Six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles will roll back onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 22 for the second annual Wienie 500, a tongue-in-cheek race that turned last year’s debut into a bona fide draw. The winner will take home the Borg-Weiner Trophy as the event returns with comedian Andy Richter serving as the commander in beef.
The race will air on Fox and FOX One starting at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, May 22, giving viewers a fresh look at the spectacle after last year’s version was streamed on the Fox Sports app and @INDYCARonFOX social platforms. That first run drew an online audience of 8 million and 85,000 fans to the speedway, a level of attention that helped turn a one-off promotion into a yearly fixture.
Oscar Mayer’s hot dog-shaped cars have been part of American pop culture since the company built its first Wienermobile in 1936, and now six of them travel the United States during the year. This time, the brand is pushing the show further. Kelsey Rice said last year’s inaugural race proved the Wienie 500 is more than a one-time spectacle and called this year’s event a turbo-charged version of the experience fans embraced in year one.
Before the race, the Wiener Anthem will be sung, and IndyCar Series drivers including Nolan Siegel, Sting Ray Robb and Scott McLaughlin will offer tips to the Wienermobile drivers. The field includes six vehicles with names that sound like an inside joke but have now taken on the feel of a real competition, at least on the track.
The trophy itself is meant to keep the joke going. BorgWarner, the company behind the Borg-Warner Trophy awarded to the Indianapolis 500 winner, is also making the Borg-Weiner Trophy for this race. Joe Fadool said the Wienie 500 deserves a trophy as unforgettable as the race itself and that the company wanted to create a one-of-a-kind prize ready for a full-throttle finish.
The race also comes with a visual flourish outside the track. The 2026 Oscar Mayer Wienie 500 wreath is decorated with yellow and red-throated cymbidium orchids meant to represent mustard and ketchup, another sign that the event is leaning into the theatrical side of the brand. Last year’s race already showed the formula works: the Slaw Dog Wienermobile overtook the Chi Dog vehicle in the inaugural 2025 contest and helped establish the event as something that could come back.
That is the real test for May 22. The Wienie 500 is no longer just a novelty on the calendar; it is a repeat event with a live audience, a national broadcast and a trophy built to match the joke. The only thing left is whether one of the six Wienermobiles can cross the line first and make the pun count.
