American Restoration’s Rick Dale Creates One-of-a-Kind HISTORY 300 Trophy

Between championship points and the prestige of winning at the legendary Charlotte Motor Speedway, drivers battling in Saturday’s HISTORY 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race have all kinds of motivation to fight for the win. But with the most unique trophy of the entire season on the line, things are sure to reach a fever pitch as the laps wind down.

In partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway, HISTORY channel TV personality Rick Dale of the hit series American Restoration has crafted a one-of-a-kind trophy that will be the envy of drivers. The trophy will be unveiled Saturday before the 300-mile race.

“As much as it means to drivers to win at NASCAR’s home track, this adds a little something extra to encourage them to race even harder to the checkered flag,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The history that this trophy represents and the personal touches that Rick put into it make it truly one-of-a-kind.”

After researching the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway’s storied history, Dale created a unique trophy that represents the facilities early years and some of the challenges builders faced to complete to project.

The base of the trophy is North Carolina granite in the shape of the track — that granite had to be blasted through to make the raceway possible. Dynamite sticks are supported by a brass blaster to represent the force needed to get it done. And in case there was any doubt as to the personalities of speedway founders Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner, two 38 snub-nosed revolvers filled with aluminum sit upright, barrel-to-barrel were included in Dale’s masterpiece. According to speedway legend, as the construction deadline loomed, guns were drawn to encourage crews to pick up the pace of the build.

“As a fan of NASCAR and racing, I’m thrilled for the second year in a row to design this year’s HISTORY 300 trophy using elements of the colorful story surrounding the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s construction and founding,” said Dale. “I’m honored to be part of this exciting race.”

Documenting the production process, HISTORY filmed an episode of American Restoration about Rick’s return to Charlotte and the creation of the 2014 Trophy. Fans can catch the episode during the upcoming season of American Restoration, beginning Monday, June 2 at 10 p.m

HISTORY will also have some of their stars from Swamp People and Top Gear as Grand Marshals, announcing the Start Your Engines” and waving the green flag.”