Night of Costner, Cruise and most especially Cale

NEW YORK -- The ruse began with Brian France. The NASCAR chairman walked on stage late in the Sprint Cup awards ceremony Friday night, ostensibly to present Chandra and Jimmie Johnson with the traditional spouse gift and champion's ring. But France was really there to introduce someone else -- and when the spry, white-haired image of Cale Yarborough emerged from behind the curtain, the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria exploded in applause.

To many, especially those who know that Yarborough is a rather private man who chooses the peace and quiet of his South Carolina plantation home over the public eye, his presence was a complete surprise. NASCAR had managed to keep it a relative secret, with fewer than 10 people knowing until Friday night. Although Yarborough sat at a table in the grand ballroom during much of the dinner, he was lost in the crowd of 1,000 people -- until that moment when he emerged, spotlights flashing and music blaring, when the first winner of three consecutive series titles arrived to present the champion's ring to only the second man to achieve the feat.

It was the kind of public bridging of generations that had to happen eventually. NASCAR had invited Yarborough to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, to be present when Johnson tied the record that Yarborough had first set 30 years earlier, but he had a conflict with another engagement. Johnson idolized Yarborough as a youth, Friday night again telling the story about first seeing a Hardee's when he was 7 or 8, and running inside thinking the burger chain -- which sponsored Yarborough's car at the time -- was actually the race shop. Although Yarborough has never had anything but nice things to say about Johnson, seeing both men on stage at the same time, sharing robust handshakes, one effectively cementing his stamp of approval on the other, was a moment everyone had long waited for.

Party Time

It was a festive night at the Waldorf-Astoria as NASCAR honored its top drivers at the sport's annual award ceremony.

• Watch all the speeches

Even Yarborough seemed touched by the moment. "I've got the racing spirit back," he said. "I'm wondering, Rick [Hendrick], if you had a seat open -- a good seat -- you might be the first car owner to hire a 70-year-old champion."

It was the perfect finale to a rather uneven awards ceremony, one that actually improved -- imagine that -- when the top 10 drivers began making their speeches. There was no shortage of star power, with Matchbox Twenty playing loud, Kevin Costner appearing in a historical retrospective with Richard Petty and Betty Jane France, and Tom Cruise -- "I'd like to introduce one of my old drivers, Cole Trickle," Hendrick said -- sitting at a Hendrick table alongside wife Katie Holmes, who's appearing in a Broadway play. Cruise and Hendrick have been friends since the two worked together on the movie Days of Thunder 18 years ago.

Although nothing could match Yarborough's appearance, the night did have its share of moments. One year ago, in his final days as a Hendrick Motorsports employee, Kyle Busch made something of a halting, uncomfortable speech. Friday, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver gave the best of any driver's, needling Johnson ("Maybe one of these days they'll actually let somebody else up here"), Johnson again ("Remember Chicago? That was awesome!") and the fans who -- well, let's just say perhaps don't fully appreciate the talents of a driver who won 21 national division races. "You let me know in your own special way that you pull for me," he said. "Of course, you could find a different way of telling me I'm No. 1."

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.

• Complete story, click here

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.