INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - They unveiled the Borg-Warner Trophy at the IMS Museum Wednesday evening.
Will Power, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner, helped pull the drape off the coveted trophy, revealing his engraved likeness in 1x3 inch form.
William Behrends is the sculptor, responsible for having created Powers face and those of 28 other race winners in sterling silver.
He said Power was one of his favorites to create.
Power is the 105th face to be permanently affixed to the trophy. It's Power's first Borg-Warner Trophy appearance. He has 35 career Indy car series race wins.
"Our Borg-Warner Trophy is a living work of art and represents the pinnacle of performance for open-wheel racing," said Frederic Lissalde, President and CEO, BorgWarner Inc. "We are honored to add Will Power to the drivers who's images adorn the trophy. Will shares our company's commitment to excellence and drive for success, no matter the obstacle. Congratulations again to Will for this achievement."
BorgWarner commissioned the creation of the iconic racing award in 1935 to honor winners of the Indianapolis 500. The first driver to be bestowed the honor was Louis Meyer, who in 1936 was presented with the trophy featuring the previous 24 winner's faces.
Since its inception, the trophy has been woven into the annual Indianapolis 500 tradition, and now has 12 countries and 21 U.S. states represented on its base and cup.
The 5 feet, 4-3/4 inches tall trophy is permanently on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, located within the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Drivers receive a keepsake trophy, the BorgWarner Championship Driver's TrophyTM (also known as the "Baby Borg"), a miniature replica of the famous trophy, with an exact copy of his sterling silver image mounted to it.