Pagenaud to earn extra $360k if he repeats Indy win

BorgWarner is already one of the companies synonymous with ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’, due to the large and iconic Borg-Warner Trophy that bears the likenesses of every Indy 500 winner since the race was established in 1911.

However, in 1995, the company also established a rolling jackpot to be awarded to back-to-back winners, adding $20k each year, and it has now reached $360,000. Only once since then has there been a back-to-back winner, with Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves grabbing the bounty after winning in 2001 and ’02.

Frédéric Lissalde, president and CEO of BorgWarner Inc. stated: “BorgWarner has a long history with this prestigious motorsport event. From awarding the Borg-Warner Trophy to being the official turbocharger supplier of the race, the Indianapolis 500 is deep-seated within our company. The rolling jackpot that BorgWarner increases each year adds even more excitement to this legendary race.”

There have been only five back-to-back winners in the 103 editions of the race held so far – Wilbur Shaw (1939-’40), Mauri Rose (’47-’48), Bill Vukovich (’53-’54), Al Unser (’70-’71) and Castroneves, and no driver has ever clinched three straight victories.

Should Pagenaud triumph again next week, the jackpot will return to $20,000 in 2021.

 

Photo by: BorgWarner