Newgarden set to celebrate a back-to-back Borg-Warner Trophy moment
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
An offseason of perks for two-time/reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden will accelerate next week with a repeat Borg-Warner Trophy moment.
Josef Newgarden – Indianapolis 500 Day After Photo Shoot – (Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)
Team Penske ace Newgarden, winner of the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, will unveil his likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy at approximately 5 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Dec. 4, at CoHatch Polk Stables in Indianapolis.
Newgarden won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the second consecutive year last May 26 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden will be joined for the ceremony by Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles and Michelle Collins, global director/marketing and public relations for BorgWarner.
The trophy, which has been presented in the Winner’s Circle at IMS after every race since 1936, is a multi-tiered item bearing the high relief sculpture of the likeness of each driver to have won the race since 1911. Inscribed are the winner’s name, year of victory and average speed. Made of sterling silver, the trophy measures just under 5-feet-4 inches tall and weighs nearly 153-pounds.
Josef Newgarden. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
A two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, Newgarden became the first driver to post back-to-back victories in the Memorial Day classic since native Brazilian Helio Castroneves _ also of Team Penske _ in 2001-2002. Newgarden passed Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward on the 200th and final lap to take the checkered flag by 0.3417-seconds. Newgarden and O’Ward, a native Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, swapped the lead four times during the final eight laps.
“That’s the way I wanted to win the thing, right there,” Newgarden said post-race. “I’m just so proud of everybody at Team Penske. They crushed it. Crushed it!”
Josef Newgarden – Indianapolis 500 Qualifying – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Newgarden, who started third in the traditional 33-car field, led six times for 26 laps around the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval. Newgarden is the 11th two-time winner of the Indy 500. The 33-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn., is the first driver to join that group since Takuma Sato in 2020. A native of Japan, Sato also won in 2017.
Newgarden also delivered a record-extending 20th Indianapolis 500 victory to Team Penske, the organization founded by Roger S. Penske. Additionally, last May’s race shattered the purse record for a third consecutive year, with Newgarden earning $4.288-million from a total of $18,456,000. Newgarden, who scored his NTT IndyCar Series championships in 2017 and 2019, finished eighth in the final 2024 driver standings.
CoHatch is a downtown co-working space for entrepreneurs and startups. From 1898 through 1962, the building operated Polk Sanitary Milk Company, Indianapolis’ largest milk distributor at the time.
Fans can watch the unveil live on the IMS YouTube Channel.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan has been named honorary Pace Car driver for the 109th Indianapolis 500 scheduled for Sunday, May 25, 2025 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet Racing.
Strahan, 53, capped his NFL career as star defensive end for the New York Giants in their 17-14 upset victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008. Post-football, Strahan has emerged into a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst and “Good Morning America” co-host. Strahan was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame alongside the entire “FOX NFL Sunday” cast.
At IMS, Strahan will wheel the 1,064-horsepower 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe _ capable of 233 mph, highest top speed of any car made in America by an auto manufacturer _ and lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the 200-lapper. Additional Pace Car details, including the livery, will be announced by Chevrolet at a later date.
“Michael is an impressive addition to the lineup of all-star athletes and celebrities to serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Indianapolis 500,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “From the gridiron to the broadcast studio, Michael is no stranger to leading a fast-paced field. As we kick off a new era of INDYCAR and the Indy 500 on FOX, Michael will have one of the best seats in the house for the start of the world’s greatest race.”
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet Racing.
Previous recent Pace Car drivers include Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robin Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Griffey Jr. and Tyrese Haliburton.
FOX Sports is the new/exclusive home of INDYCAR, with all 17 NTT IndyCar Series races to be broadcast on network television via FOX in 2025. Topping the list is the Indy 500, annually the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world. Coverage will be extensive, with a five-hour Race Day window planned.
The Pace Car driver announcement continues FOX’s promotional kickoff for the season and Indy 500. Previously, announcement of the series’ inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington in Texas, booked for March 2026, was featured during FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.”
Fans are invited to visit ims.com to submit a ticket application for the 109th Indianapolis 500 and additional information on the complete “Month of May” schedule at IMS.
New Zealand’s Callum Hedge has rejoined ABEL Motorsports for his second INDY NXT by Firestone season in 2025. Hedge again will to pilot the No. 17 Dallara in his bid to graduate to the NTT IndyCar Series.
Hedge moved to the INDY NXT championship in 2024 after being crowned champion in both Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and Formula Regional Americas championships. Hedge went on to record eight top-10s, five top-fives and his first series podium at the Detroit Grand Prix on his way to fourth in the drivers’ championship.
“I feel incredibly pleased to be joining ABEL Motorsports in INDY NXT for 2025,” said Hedge, 21. “I really feel like I learned a lot about not only the INDY NXT car but the series as a whole. That should make 2025 a bit smoother, only having to focus on extracting the most out of the car as possible.”
To that end, Hedge recently logged test laps with his crew on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and Barber Motorsports Park’s natural-terrain road-course near Birmingham, Ala.
“Coming over to race in INDY NXT after 2023 was a huge step for me,” Hedge said. “But after winning both the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and the Formula Regional Americas championship I just felt that the time was right to make the move. I wouldn’t be here without the amazing support from The Tony Quinn Foundation, Giltrap Group, Tasman Motorsports Group and Contract Flooring. They saw something in me and made it happen.”
Team Principal Bill Abel believes the pieces are falling into place for a highly successful 2025 season for Hedge in INDYCAR’s developmental series.
“Callum’s first season in INDY NXT was great; he really showed some flashes of brilliance and I think bringing that into what we have going on at ABEL Motorsports will be a great match,” Abel said. “There is no reason that Callum can’t compete for podiums, wins and ultimately the 2025 championship.”
Hedge echoed the sentiments of his boss. “Our goal in 2025 is simple _ contend for the INDY NXT by Firestone championship,” Hedge said. “The 2024 season was a time for learning and growing. But now joining ABEL Motorsports I feel really confident about our chances of being a winner in 2025 and continuing the great lineage of Kiwis in the INDYCAR system.”
Final 2024 NTT IndyCar Series point standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 544; 2, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 513; 3, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 505; 4, Will Power, Team Penske, 498; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 460; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 456; 7, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 420; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 401; 9, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 367; 10, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 366;
11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 312; 12, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 306; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 300; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 298; 15, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 297; 16, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 279; 17, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 260; 18, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 251; 19, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 186; 20, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 185;
21, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 182; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 163; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 154; 24, David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing, 148; 25, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 143; 26, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 119; 27, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 109; 28, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 91; 29, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 61; 30, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 45; 32, Toby Sowery, Dale Coyne Racing, 45; 33, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; 34, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 27; 35, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 36, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 37, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19; 38, Tristan Vautier, Dale Coyne Racing, 12; 39, Juri Vips, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 11; 40, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10;
41, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 42, Hunter McElrea, Dale Coyne Racing, 6; 43, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5.
