Night of Costner, Cruise and most especially Cale (cont'd)

Zingers abounded. Tony Stewart, leaving the Gibbs team to co-own his own organization, thanked his team owners, his crew chief and his sponsors. "Yes, even you guys, Goodyear," said Stewart, who was a vocal critic of the tire manufacturer at times last year. "I appreciate everything you do."

Denny Hamlin offered a warning to his Gibbs team owners. "A final thought, and it's one that will keep Joe and J.D. up nights -- and that is, I will be your senior driver next year." Jeff Gordon, who went winless this year, defended oft-criticized crew chief Steve Letarte, and wondered which team would be better, Johnson's No. 48 of today or Gordon's No. 24 of the 1990s. "It's pretty easy -- the 24 team of the '90s," he said. "We had Ray Evernham, Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus," the latter Johnson's current crew chief, and the first signal-caller to win three consecutive crowns. Gordon took a shot in a taped bit by comedian Frank Caliendo. "What's the difference between Jeff Gordon and Oliver Stone?" the impressionist asked in the guise of President George W. Bush, the subject of a recent Stone film. "Oliver Stone has a W this season."

Stars come out

Kevin Costner, the King and even Cole Trickle were there. But Cale Yarbrough stole the show by passing the torch to Jimmie Johnson.

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Jeff Burton thanked his wife Kim. "Who the hell wouldn't like a good-looking woman jumping on a pit box? That's your TV ratings, right there." Greg Biffle touched on a political theme. "I guess my campaign 'Time for a change' didn't work out this year," he said. "It worked out for some people, but not for me." Series runner-up Carl Edwards remembered the first commercial he shot for outgoing sponsor Office Depot, in which a fan screamed "Go 99" rather than his name -- in case, of course, the new driver didn't work out. "A little lesson for up-and-coming drivers," he said. "If they don't use your name in a commercial, you've got to get on it."

A collection of sports greats like Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Bart Starr, Kobe Bryant and Paul Hornung appeared in an ESPN-produced taped segment on dynasties, an excellent piece that helped put Johnson's achievements in a broader perspective. The video clips that introduced each driver were heavy on racing roots, looking back to days on short tracks or in midget cars, and a clear reference to the "back to basics" theme that NASCAR has operated under this season.

Not everything worked. Costner's historical perspective was rambling, and the actor botched many of his lines. The house lights, it turned out, made the teleprompter difficult to read at times. But that doesn't excuse his reference to Dale Earnhardt as "the Terminator," which prompted shocked glances from a room full of people who knew better. And in all honesty, there might have been a more fitting subject for his piece with Betty Jane France, who compared Bill France Sr.'s efforts to build Daytona International Speedway with those of Ray Kinsella, the idealistic farmer who built a ballpark in a cornfield in the Costner film Field of Dreams. If anyone was ridiculed and doubted like Kinsella was, it was Harold Brasington, who had tomatoes thrown at him as he graded the land that would become Darlington Raceway, NASCAR's first true superspeedway, nearly a decade before France built Daytona.

But all that was forgotten hours later, when Yarborough entered to a standing ovation, and the night had found its signature moment. "I can't believe he was here," Johnson said, looking stunned himself. Many others, especially those who know Yarborough, couldn't believe it either. But everyone was glad to see him, standing on stage for a moment as if it were his awards dinner, bridging the gap between past and future.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.