When you win the Daytona 500, as somebody will a week from today, you get your name emblazoned on a plaque on the base of the Harley J. Earl Trophy, named in honor of the longtime General Motors styling wizard. The huge permanent trophy is topped with a replica of the General Motors Firebird I, a famed design study of a gas turbine-powered personal car that Earl designed in 1953, back when Daytona races were still held on the beach, in time for the great GM Motorama shows of the 1950s.
This week, the original Earl design study made a brief return to Daytona Beach, where it’s on respectful display at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, which is located on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway. This priceless GM artifact will be at the MSHFA through this coming Friday, Feburary 16th. Our good friend Dave Seyse, who’s on staff at the hall of fame, provided us with this image.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 
The photo was actually taken by another HOF Staff Member, Paul Helphenstine
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Im not a big NASCAR fan, but Daytona does have the coolest trophy in motorsports.
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Very cool! The history of automotive design and American motorsports should be preserved and appreciated! Daytona speed weeks are a harbinger of spring for me….Let’s go racin’!”
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