Josef Newgarden unveils second image on Borg-Warner Trophy. Photo by Chris Owens

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Joseph Newgarden’s back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories officially have been immortalized side-by-side on the Borg-Warner Trophy.

Newgarden unveiled his likeness on the Borg-Warner recently during a ceremony in Indianapolis, one of the most significant perks since the Team Penske ace won his second Indy 500 on May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Josef Newgarden unveils second image on Borg-Warner Trophy. Photo by Chris Owens

A 33-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn., Newgarden earned his second victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” wheeling the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden delivered a record-extending 20th Indy 500 victory to team-owner Roger S. Penske. In addition, Newgarden is the first repeat winner since popular Brazilian Helio Castroneves won his second Indy 500 driving for Team Penske in 2002.

“Having my face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy is one of the coolest parts about winning the race,” Newgarden said. “Seeing the finished product, with two side-by-side images of my face, is an unbelievable honor, and I look forward to hopefully adding a third likeness to the row after this year’s Indy 500.”

Newgarden passed Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward on the 200^th 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. 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 and the first driver to join that elite group since Takuma Sato in 2020. A native of Japan, Sato also won in 2017.

Josef Newgarden unveils second image on Borg-Warner Trophy. Photo by Chris Owens

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.

The unveiling ceremony took place at COhatch Polk Stables, a co-working space for entrepreneurs and startups in downtown Indianapolis.

Newgarden’s latest bas-relief, sterling silver image is the 111th face to be affixed to the iconic hardware, awarded annually to the Indy 500 champion since 1936. Renowned sculptor Will Behrends created Newgarden’s image, as he has for every winner since 1990.

Each face on the trophy is unique, even for a back-to-back winner like Newgarden. Behrends starts from scratch each year and begins his creative process by studying a series of 360-degree photos of the winner to get a baseline for sculpting before constructing a full-scale model of the driver’s face. Normally a driver would visit Behrends’ studio in Tryon, N.C, for an in-person session. This year’s visit was impacted by Hurricane Helene, so Newgarden and Behrends collaborated virtually to make final tweaks on the full-scale model.

This life-size clay version is used as reference for Behrends to construct the smaller model, a piece created out of a mixture of oil-based clay. The smaller clay model is turned into a mold and cast in wax before being sent to a jeweler to be transformed into sterling silver. Behrends completes his process by polishing and buffing the sculpture before attaching it to the trophy.

“This is a special day for Josef and BorgWarner,” said Michelle Collins, the company’s global director of marketing and public relations. “Josef is one of only six drivers to win back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories in the race’s 113-year history, and unveiling his face on this spectacular trophy cements his mark not only in INDYCAR, but all of motorsports. BorgWarner is honored to uphold the tradition of the Borg-Warner Trophy and celebrate Josef’s historic 2024 Indianapolis 500 win.”

Originally designed in 1935, the trophy measures over 5-feet, 4-3/4 inches tall and weighs more than 110 pounds as it carries the sculpted face of every victor since 1911.

Early next year, Newgarden will receive his BorgWarner Championships Driver’s Trophy, also known as a “Baby Borg,” a miniature replica of the large-scale Borg-Warner Trophy.

Tickets for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25 _ and all Month of May events at the Speedway _ are on sale at IMS.com.

Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco’s return to INDYCAR has completed the revamped driver lineup at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.

DeFrancesco will compete full-time in the No. 30 Honda-powered entry in a multi-year deal. Details on sponsorship will be announced at a later date. DeFrancesco has replaced Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, who drove the No. 30 Honda to 19th in the 2024 championship standings, one spot behind RLLR’s Graham Rahal and eight behind Christian Lundgaard in 11th.

Lundgaard, who has exited RLLR to drive for Arrow McLaren, has been replaced by reigning Indy NXT champion Louis Foster in the No. 45 Honda. Graham Rahal, son of team co-owner Bobby Rahal, will drive the No. 15 Honda for a 13th consecutive season.

“Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has an amazing history and is also on an impressive trajectory,” DeFancesco, 24, said in a statement from the team’s headquarters in Zionsville, Ind. “Seeing all the work that is going on from the men and women behind the scenes, it’s easy to see that this team and myself are very hungry for results. I look forward to getting started with all the great people here.”

DeFrancesco previously made 34 starts in INDYCAR with Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport, with his best start being fifth at the August 2023 race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course. He earned career-best finishes of 12th at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., in 2022 and the Streets of Detroit in 2023.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Devlin to the team,” said Bobby Rahal, three-time INDYCAR champion and winner of the 1986 Indy 500. “We had the chance to witness his ability while he was at Andretti and there were clearly times when he was quite competitive so I’m confident that we can have a lot of good races together. We’re looking forward to his contribution to the team.”

In 2024, DeFrancesco competed in the Endurance Cup in the GTD class in IMSA with Forte Racing’s Lamborghini team.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is co-owned by Bobby Rahal, former CBS “Late Show” host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2025, the team will celebrate its 34th year of competition and attempt to add to its 30 INDYCAR wins _ including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice and the 2020 Indy 500 with Takuma Sato _ along with 37 poles, 112 podium finishes and 1992 series championship.

