Cup teams honored during annual Champion's Week

Jimmie Johnson and team No. 48 may have hoisted the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy during Champion's Week in Las Vegas, but thanks to NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program special award sponsors, many other top drivers, crew chiefs and team members also took home top honors during the week-long celebration.

On Dec. 3, a total of 14 highly coveted year-end special awards were presented at the annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Ceremony. It was an opportunity for NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program special award sponsors to recognize individuals and teams for their overall accomplishments during the 2009 campaign.

Chip Goode, pit crew coach and rear-tire carrier for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' No. 42 Chevrolet driven by Juan Montoya, had a front row seat at the awards ceremony.

Goode, who grew up in and around racing in Statesville, N.C., is a veteran of the sport, currently in his 12th season of working in the Cup Series.

"We're all very blessed to do what we do, to get up every Sunday and be able to go to the race track and earn a living," said Goode.

Goode, along with fellow pit crew teammates, earned the 2009 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew trophy -- an award created in 2001 and given annually to outstanding pit crews in the Cup Series.

"To be able to come out to Las Vegas and receive this award is a very special feeling," Goode beamed before he took the stage to accept the honor. "A lot of the credit goes to our road crew guys, Brian Pattie for building fast cars and calling good races, and Juan for driving his tail off. It really shows the success of our entire team."

Voted on by crew chiefs, the No. 42 pit crew was selected as the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew for its fast pit stops and incredible effort during the 36-race season. The pit crew not only received recognition at the ceremony, but also a $100,000 bonus from Mechanix Wear.

"On behalf of our pit crew, I'd like to thank Mechanix Wear for this award," Goode said center stage. "To be presented this award in front of our peers and competitors is a true honor."

The No. 42 over-the-wall pit crew members, which helped Montoya finish eighth in the final driver points, are: Mike Bodick (gasman), T.J. Ford (jackman), Heath Silver (catch-can), Trevor Lysne (front-tire changer), Eric Bilyeu (front-tire carrier), Chris McMullen (rear-tire changer), and Chip Goode (pit crew coach/rear-tire carrier).

Brian Pattie, crew chief of the No. 42 pit crew, is proud of his team's accomplishments.

"Most of these guys on Team Target have been together for some time now," said Pattie. "It's really nice to see them recognized for the great job that they do week in and week out. They played a huge role in us making it into the Chase for the Sprint Cup and I am really proud of them."

Not to be outdone on pit road -- or in Vegas -- this year, Roush-Fenway Racing Greg Biffle's No. 16 Ford over-the-wall crew captured the 2009 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award season championship -- a per race competition designed to reward the extraordinary talents of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pit crews.

For winning the season-long Tissot Pit Road Precision Award title, the No. 16 team received a $100,000 bonus from Tissot plus Tissot watches for the pit crew members and driver.

"Those guys are near perfect every week and the entire team knows what a role they have played in our 2009 season," said crew chief Greg Erwin. "Their confidence is amazing and they really believe in each other. I couldn't be happier for everyone involved with that program. The 3M Pit Bulls truly deserve to win the 2009 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award."

Driver Greg Biffle agrees.

"These guys are serious about getting the job done," Biffle said referencing his pit crew on stage. "If it wasn't for them, we would have never made the Chase this year. They did a fantastic job and kept us in it."

The No. 16 over-the-wall crew, which helped Biffle finish seventh in the final driver points, consists of: Todd Zeigler (front-tire changer), Collin Pasi (front-tire carrier), Kyle Power (rear-tire changer), Kevin McDowell (rear-tire carrier), Rodney Fetters (jackman), Billy Manchester (gasman), Ryan Dextraze (catch-can) and Chris Elliott (windshield). Pit crew coach is Andy Ward.

Darian Grubb, crew chief of the No. 14 Chevrolet, was honored with the DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Year Award for his team's performance this season.

"I'd like to thank DIRECTV for this award and also Tony Stewart and Gene Haas for giving me a chance to do this," Grubb said on stage. "I'd also like to thank all 150 employees at Stewart-Haas Racing as they are the ones that prepare the cars and give us a chance to go out there and perform."

Following Grubb's award presentation, his wheelman Tony Stewart was all smiles accepting the WIX Lap Leader of the Year Award.

"Appreciate everyone from WIX Filters and their continued support of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series," Stewart said. "Couldn't have done it without a great team ... thanks to everybody at Stewart-Haas and Hendrick Motorsports' chassis and engine department."

