Borg-Warner Trophy
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automotive supplier BorgWarner
BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. is a United States-based worldwide automotive industry components and parts supplier. It is primarily known for its powertrain products, which include manual and automatic transmissions and transmission components, , turbochargers, engine valve timing system...
, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
automobile race
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
. It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, which houses the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Indianapolis 500, but it also includes exhibits reflecting other forms of...
in Speedway, Indiana
Speedway, Indiana
Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....
.
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 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 checkerboardCheckerboard
A checkerboard or chequerboard is a board of chequered pattern on which English draughts is played. It is an 8×8 board and the 64 squares are of alternating dark and light color, often red and black....
pattern. Included on the base is the gold likeness of Tony Hulman
Tony Hulman
Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular....
, 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
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
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
BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. is a United States-based worldwide automotive industry components and parts supplier. It is primarily known for its powertrain products, which include manual and automatic transmissions and transmission components, , turbochargers, engine valve timing system...
commissioned designer Robert J. Hill
Robert J. Hill
Robert J. Hill , nicknamed Bobil, was a draftsman, designer and the art director of the bronze division of Gorham, Inc. in Rhode Island. He designed in 1926 the General Custer Trophy, and in 1935 the Borg-Warner Trophy. He retired in 1948. - References :...
and Gorham, Inc., of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
to create the trophy at a cost of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000 (the trophy was refurbished in 1991 and again in 2004. Today is valued in excess of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.3 million). Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
, 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."
Design
Made of sterling silverSterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
, 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
1986 Indianapolis 500
The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend...
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
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
. The base included a special gold face of Tony Hulman
Tony Hulman
Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular....
. Bobby Rahal
Bobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...
was the final winner to be added to the original trophy body. The 1987 winner
1987 Indianapolis 500
The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 24, 1987 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical...
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
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
. Since 1988, the winner receives an 18 inches (457.2 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 inches (609.6 mm) upright model of the trophy mounted on a walnut plaque.
Lore
The trophy has had quite a history; track historian Donald DavidsonDonald Davidson (historian)
Donald Davidson is the current historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the only person to hold such a position on a full-time basis for any motorsports facility in the world.-Personal history:...
has noted a particular story where a Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
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
Fraternity and sorority houses
North American fraternity and sorority housing refers largely to the houses or housing areas that fraternity and sorority members live and work together in...
, 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
Winning
Winning is a 1969 American motion picture starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. A number of racecar drivers and people associated with racing appear in the film, including Bobby Unser, Tony Hulman, Bobby Grim, Dan Gurney, Roger McCluskey, and Bruce Walkup.-Plot summary:The film centers on...
starring Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
.
The winner of the 1950 Indianapolis 500, Johnnie Parsons
Johnnie Parsons
Johnnie Parsons was an American race car driver from Los Angeles, California who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950....
, had his name was misspelled on the trophy. It was scripted into the silver as "Johnny" Parsons (which is how his son's
Johnny Parsons
Johnny Parsons is an American racecar driver.-Racing family:Parsons is the son of Arza and 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner Johnnie Parsons. His parents divorced, and Johnny was raised with half-brothers Dana and Pancho Carter, the product of Arza'a marriage with Duane Carter. The Carters grew up...
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
Roll bar
Roll bar or rollbar may refer to:* Roll bar, also known as anti-roll bar or sway bar, a torsion spring bar that reduces vehicle roll* Roll cage, a vehicle frame designed to protect occupants in the event of a crash...
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.