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If the old saying "To the victor go the spoils" is true, then Helio Castroneves was spoiled rotten for his victory in the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
Castroneves received the spoils of his third "500" victory - the Herff Jones Champion of Champions Ring and the unveiling of his likeness on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy - in a ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
"Where is it?" Castroneves said as he tried to locate his newest likeness on the trophy. "Ohh, here we go. Wow! We can see that the years are passing by. My hair is kind of going backward. I can see that. Isn't that amazing? Oh my goodness! This is just incredible."
Surrounded by the cars that A.J. Foyt, Wilbur Shaw and Johnny Rutherford drove to their third "500" victories, IMS Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Belskus presented Castroneves with his winner's ring. Event host Bob Jenkins and a crowd of fans counted down the time until Castroneves removed the covering from the trophy to see his face sculpted in sterling silver. Belskus also surprised Castroneves by giving him a basket of baby clothes as a congratulatory gift on the recent birth of his first child, daughter Mikaella.
In addition to the champion's ring and likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy, Castroneves and Team Penske owner Roger Penske will receive scaled-down replicas of the Borg-Warner Trophy in a ceremony Wednesday night. The "Baby Borg" is traditionally presented by BorgWarner to the winning driver and car owner in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show. Castroneves' likeness also will be featured on the event ticket for the 2010 "500."
"I have to work four times harder now," Castroneves said of his drive for a record-tying fourth "500" win May 30. "I have the right team. I have great people surrounding me. I guess I know what I need to do. Certainly, it will be tough. It will be difficult, but I have no doubt in my mind that everything is possible, so I'm going to go for it."
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2010 Indy 500 tickets: Tickets for the 2010 Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are on sale now. Race Day ticket prices start at just $20.
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Online orders can be made at any time. Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
