The organizers of the Firestone Grand Prix of St Pete commissioned Bennett Awards to create a new set of custom trophies for champions of its 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series race.
The IndyCar Series, now in its 19th season, is the premier series of open wheeled races in America. The 2014 series features 18 races on 15 tracks across 14 venues. The highlight race of the series is the Indianapolis 500. The Firestone Grand Prix of St Pete is the first race in this season’s IndyCar Series.
The 2014 Firestone Grand Prix of St Pete was held March 30, 2014, at the Streets of St. Petersburg track in St. Petersburg, Florida. The race was televised by ABC. Will Powers, driving for Team Penske, captured first place. It was Powers’ 2nd Grand Prix of St Pete victory since 2010, and his 4th victory in his last 6 IndyCar Series races. Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving for Andretti Autosport, the 2012 champion, took 2nd place, and Helio Castroneves, also driving for Team Penske, took 3rd place.
Bennett Awards was commissioned to create a new custom award design based on the Grand Prix of St Pete logo: an impressionistic Indy Car based on broad-brushed lines. Bennett Awards created a 3D sculpture inspired by this image that served as the centerpiece of the trophies. The sculptures were cast in pewter and plated in silver. They were then mounted on custom metal bases with custom-cut geometric planes designed to highlight the race logos and finisher designations (1st, 2nd, 3rd). The bases were powder-coated in black, and featured custom color silk-screen engravings of the logos and logotypes used for the race, including the IndyCar, Firestone, and Grand Prix of St Pete logos.
More information on the Grand Prix of St Pete can be found on its website at: www.gpstpete.com.
