The 2011 Daytona 500 Owner’s Trophy, won by rookie Trevor Bayne and the legendary NASCAR team Wood Brothers Racing, will be on display in Henry Ford Museum starting today, March 18 – March 28. The trophy will be exhibited next to the 1901 Sweepstakes, the race car that carried Henry Ford to victory in the first and only race he ever participated in. Admission to the museum is free with membership or $15 adults, $14 senior (62 and up) and $11 youth (5-12). Children four and under are free. For more information, call (313) 982-6001 or visit www.thehenryford.org.
The 2011 Daytona 500 will be remembered as a race with many incredible, hard-to-believe and history-making moments. Trevor Bayne, who turned 20 years old the day before, became the youngest Daytona 500 winner by five years and the second youngest driver to ever win a race in NASCAR history. Bayne was behind the wheel of the legendary No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion of the Wood Brothers – and won the race in just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career start. While the Wood Brothers have had their share of Hall of Fame drivers, none have been as young as Bayne, who made his debut with the team last season in November’s Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and finished an impressive 17th.
This unlikely, yet historical, victory by Bayne and the Wood Brothers marked the Woods’ 98th as a team and fifth Daytona 500 win. The Wood Brothers are NASCAR’s oldest continuous team and in their 61st season of racing. The Daytona 500 also marked Ford’s 600th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
The Daytona 500 Trophy, officially named the Harley J. Earl Trophy, is one of the most beautiful trophies in the world. The original trophy is kept in Daytona Beach, Fla., while the winning driver and owners receive a replica of this beautiful piece. The Wood Brothers have agreed to allow their trophy to be on display at Henry Ford Museum during this time period.
Harley Earl came up with the classic Firebird rocket car theme to highlight the Daytona 500 trophy and then he had it hand-sculpted inside his Michigan design studio during the absolute zenith of the American automotive industry.
Earl, who retired in 1958, was vice president of styling at General Motors. He later became the second commissioner of NASCAR in 1960.
Ford Motor Co.
