DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The prestigious Harley J. Earl trophy, annually awarded to the champion of the Daytona 500, has arrived at Daytona International Speedway.

Constructed by artist John Lajba of Omaha, Neb., the Harley J. Earl trophy weighs 54 pounds, stands 18 inches and is 22 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The trophy is named after Harley J. Earl, a famous General Motors designer and friend of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.

It has a tri-oval-shaped black base with a scaled-down replica of the Firebird One, a car designed by Earl in 1954 at the peak of his career with General Motors.

Before the Harley J. Earl trophy is awarded to the champion of the 52nd annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 14, race fans will be able to follow the trophy’s travels on the “World Center of Racing’s” social network sites – Twitter (www.twitter.com/DISupdates)  and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway).

The trophy will be busy with activity and travel as it’s utilized to promote “The Great American Race,” NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious event.

The Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy rests year round inside Daytona 500 Experience, “The Official Attraction of NASCAR” and bears the name of every Daytona 500 champion. Each year, the Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy makes a trip outside the attraction to the hallowed grounds of Gatorade Victory Lane for a meeting with the new Daytona 500 champion.

Tickets for the 52nd annual Daytona 500 are available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP - dis pr