The Borg-Warner Trophy, named for United States automotive supplier BorgWarner, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500 automobile race. It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Speedway, Indiana.
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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 bas-relief sculpture of the likeness of each driver to have won the race since its inception in 1911. It also has the driver's name, date of victory, and average speed. This information is alternated with the faces in a checkerboard pattern. Included on the base is the gold likeness of Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945-1977. On the top of the trophy is a man waving a checkered flag. Because this man is depicted naked, after the tradition of ancient Greek athletes, the trophy is most often photographed so that the man's arm is swooping down in front of him.
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 was refurbished in 1991 and again in 2004. Today is valued in excess of $1.3 million). Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the trophy was officially declared the annual prize for Indianapolis 500 victors. Louis Meyer, that year's champion and its first recipient, soon thereafter remarked, "Winning the Borg-Warner Trophy is like winning an Olympic medal."
Made of sterling silver, the trophy is just under 5 feet (1.5 m), 4 inches (162.5 cm) tall and weighs nearly 153 pounds (45 kg). The trophy body itself is hollow, and the round 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.
Speedway officials decided to add a base to the trophy in the spring of 1986. Instead of retiring the trophy, they added the base to accommodate new winners' faces, similar to what has been done with the Stanley Cup. The base included a special gold face of Tony Hulman. Bobby Rahal was the final winner to be added to the original trophy body. The 1987 winner Al Unser, Sr. was the first to be added to the base. The base was expected to fill up after the 2003 race.
In 1991, the trophy went through a thorough restoration. In 2004, the base was removed, and replaced with a new, larger base to accommodate more winners. Enough space is available to hold all winners through until 2034.
The actual trophy is not given to the winner; it remains at the Hall of Fame Museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since 1988, the winner receives an 18-inch (460 mm) tall free-standing replica of the trophy, nicknamed the "Baby Borg." The winning owner also receives the replica. Prior to 1988, winners received an 24-inch (610 mm) upright model of the trophy mounted on a walnut plaque.
Since 1990 the winning drivers' portrait images 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 AT&T Park in San Francisco, California.
The trophy has had quite a history; track historian Donald Davidson has noted a particular story where 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 trophy has appeared in several films, including Winning starring Paul Newman.
The winner of the 1950 Indianapolis 500, Johnnie Parsons, had his name was misspelled on the trophy. It was scripted into the silver as "Johnny" Parsons (which is how his son's name was spelled). During the 1991 restoration, it was proposed by the handlers to correct the spelling, though Parsons had already 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 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 and height became an issue with the display. 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. The heavier trophy is now displayed next to the car, in a prominent position in victory lane. Two or more safety patrol workers are assigned with guarding and transporting the trophy during the month of May. It is also polished often, and polished several times during May.