Last year, Josef Newgarden collected $440,000 in the BorgWarner Rolling Jackpot. This year, it … More
In 2024, Josef Newgarden held up a check for $440,000 issued by BorgWarner as an additional bonus for winning back-to-back Indianapolis 500s. It was the first time a driver had won two-straight Indy 500s since Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002.
Because he collected the rolling jackpot, the amount drops back to $20,000.
In 2025, Newgarden held up an oversized check for $20,000 as the only driver eligible to win the jackpot in this year’s 109th Indianapolis 500.
If the Team Penske driver wins the May 25 Indy 500, he will make history, however, as the first driver in history to win three-straight Indianapolis 500s.
Roger Penske aims to extend record with 21st Indy 500 win as team owner.
As team owner, Penske has won three consecutive times before, starting with Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 and Gil de Ferran in 2003.
How The Jackpot Began
Established by BorgWarner in 1995, the jackpot increases by $20,000 each year, adding motivation for drivers to get to the yard of bricks first in consecutive years.
The prize money has been claimed twice; the first time was in 2002 by Brazilian driver Castroneves, banking $160,000 after his second and third Indy 500 wins in 2001 and 2002. Newgarden earned $440,000, the largest sum to date, with his first and second Indy 500 wins in 2023 and 2024. Before the jackpot, only four other drivers had won Indianapolis 500s in consecutive years – Wilbur Shaw (1939-1940), Mauri Rose (1947-1948), Bill Vukovich (1953-1954) and Al Unser (1970-1971).
“I’m honored to carry on the legacy of the Borg-Warner Trophy and continue with the traditions that make the Indianapolis 500 so unique and exciting, including the BorgWarner rolling jackpot,” said Joseph Fadool, President and CEO, BorgWarner. “Josef has the opportunity to do something that has never been done this year, and we at BorgWarner are eager to see if he’s going to make history.”
The green flag will fly at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25, officially starting the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. If Newgarden wins again, beyond making history by being the only driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s and earning the rolling jackpot, he will again have the high honor of his image being sculpted, cast in sterling silver and mounted on the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy.
Following the celebrations, he will be presented with his third BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy™ or the “Baby Borg” – a miniature version of the much larger 110-pound sterling silver Borg-Warner Trophy.
If Newgarden does not win, the funds for the jackpot will roll over to the 2026 Indy 500, totaling at $40,000.
About BorgWarner
For more than 130 years, BorgWarner has been a transformative global product leader bringing successful mobility innovation to market. With a focus on sustainability, we’re helping to build a cleaner, healthier, safer future for all.
The Borg-Warner Trophy, BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy, and BorgWarner Championship Team Owner’s Trophy are trademarks of BorgWarner Inc.