CHICAGO (NewsNation) — NASCAR is taking it to the streets this weekend for the first time ever in downtown Chicago. And with a new race in a new city comes a new trophy.
The NASCAR Xfinity race is scheduled for Saturday, and the winner will take home a one-of-a-kind Chicago-style trophy, handcrafted by a local sculptor.
For the past two months, Nicole Beck has been tasked with creating iconic hardware that will crown a new NASCAR champion this weekend.
An alum of the School of Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, Beck’s art can be found throughout the Chicagoland and Midwest.
When NASCAR commissioned her with designing the trophy for the Xfinity Series Chicago Loop 121, Beck’s artistic mind shifted into overdrive and was all pedal to the metal in developing her latest work of art with a sense of the city and racing on her mind.
“The sculpture itself is based on the Buckingham Fountain. This part of it had a dual purpose. I was thinking that it was the spray from the Buckingham Fountain, as well as encompassing aerodynamics of racing,” Beck said, describing her newest creation.
Her creativity was fueled by her family’s passion for racing and her love affair with the city of Chicago. Beck puts over two months of thought and work into creating a piece of art that she is overjoyed with.
“I love what we came up with,” Beck said. “And NASCAR has actually been very cool about it.”