Viewer's Guide: Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony

ATLANTA -- While the racing has ended for 2004, there's one more piece of business for the Nextel Cup community to take care of Friday night.

The Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony takes the green flag at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. A one-hour highlight package of the festivites will air on NBC at 2 p.m. Sunday

Bill Weber and Allen Bestwick will host the program, joined by a trio of celebrity guest.

The Nextel Cup will be awarded to Kurt Busch on Friday in New York. Credit: Autostock

Jay Mohr is best known for his role as Bob Sugar -- an underhanded sports agent -- in the movie Jerry Maguire in 1996. He also spent two seasons on Saturday Night Live.

More recently, Mohr served as host of the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing. Next year, he'll star with Ice Cube in the feature film Are We There Yet?

Scott Stapp was the lead singer of the rock band Creed, which scored big with No. 1 hit songs Higher, What If and With Arms Wide Open in 2001. Stapp is now out on his own. His first single, Relearn Love, is on the soundtrack to the movie The Passion of the Christ.

Brian McKnight has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, spurred by his two-time platinum album Anytime in 1997, the three-time platinum- selling blockbuster Back At One in 1999 and the gold-certified Superhero in 2001.

Of course, the Nextel Cup drivers and teams will be the real stars of the show. Each of the 10 Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers and 11th-place Jamie McMurray will all spend time on stage accepting trophies and prize money.

Also, you'll have your final chance to vote for NASCAR.COM's Fans Voice Award winner for Most Dramatic Moment of 2004. The winner will be announced during the ceremony.

Clearly, this will be Kurt Busch's night. The first Nextel Cup champ has been the toast of the Big Apple all week, doing everything from appearing on talk shows to taking the New York Fire Department firefighters' exam. Friday will bring his shining moment.

The Rant: The final Rant of 2004 comes from Robb Gannon of Mount Vernon, Ohio. It's probably safe to assume that Gannon is a bit of a Ward Burton fan:

E-MAIL Send Mark Spoor your take for "The Rant" or a question for "Ask The Producer."

"NASCAR is very careful as to what sponsorship packages are coming in and how they are portrayed, what about poor business ethics about dumping drivers, crew cheifs, over the wall members, or shop personel?

"Is this the message we want being displayed in our sport? Are there guidelines? Team owners should be fined for occurances like this under section 12- 4- A (Actions detrimental to stock car racing).

"Honesty and integrity should mean something in our sport, as we are losing some history for new growth, let's keep some of our roots."

Thanks to all that have written in with their rants this season.

On to this weekend's light schedule:

Site: New York

Hotel: Waldorf-Astoria (1,245 rooms, including 197 suites.)

Ceremony length: Three hours (scheduled)

LAST YEAR Hearty thanks Gordon looks forward to bigger and better things The champ Kenseth thanks his team for a championship year

TV: Ceremony: TNT, 9 p.m. ET Friday. Edited rebroadcast: NBC, 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

Last race: Greg Biffle won the Ford 400 at Homestead, but Kurt Busch was the big winner. Busch won the inaugural Nextel Cup championship.

Last year: Matt Kenseth was crowned the final Winston Cup champion in a ceremony that was as much a goodbye to the outgoing title sponsor as it was a tribute to Kenseth.

Potential storyline: Kasey Kahne will be presented with the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award Friday night. Kahne posted five second-place finishes in 2004.

Point to ponder: No rooms at the Waldorf-Astoria have a view of Central Park. The southeast corner of this park, closest to the Waldorf-Astoria, is located at 5th Avenue and 59th Street, northwest of the hotel.

Mark Spoor is an interactive producer of NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewers Guide appears each Thursday during race weeks.