The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season is scheduled to open Sunday, March 2, with the 21st Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.) North America’s premier open-wheel series will conclude its schedule in Nashville, Tenn., with the championship finale on Sunday, Aug. 31. All on-track action can be seen live on FOX Sports and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the 2014 Indy 500, and NTT IndyCar Series veteran Jack Harvey will comprise the two-car entry for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports in the 109^th edition of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is scheduled for Sunday, May 25, with live coverage on FOX Sports and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Hunter-Reay, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will attempt to make his 17th career start in the world’s most prestigious auto race in the team’s No. 23 Chevrolet. This will be “Captain America’s” third consecutive year driving for DRR/Cusick during the Month of May.

“It’s been a fantastic time that I spent with this team,” said Hunter-Reay, 43. “Ever since we first got together a few years ago, I just really enjoyed the people there. That was the biggest thing for me, to really surround myself with some great folks. We all have the same agenda, right? That’s to win the Indy 500. We’re not there simply to participate.”

The 2012 series champion, Hunter-Reay has produced six top-10 finishes in the 500 during his career, including his most recent in 2020 with Andretti Global. Hunter-Reay placed 11th in his first Indy start with DRR/Cusick in 2023.

A 31-year-old native of Bassingham, England, Harvey will attempt to make his seventh Indy 500 start in the team’s No. 24 Chevrolet and his first since 2022 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Harvey ran a partial schedule last season in a Dale Coyne Racing Honda entry, a deal that did not include an Indy ride.

“I feel like I’m just joining an absolutely fantastic race team but also really great people,” Harvey said. “To be teammates again with Ryan from our time previously is great. Actually, Ryan won the first 500 I ever attended. I’ve always found him to be very generous with his time and mentorship. It feels like a really great fit.”

INDY NXT by Firestone graduate Harvey has one top-10 finish in the Indy 500, ninth in 2020 with Meyer Shank Racing. The team had a technical partnership with Andretti Global that year, when Hunter-Reay was part of its driver lineup.

Veteran racing industry executive Richard Buck has been named director of INDY NXT by Firestone. Buck takes over all operations and competition for the developmental series of INDYCAR that prepares drivers, engineers and team personnel for the NTT IndyCar Series.

Phoenix native Buck assumes his new role after 35 years of motorsports experience, including operations and project management, competition officiating, engineering and race strategy in NASCAR and INDYCAR.

“I’m thrilled to return to my racing roots in INDYCAR,” Buck said. “I have always kept my eye on the sport, and the opportunity to be the director of INDY NXT was something I could not pass up. The developmental series is on the rise as it continues to advance talent to the premier open-wheel series in North America.”

Buck most recently served as president and CEO of motorsports consultant 3194 Motorsports LLC and as managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series from 2014-2019. Prior to that, he was vice president of racing operations in IMSA from 2013-2014 before stints as managing director for GRAND-AM, NASCAR’s Touring Series and NASCAR’s Racing Development in Canada and Mexico from 2005-2013.

“The competition is fierce, and the future is bright for INDY NXT by Firestone,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “With his vast motorsports experience, Richard is a tremendous fit for the series’ leadership role, and we’re excited to welcome him back into the INDYCAR family.”

Buck originally was introduced to INDYCAR in 1979, when he began working with a long list of accomplished drivers. In 1985, Buck worked as crew chief with three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth at Alex Foods Racing.

Buck worked as Team Manager and Race Strategist at Precision Preparation Inc. (PPI) from 1996-2000. While at PPI, Buck also helped the organization field teams in the developmental Toyota Atlantic series, NASCAR and various off-road racing series.

Buck’s transition to NASCAR occurred in 2000-2004, when he served in a variety of team managerial and race strategist roles at Team Gordon, Andy Petree Racing, Petty Enterprises, Robert Yates Racing and Curb Agajanian Performance Group.

Buck’s motorsports career began in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series, working for Gary Stanton Racing and popular drivers Steve Kinser, Ronnie Shuman and Sammy and Jeff Swindell.

The 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, March 2, on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Coverage throughout the 14-race season will be provided by FOX Sports on either FS1 and FS2, with audio coverage available from the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Reigning Radical Cup North America Champion Jordan Missig will contest the full 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone schedule in the No. 48 car fielded by ABEL Motorsports. Missig made his INDY NXT debut in 2024 during an abbreviated, five-race run highlighted by his first series top-10 on the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.

“This is the culmination of years of work,” said Missig, a 26-year-old native of Joliet, Ill. “Everything that I have learned and developed is going to be put to the test against some of the toughest competition in motorsports.

“It was great to get my feet wet in 2024 and to experience an INDY NXT race weekend instead of coming into 2025 completely new. I got to know the ABEL Motorsports team pretty well and am already feeling really comfortable there. But 2025 will provide us that chance to just deepen our chemistry and communication together, which will hopefully translate to speed.”

Team Manager John Brunner took notice of Missig when he made the move to the open-wheel ranks of both FR America and USF Pro 2000. Brunner was impressed with not only his speed and race craft, but also the person he is away from the track.

“Jordan brings a well-rounded skill-set to the table, and that paired with his starts in 2024 should set him up well as we get the season underway,” Brunner said. “We looked at a good number of drivers for 2025 and through that Jordan’s name continued to be brought up as someone we thought would not only do well with us, but equally as important someone that represents the ABEL brand the right way…which Jordan certainly does.”

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.