- Josef Newgarden’s sculpted face was unveiled at a ceremony on Friday
- Marks the 110th driver’s face to be affixed onto the trophy
- Newgarden is the first American Indy 500 winner to be featured since 2016
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — To commemorate his victory at the 107th Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden received the honor of having his sterling silver image affixed onto the Borg-Warner Trophy®. The trophy was unveiled Friday evening at The Stutz Museum in Indianapolis as part of a ceremony hosted by Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden, who races for Team Penske, is a Tennessee native and is the first American to win the prestigious race since 2016.
“We are proud to add Josef Newgarden’s image to the Borg-Warner Trophy as he officially joins the ranks of all Indianapolis 500 winners before him,” said Michelle Collins, Global Director, Marketing and Public Relations BorgWarner. “In addition to spotlighting Josef’s exemplary victory on the track, this trophy represents one of the greatest spectacles and traditions of the motorsports’ world. The BorgWarner team extends our warmest congratulations to Josef and Team Penske.”
William Behrends, the man behind many faces of the Borg-Warner Trophy, once again tackled the feat of adding a new face to the trophy. Behrends begins his process of sculpting by examining a series of 360-degree photos of the winner’s face before inviting them to an in-person session where he creates a large, clay model of the driver’s face. The large model is then used as a reference to sculpt a smaller, oil-based clay version of the winner’s likeness. Once complete, the small clay model is turned into a mold and casted in wax before it’s sent to a jeweler where it is transformed into sterling silver. As the final step, the sterling silver face is polished and buffed before it’s attached to the trophy. Behrends, who has sculpted every Indianapolis 500 winner’s face on the trophy since Arie Luyendyk in 1990, performs his craft at his studio in Tryon, North Carolina.
“I was honored to sit down and work with the legendary William Behrends and have my face sculpted onto the Borg-Warner Trophy, representing Team Penske and the great state of Tennessee,” said Newgarden. “This has been an unbelievable experience and I’m so grateful to forever be a part of this renowned trophy. I’d like to extend my sincerest thank you to BorgWarner and everyone at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske.”
On May 28, 2023, over 230,000 fans at IMS watched as 32-year-old Newgarden came from 17th starting position averaging 168.193 mph to win the face, overtaking defending champion Marcus Ericsson in the final lap of the race. Leading just five of 200 laps, Newgarden is one of only three drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500 to make a last lap pass to win the race. In 2008, Sam Hornish Jr. passed Marco Andretti to win, and in 2011, Dan Wheldon passed JR Hildebrand to score his second Indy 500 victory.
Early next year, Newgarden will receive his Baby Borg, officially named the BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy™, which is a miniature replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy.
About BorgWarner
For more than 130 years, BorgWarner has been a transformative global product leader bringing successful mobility innovation to market. Today, we’re accelerating the world’s transition to eMobility – to help build a cleaner, healthier, safer future for all.
The Borg-Warner Trophy, BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy, and BorgWarner Championship Team Owner’s Trophy are trademarks of BorgWarner Inc.
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SOURCE BorgWarner
