adding a third likeness to the rowafter this year’s Indy 500.”
The bas-relief, sterling silver image of Newgarden is the 111th face to be affixed to the iconic trophy, awarded annually to the winner of theIndianapolis 500 since 1936.
Renowned sculptor Will Behrends of Tryon, North Carolina created Newgarden’s image, as he has for every winner since 1990.
Each face on the trophy is unique, even for a back-to-back winner likeNewgarden. Behrends starts from scratch each year and begins his creative process by studying a series of 360-degree photos of the winner to get abaseline for sculpting before constructing a full-scale model of the driver’s face. Normally a driver would visit Behrends’ studio in Tryon,North Carolina for an in-person session.
Since 2015, the winning driver of the Indianapolis 500 has sat in for a studio session with Behrends, but this year’s live study was canceled because the Tryon, North Carolina area was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
This life-size clay version is used as reference for Behrends to construct the smaller model, a piece created out of a mixture of oil-based clay. Thesmaller clay model is turned into a mold and cast in wax before being sent to a jeweler to be transformed into sterling silver.
Behrends completes his process by polishing and buffing the sculpture before attaching it to the trophy.
“Today is a special day for Josef and BorgWarner,” said Michelle Collins, Global Director Marketing and Public Relations for BorgWarner. “Josef is one of only six drivers to win back– to-back Indianapolis 500 victories inthe race’s 113-year history, and unveiling his face on this spectacular trophy cements his mark not only in IndyCar, but all of motorsports.
“BorgWarner is honored to uphold the tradition of the Borg-Warner Trophy and celebrate Josef’s historic 2024 Indianapolis 500 win.”
Originally designed in 1935, the sterling silver trophy measures over 5feet, 4-3/4 inches tall and weighs more than 110 pounds as it carries thesculpted face of every victor since 1911.
Early next year, Newgarden will receive his BorgWarner Championships Driver’s Trophy, also known as a “Baby Borg,” a miniature replica of the large-scale Borg-Warner Trophy.
