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Borg-Warner Trophy | |
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Awarded for | Winner of the Indianapolis 500 |
Sponsored by | BorgWarner |
Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Country | United States |
Reward(s) | Miniature trophy replica |
First awarded | 1936 |
Currently held by | Josef Newgarden |
Most awards | (4) A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves |
Website | BorgWarner.com |
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."
Josef Newgarden won the 2024 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.