“It Has Soul” – LA Artist Unveils Exquisite NASCAR Mexico Series Coliseum Trophy; Racing Fandom Enthralled

There’s perhaps no stage in the Cup Series that has seen as many legends as the L.A Coliseum. From the President of the USA delivering a speech to the Pope conducting mass, the L.A. Coliseum boasts prestige unlike any other. And now that NASCAR’s Mexico Series is all set to make a grand appearance for the King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo on Feb. 4, all eyes are on the beautifully designed trophy that is more than worthy of the Coliseum’s rich history.

In December, NASCAR revealed that it had appointed a popular local multidisciplinary artist from South Central L.A. to design and curate the inaugural trophy for the Mexico Series race at the Coliseum. Known for his creative incorporation of ancient languages, history and artefacts with elaborate sculptures and paintings, Ozzie Juarez was the perfect man for the job in NASCAR’s eyes. And once the trophy was finally revealed, it’s safe to say NASCAR’s request was executed far beyond expectations.

NASCAR reveals stunning trophy for inaugural Mexico Series race at L.A Coliseum

Only recently, Ben Kennedy, the Senior Vice President of NASCAR’s Racing Development and Strategy, reflected on Juarez’s talent and what made him the ideal choice. He was quoted by LASEC, saying, “We’re honored to have someone as well recognized and admired as Ozzie Juarez create the winner’s trophy for the NASCAR Mexico Series Race at the Coliseum. Ozzie’s high standing among the Los Angeles art community and emphasis on Mexican imagery throughout his work makes him the ideal artist to bring the trophy to life.”

And certainly, Juarez did his best to bring the trophy to life. In signature fashion, the trophy curated by Juarez features Aztec symbolism to pay tribute to the Mexican ancestors in Mexico City. Using the six Aztec symbols of the Tlaltecuhtli, Ehecatl, Tlaloc, Xochitli, the Aztec glyph for flame, and Olin, Juarez created a beautiful pyramid-like base that transforms into a cup with an additional top half. All the symbols are also affixed to a single gear to symbolise the power and torque of the source.

As for the NASCAR logo, a vintage symbol representing the iconic sport makes an appearance on the lower hands of the Tlaltecuhtli symbol while the higher hand symbolises the transfer of energy and power. With all the attention to detail and craftsmanship that has gone into the trophy, it’s safe to say NASCAR did indeed pick the ideal man for the job.

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Immediately, insiders like Bob Pockrass chimed in to share their admiration of the intricately crafted trophy. And the story wasn’t much different when the trophy was finally revealed to the NASCAR community on X by Pockrass.

The NASCAR community calls for better Cup Series trophies after taking a look at Ozzie Juarez’s masterpiece

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It’s not every day that we see such beautifully designed trophies with real meaning behind them. With most glorious trophies resorting to the traditional race logos, the Juarez one-off was definitely an eye-opener for fans. Immediately, a user couldn’t help but share his thoughts on the Cup Series trophy in relation, “Cooler than the Cup Series championship trophy. Honestly, they should commission artists to make trophies for each race, should be more memorable than a plastic logo on a black stand.”

Considering all of its Aztec elements that have been meaningfully intertwined with the spirit of racing, the community had nothing but high praise for Juarez. A user shared, “Trophy with a story and art behind it. Badass. Trophies need to be more than just the race logo.” While others chimed in with, “That is a ridiculously cool trophy,” and “That’s cool looking. It has soul.”

It’s safe to say NASCAR’s decision to take a more international approach to its affairs has certainly delivered us some brilliant trophies as a user shared, “Mexicans really know how to design some beautiful trophies,” while others also added, “So clean. Such an interesting and original design (from what I’ve seen as a motorsports fan).”

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So after taking a look at just how meaningful and interesting the trophy for the Mexico Series’ visit to the L.A. Coliseum is, who do you think will have the honor of taking it home?