Dale Earnhardt Jr. Named Most Popular Driver For 11th Consecutive Season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ driver Tony Stewart’s reaction to being named recipient of the 2013 NMPA Myers Brothers Award was emotional and heartfelt.
“This is crazy,” said the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. “What an honor. It’s very humbling.”
Stewart was honored by the National Motor Sports Press Association (NMPA) during Thursday’s annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon at Wynn Las Vegas for a variety of reasons – as a fierce competitor, championship team owner and race track promoter.
“But he’s also helped others on many occasions; quietly and without recognition,” said NMPA President Kenny Bruce. “The stories of our winner’s big heart have gotten around; much to his dismay, I’m sure. Trust me, they’re endless.”
Bruce’s introductory remarks were echoed by master of ceremonies and FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy. “What he does for the sport makes him one of a kind.”
The NMPA Myers Brothers Award is presented in the names of pioneer NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers. Past recipients are a virtual who’s-who of the industry – drivers, owners, track operators, sponsors and members of the media – and include nearly every current member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Stewart was cited for a longtime body of work – and specifically for his role in taking NASCAR back to its roots. He and his staff at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, produced the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series “Mudsummer Classic,” the sanctioning body’s first national points competition on a dirt surface in more than four decades.
“I’d always joked around that having a dirt race on the schedule would be really great,” Stewart said.
Stewart, however, prefers to credit others – specifically NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell and Eldora Speedway manager Roger Slack – for the ultimate success of the “Mudsummer Classic.”
Stewart’s 2013 season was cut short by a broken leg suffered in a sprint car accident in early August. He crossed the stage on Thursday without the aid of crutches to accept his award and should be ready to battle for his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup title when the 2014 season opens with February’s Daytona 500.
“It was hard sitting on the sidelines watching,” he said addressing his 13 fellow drivers who competed in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. “It’s given me a different perspective.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named the NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for a record, 11th consecutive season. He matched Bill Elliott’s mark a year ago although the 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion continues to hold the overall record of 16.
Earnhardt said many things motivate a driver to compete at a high level.
“None impacts us more than the fans,” he said. “This year we feel like we were giving them a lot to cheer for on the race track and paying them back for all the years they’ve voted for us to win this award.”
In the end, more than one million votes were tallied for 39 eligible drivers with Earnhardt collecting in excess of 700,000 votes.
A complete list of awards presented during Thursday’s NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon can be found at the end of this release.
Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, addressed the media prior to the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon calling the just-concluded season “a good year.”
“Obviously, there’s some business things we’ve got accomplished like getting our media rights secured for the next decade,” he said. “That’s tremendous for the industry; great visibility. NBC is going to do a really good job (beginning in 2015).”
France pronounced the roll-out of the Gen-6 Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry successful.
“There were some fair questions and expectations – would we get that right and in ‘08 (with the Car of Tomorrow), we didn’t,” he said. “I think we changed that in a big way getting the car manufacturers, the teams and others all on the same page and we have a better racing product, which is the center of it for all of us.”
The premier series’ three manufacturers were named joint recipients of the 2013 Buddy Shuman Award for their role in creating race cars styled to better connect the sport with the pride of car ownership shared by millions of North American consumers.
The 2013 season also saw the emergence of future – and diverse – stars such as Kyle Larson in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Darrell Wallace Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Larson is the first Asian-American to win a Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in one of NASCAR’s national series. Wallace was the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series race in nearly 50 years.
“You saw a mix of things coming in the future,” France said. “They’re going to be with us; Kyle Larson being one, at the Cup level beginning next year. Darrell Wallace had a bit of a breakout year for himself.”
Despite cooler than normal temperatures, thousands of fans lined The Strip – Las Vegas Boulevard – as the top-13 drivers celebrated the conclusion of the 2013 season with the fifth annual Victory Lap. Engines rumbled and smoke from burnouts filled the air during the popular event that started and finished in front of the Miracle Mile Shops on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Additional events Thursday included the NASCAR After The LapTM sponsored by Ford and Coca-Cola at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort, a “tell-all” driver-fan interaction that lived up to its promise as one of the most sought after off-track tickets.
Here is the complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards
Luncheon:
· NMPA Myers Brothers Award: Tony Stewart
· NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
· Buddy Shuman Award: Chevrolet Division of General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Toyota
· NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Coca-Cola
· 3M Lap Leader Award: Matt Kenseth
· American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kyle Busch
· Coors Light Pole Award: Denny Hamlin
· Duralast Brakes “Brake in the Race” Award: Jimmie Johnson
· Freescale “Wide Open” Award: Matt Kenseth
· Goodyear Tires Award (Champion): Jimmie Johnson
· MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Scott Fox, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 team
· Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team
· Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Matt Kenseth
· MOOG Steering & Suspension Problem Solver of the Year Award: Matt Borland, crew chief No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing team
· Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Carl Edwards
· Sunoco Diamond Performance Award (Champion): Jimmie Johnson
· Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
· Champion Sponsor Award: Lowe’s
· Champion Crew Chief: Chad Knaus
Here are upcoming Champion’s Week events at a glance (all times local PT unless noted):
Friday, Dec. 6
· NASCAR Pit Stop Tour: The NASCAR Pit Stop Tour consists of Official Partner show cars featured in iconic locations throughout the Las Vegas Strip from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day. Fans can get up close and personal with the cars at the following locations: Tropicana (Chevrolet), The Palazzo (Ford), Harrah’s (Ford), the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign (2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion show car), the Coca-Cola store and M&M’S World.
· M&M’S® To Make the NASCAR CHAMPION’S WEEK™ ‘BETTER WITH M’: M&M’S will celebrate the 2013 NASCAR season and the strongest finish yet for Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry, by giving away one million free bags of M&M’S. The giveaway in Las Vegas will be part of the NASCAR Pit Stop Tour and NASCAR Victory Lap.
Friday, Dec. 6
· 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards: The postseason black-tie event will begin at 5 p.m. at Wynn Las Vegas, where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner will be crowned and the top-10 drivers in the final standings will be honored. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards, the culmination of Champion’s Week, will feature the NASCAR Fan Reception, Red Carpet Walk, celebrity guests, music and entertainment. FOX Sports 2, www.NASCAR.com, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will provide coverage of the event.
For more information on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, visit www.NASCAR.com/ChampionsWeek.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR Nationwide Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information, visit www.NASCAR.com and follow NASCAR at www.facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.
