SPEEDWAY — In two weeks the new champion of the Indianapolis 500 will be crowned, and his face will join all the others on the famous Borg-Warner trophy.
It's another of the Indy 500's great traditions.
Wil Behrends is the man who has crafted those iconic faces for more than 30 years. Based in Tryon, North Carolina, Behrends is the official sculptor of the faces of Indy's winners.
Behrends recently got a visit from Helio Castroneves as this year's project was wrapping up.
Upon coming face-to-face with himself for the fourth time, Castroneves was in awe of the work Behrends did.
“Wow! Is this Tom Cruise?” Castroneves said. “This is truly incredible.”
While Behrends made finishing touches to Castroneves’ bust, Castroneves and Behrends shared a conversation about the history of the busts Behrends created.
“What was the most challenging you’ve done,” Castroneves said. “Or let’s put it this way, what was the favorite that you’ve done?”
“It may be the same one,” Behrends said. “Which is the first one – Arie Luyendyk. It was challenging because it was the first one I was doing and I had never worked on that scale. But also, he had hair. So I went with the hair and it was unlike anything else on the trophy.”
Earlier this month, the Borg-Warner was unveiled with Castroneves’ face placed on it for the fourth time.
As for this year, Castroneves said it is an honor, but he is ready to make history.
“I am honored to be the one representing that history,” Castroneves said. “But, I am going to chase one more because records are made to be broken.”
The field of 33 drivers will begin practice for the 106th Indianapolis 500 on Tuesday. While eight drivers in the field will eye to add their likeness to the trophy again, 25 will look to add their face for the first time on May 29.
-
Tennessee tornadoes leave at least 6 dead, dozens hurt and 35,000 without power
Tennessee officials are assessing the damage after tornadoes roared across the state Saturday, leaving at least six people dead, more than 50 injured, multiple buildings destroyed and power outages.
Indiana Fever wins No. 1 overall pick in WNBA Draft for 2nd consecutive year
Last year they received the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history. The team has not made it to the playoffs since 2016.
Suspect rams IMPD vehicle during pursuit, officer fires, no one shot
An IMPD officer fired their weapon after a suspect rammed a police car head on during a vehicle pursuit on the west side of Indianapolis early Sunday morning, however no one was injured.
10 displaced following north east Indy fire
The family has no idea what started the fire but said they are thankful for working smoke alarms that alerted them.
