Texas (Oct. 31, 2013) – Renown sports artist David Arrigo has created his second edition of unique Wild Asphalt Circus-themed racing helmets that will be awarded to the pole sitters for this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The artwork features a helmeted maniacal clown behind the wheel while resourcefully incorporating the race sponsor and speedway-themed “No Limits” logos in the design. The helmets also include flames and pin striping coupled with metallic, pearl and flake colors to provide it with a brilliant appearance. The helmets are identical in design, with the WinStar World Casino 350 capturing the red of the sponsor logo and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge utilizing the blue from its logo.
It took Arrigo approximately 30 hours to transform two white Simpson racing helmets into his artwork through various techniques, including his specialty of airbrush painting.
“I loved this challenge because I wanted to create something very unique that correlates with the Texas Motor Speedway ‘No Limits’ Wild Asphalt Circus theme,” Arrigo said. “I wanted to create a retro feel with the flames and pin striping while complementing the detailed, maniacal and determined clown drivers that serve as a focal point of the artwork. It was a lot of fun to work on, especially since Texas Motor Speedway loves to always think outside the box.”
Pinnacle Propane Qualifying Days will be held Friday, beginning at 2:10 p.m. CT, for the WinStar World Casino 350 and Saturday, starting at 11:05 a.m., for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 will be held Friday, beginning at 3:40 p.m.
Arrigo’s first edition of pole helmets was created for the speedway’s IZOD IndyCar Series Firestone 500 and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 400 doubleheader in June. Working off the circus theme, the pole award helmets were highlighted by a female fire breather and a border of clown silhouettes on unicycles mixed with a retro racing stripe down the middle.
Arrigo, a Toronto native, has been painting professionally for more than 20 years and was first propelled into the spotlight when he was commissioned by the Hockey Hall of Fame to complete a painting of the legendary Wayne Gretzky. He specializes in live mural art and has been featured at such prestigious events as the Olympics, Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League all-star games, and the Daytona 500, among numerous other major sporting events. He also is known for producing specially designed masks for several goaltenders in the NHL.
Arrigo is no stranger to Texas Motor Speedway, either. He painted a gigantic, live mural depicting the Sports Illustrated cover with Danica Patrick following the 2005 Indy 500 on the speedway’s marquee to promote the upcoming INDYCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway; created the cover for the speedway’s 10-year-anniverary book in 2006 that had its top 10 moments incorporated; and produced a special helmet commemorating U.S. troops in 2007 for NASCAR co-owners and Dallas Cowboy greats Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman that was worn by their driver Tony Raines just for the Sprint Cup race at Texas.
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