The Cup Series race in Kansas back in 2015 featured one of the most memorable trophies that have been awarded in NASCAR. The story begins with Nickelodeon announcing in March 2015 that it would be the entitlement sponsor for the race that was to be held on May 9, 2015, at the Kansas Speedway. It dubbed the event SpongeBob SquarePants 400 and introduced a new trophy to support it.
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The television channel, NASCAR, and the infamous designer KAWS teamed up to create the SpongeBob trophy. The artist’s pop culture-inspired illustrations were also put up on a giant mural on the track’s backstretch.
He said in appreciation of the opportunity, “The SpongeBob 400 Sprint Cup presented a unique opportunity to bring KAWSBOB to life in a big way. I’m excited to reinterpret this iconic character in several different ways throughout the race and share my appreciation of SpongeBob with NASCAR fans.”
Since it was launched in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants had emerged as a phenomenon among kids aged 2-11 by 2015. It had been averaging over 100 million viewers every quarter and this represented a huge marketing opportunity for NASCAR.
The race was telecast on Fox Sports 1 amid huge expectations. It became obvious that the driver who won the race and thereby the trophy would come to get a lot of praise and recognition. But the man who reached victory lane that day and lifted the SpongeBob trophy needed no further fame.
The Cup Series legend who took the SpongeBob trophy home in 2015
Jimmie Johnson did not qualify on his best foot, spun early in the race, and had to wait out a two-hour rain delay in Kansas that night. But the Hendrick Motorsports driver ended up proving why he was considered to be the best in the game. He took the lead in the final 10 laps, decided not to pit late in the race, and held off Kevin Harvick to reach victory lane.
It was his third win of the season and the 73rd of his illustrious career. He said, after turning his fate around from qualifying to start in 19th place, “In some ways, we fought really hard to get to victory lane, but it’s fun to win one gambling. We haven’t really gambled before and won, not to my knowledge. So it feels a little different and pretty cool to have that come together.”
He certainly must have enjoyed posing next to SpongeBob and taking the one-of-a-kind trophy home. Nickelodeon ventured with NASCAR in future events but fans never saw SpongeBob again after 2015. A sensible guess is that Johnson has the yellow sea sponge safely secured in the trophy room in his Charlotte home.
