Recreating a Piece of Penske Racing History

How FinishLine Graphics Recreated a One-of-a-Kind 1995 IndyCar Trophy

Sometimes a project is more than fabrication.

Sometimes it becomes part of history.

Recently, our team at FinishLine Graphics was contacted by an attorney from New Jersey representing Penske Racing. He had found us online while searching for a company capable of recreating a very specific trophy from motorsports history — the 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series Portland race won by Al Unser Jr.

At first glance, it looked like a custom trophy recreation project.

But once we heard the story behind it, we realized this was something much bigger.

The Story Behind the Trophy

The original trophy was awarded to Penske Racing and Al Unser Jr. after the 1995 Portland International Raceway event.

But the victory did not stand uncontested.

Following the race, the win was stripped away and became part of a legal battle that ultimately went through the appeals process. The case was later overturned, and the victory was officially reinstated in favor of Penske Racing.

The attorney who contacted us was the attorney who fought that case.

As he prepares for retirement later this year, he wanted something deeply personal added to his collection — a recreation of the trophy connected to one of the greatest moments of his legal career.

The recreated plaque now reads:

“AL UNSER JR. — ON THE TRACKSTUART A. LAW, JR. — IN THE COURTROOM”

That single addition transformed the project from a replica into a legacy piece.

Recreating the Trophy From Historical Reference Photos

One of the biggest challenges with this project was the lack of physical reference material.

The original trophy was not available for scanning, measuring, or duplication. Our fabrication department had to work almost entirely from historical race photographs and event imagery to interpret proportions, curves, materials, angles, and construction details.

That meant every detail had to be studied carefully:

• The flowing stainless structure

• The dimensional rose centerpiece

• The layered metal leaf details

• The geometry of the base

• The brushed finish and reflections

• The proportions and stance of the original piece

Projects like this are where craftsmanship matters.

This was not a mass-produced award or an off-the-shelf design. Every piece was fabricated specifically for this build with the goal of honoring the original trophy while creating a museum-worthy tribute for its new owner.

A Huge Credit to Our Fabrication Team

This project pushed creativity, problem solving, and fabrication skills to another level.

From interpreting old imagery to forming metal and assembling the final piece, our fabrication department absolutely knocked this one out of the park.

Seeing the finished trophy sitting in the sunlight for the first time was one of those moments where the entire team stopped and appreciated what had been created.

Not because it was flashy.

Because it meant something.

More Than a Trophy

Projects like this are why we love custom fabrication.

Anyone can manufacture something generic.

But recreating a meaningful object tied to racing history, legal history, and a client’s personal legacy requires something different — attention to detail, trust, patience, and craftsmanship.

We are incredibly honored that Penske Racing’s legal team trusted FinishLine Graphics with a project of this significance.

And honestly, this is one we will remember for a very long time.

Looking for Custom Fabrication or One-of-a-Kind Award Projects?

At FinishLine Graphics, we specialize in custom fabrication, motorsports graphics, dimensional displays, awards, signage, and specialty projects that require creative problem solving and precision craftsmanship.

If you have a unique project idea, we would love to help bring it to life.