Champions Week wraps up with annual award banquet

Top-10 drivers, sport's history honored during ceremony

By Official Release
December 7, 2008
02:27 PM EST

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NEW YORK -- A busy week in New York culminated Friday evening with the annual Sprint Cup Series awards ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Jimmie Johnson, who etched his name in the NASCAR record books by becoming only the second driver in the sport's history to win three consecutive Cup Series championships, was officially coronated as the 2008 series titlist by none other than Cale Yarborough, who made an unannounced appearance.

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Followed by a rousing standing ovation, Yarborough presented the championship ring to Johnson. The two champions will be forever linked in NASCAR lore. Yarborough, who turns 70 next March, was the first driver to win three consecutive titles.

During Yarborough's incredible three-year stretch from 1976-78, he posted 28 wins, 70 top-five and 74 top-10 finishes. Johnson matched Yarborough's record with another typically brilliant performance. In 2008, Johnson had seven wins, 15 top-fives and 22 top-10s.

"What a surprise and what an honor to have Cale present me with the championship ring," Johnson said. "I'm pretty much floored."

The Yarborough ring presentation was the culmination of a night and day filled with memory-making moments.

The No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team relished in the spotlight Friday afternoon, posing for dozens of photographs with Johnson and the Sprint Cup trophy. It's a ritual that Johnson says he looks forward to continuing in 2009 and beyond.

"Yes, I want to win a fourth championship," Johnson said. "Right now, I'm just part of history. I'd love to make history. I'm not pulling a Babe Ruth and pointing over the outfield fence and saying I'm going to hit it over here, but yeah, I want to win a fourth championship. We'll see."

Team owner Rick Hendrick, whose teams have won eight series championships, says the chemistry on the No. 48 team has helped provide a winning combination.

"There's a lot of talent on that team, but the thing that really impresses me is how well they work together toward achieving the common goal of winning a championship," Hendrick said. "They stay motivated and have that "refuse to lose" mentality. For the most part, the team has remained intact from the inception and the consistency has been a real plus in helping them get to the level they are today."

Johnson's wife, Chandra, says it's amazing to see how passionate her husband is about his work.

"Jimmie loves what he does for a living and that's a real blessing," Chandra said. "The passion he has for driving that race car is unbelievable."

Friday night's awards ceremony not only recognized Johnson and his championship team, it also featured the remaining top-10 drivers from the 2008 season, including Kyle Busch (10th); Tony Stewart (9th); Denny Hamlin (8th); Jeff Gordon (7th); Jeff Burton (6th); Clint Bowyer (5th); Kevin Harvick (4th); Greg Biffle (3rd); and Carl Edwards (2nd).

Actor and film director Kevin Costner made some remarks during the banquet regarding NASCAR's recently completed 60th anniversary season and was joined at the podium by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty. The musical group Matchbox Twenty performed and comedian John Pinette also entertained the audience.