One Letter Off: The Story of the Only Misspelling on the Borg-Warner Trophy
Johnnie Parsons is the only Indianapolis 500 winner whose name is misspelled on the Borg-Warner Trophy. After his rain-shortened victory in 1950, the silversmith engraved 'Johnny' instead of 'Johnnie,' a permanent error that adds a unique human touch to motorsport's most famous prize.
In the world of motorsports, few trophies command the respect and awe of the Borg-Warner Trophy. Awarded to the winner of the Indianapolis 500, this towering sterling silver monument is a testament to speed, endurance, and perfection. Each victor's face is sculpted and added to its surface, a permanent mark of their legendary achievement. Yet, on this gleaming pinnacle of precision, there exists a single, permanent, human error.
The Man and the Moment
Johnnie Parsons was a formidable force in American open-wheel racing in the post-war era. He had already secured the 1949 AAA National Championship before heading to Indianapolis in 1950. His Indy 500 victory that year was dramatic in its own right. The race was plagued by rain, and after 138 laps of the scheduled 200, the downpour became too intense to continue. Officials called the race, and Parsons, who was leading at the time, was declared the winner. It was a hard-fought, albeit shortened, triumph that cemented his place in racing history.
An Immortal Typo
After the celebration, the process of adding Parsons' likeness to the Borg-Warner Trophy began. The trophy, a one-of-a-kind piece valued at over $3.5 million, is treated with the utmost care. As Michelle Collins, director of marketing for BorgWarner, once stated:
"It's literally priceless. You can't buy it. It's one of a kind."
Despite this, when the silversmith engraved the name beneath the newly sculpted face, a small mistake was made. The champion's name, "Johnnie," was engraved as "Johnny." It was a simple, one-letter error, but on a trophy of this magnitude, it was a significant one. Due to the nature of the engraving and the historical significance of the piece, the mistake was never corrected. To this day, Johnnie Parsons remains the only Indianapolis 500 winner to have his name misspelled on the iconic trophy.
A Unique and Lasting Legacy
The error does nothing to diminish Parsons' achievement. Instead, it has become a beloved piece of Indy 500 trivia, a human touch on an object that symbolizes mechanical perfection. It serves as a reminder that history is made by people, and people are not always perfect. In a delightful twist of fate, Parsons' son, who also became a successful race car driver, was named Johnny. The spelling on the trophy was incorrect for the father, but it would have been perfect for the son. The permanent typo has given Johnnie Parsons a unique distinction, ensuring his story is told not just for his driving skill, but for the charming imperfection that made his legacy on the Borg-Warner Trophy truly one of a kind.