6 Things To Know About The Borg-Warner Trophy — The Indy 500's Grand Prize

In sports, nothing compares to winning it all and hoisting the trophy in the air. In motorsports — specifically the Indianapolis 500 — having your face etched into the Borg-Warner Trophy is one of INDYCAR's greatest honors. 

Lasting through a World War and 82, 500-mile races, the Borg-Warner Trophy remains a sight to behold. It's the only physical award that has the winner's face engraved on it every year. 

With hardware of that significance and fame comes plenty of defining moments some motorsports fans might not know. Learn more about the development of the famous Borg-Warner trophy through the years ahead of Sunday's 110th running of the Indy 500 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX). 

The trophy is not something you can transport on the floor of your passenger seat, but it’s big enough to compare to a human. The trophy stands at approximately 5-foot-4 and weighs 110 pounds. 

The tradition of the trophy is adding a physical face carved into it. 

Originally, the trophy stood at 4-foot-3 inches with room for 70 winners. As the tradition progressed, the trophy has been resized twice — once in 1987 and once in 2004 — to allow extra space for winners all the way through 2033. 

How could there be 104 faces carved into the trophy, but only 101 races have been completed? This is due to multiple drivers occasionally sharing a winning car, allotting space for both drivers if they cross the finish line first. 

The trophy was first introduced in 1931 despite the first race starting in 1911. Even with 20 years of past winners, the face tradition began the year it was introduced, as Louis Meyer was the first face to be engraved. Ironically, the three-time winner was also at the forefront of the iconic milk celebration tradition.

Considering the