Speaking of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department, Mahle Clevite also took stage at the ceremony to announce Shane Parsnow as the 2009 Mahle Engine Builder of the Year for the Cup Series. Parsnow, a veteran engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports, accumulated the most Mahle Clevite points (307), based on qualifying, laps lead and finishing position.

This is Hendrick Motorsports' fourth consecutive Engine Builder of the Year title, and Parsnow's second in four years. Created more than 25 years ago, the Mahle Engine Builder of the Year award spotlights those who build the best NASCAR engines back at the shop.

"I'm so fortunate to work for such a remarkable organization having had another successful year at Hendrick Motorsports that put our cars one, two and three in the final Chase," Parsnow said. "We had a total of five engines in the Chase for the Cup this year, and of those 50 motors across the 10 Chase races, not a single failure. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mahle Clevite for supplying our race team with the quality parts that have helped us stay on top over the past four years."

Below is a complete list of all 2009 NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program Year-End Awards, the sponsors who proudly presented them, and the winners who graciously accepted the honors:

• Coors Light Pole Award -- Mark Martin. Awarded per race to the fastest qualifier (pole). At the end of the year, the driver with the most "Coors Light Pole" awards throughout the season receives the special award. Martin attained a total of seven Coors Light Poles during the 2009 season.

• DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Year Award -- Darian Grubb. Awarded per race to the crew chief that demonstrates the best qualifying and race effort. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race awards receives the special award. Grubb received a total of seven DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race awards in 2009.

• DOW Automotive Strategic Call of the Race Award -- Jimmie Johnson. Awarded per race to the driver/team making the best Strategic Call of the Race. At the end of the year, the driver/team with the most DOW Automotive Awards receives the special award. Johnson and the No. 48 Team racked up eight best Strategic Calls of the Race awards in 2009.

• Goodyear Tires Award -- Jimmie Johnson. Awarded each year to the Cup Series champion.

• Goodyear Gatorback Belts Fastest Lap Award -- Jimmie Johnson. Awarded per race to the eligible driver who turns the fastest lap while leading the race. The year-end special award is presented to the driver who has won the most Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Awards during the season. Johnson received a total of 11 Fastest Lap Awards this year.

• Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award -- Shane Parsnow, Hendrick Motorsports. At the end of the season, the engine builder that has accumulated the greatest number of Mahle Clevite points receives the special award. Hendrick Motorsports' Parsnow received 307 points this year. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports engine builders Danny Emerick and Earl Wheeler finished in second place with 288 points and third place with 254 points.

• Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award -- Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, No. 42 Pit Crew. Mechanix Wear provides a per race and quarterly award, whereby the four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end special award. This year's quarterly winners were (Q1 -- No. 24; Q2 -- No. 5; Q3 -- No. 42, Q4 -- No. 48). The award is determined by a vote from each team's crew chief. Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's No. 42 team received 17 votes.

• Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Year Award -- Juan Montoya. Awarded per race to the highest finishing team using Mobil 1. The driver who wins the most of these awards during the season receives the year-end special award. Montoya scored 12 Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race awards this year.

• Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Year Award -- Drew Blickensderfer. Awarded per race to the crew chief that improves the most from the first half of the race to the second half of the race. At the end of the year, the crew chief that wins the award the most number of times throughout the course of the season receives the special award. Bickensderfer won a total of four during the 2009 season.

• O'Reilly Auto Parts People, Service & Performance Award -- Denny Hamlin. Awarded per race to the driver that records the fastest combined lap and pit stop time of the race. At the end of the year, the driver who has accumulated the most O'Reilly Auto Parts awards receives the special award. Hamlin recorded eight this year.

• Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award -- Joey Logano. At the end of the season, the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the driver who has compiled the most rookie points. Logano racked up 270 points this season, just edging out Scott Speed (237) and Max Papis (184).

• Sunoco Diamond Performance Award -- Jimmie Johnson. Awarded per race to the highest finishing eligible driver. At the end of the season, the special award is presented to the highest-finishing eligible driver in the point standings. Johnson won seven during the 2009 campaign.

• Tissot Pit Road Precision Award -- Roush-Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle/No. 16 Pit Crew. Awarded per race to the eligible driver/team that has spent the least amount of time on pit road and finishes the race on the lead lap. At the end of the year, the driver/team that has accumulated the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Awards receives the special award. In 2009, Roush-Fenway Racing's Biffle/No. 16 Pit Crew received six awards. The No. 24 crew was second with five while the No. 48 crew came in third with four.

• WIX Filters Lap Leader Award -- Tony Stewart. Awarded per race to the eligible driver who leads the most laps during the race. At season's end, the special award goes to the driver who has won the most awards throughout the season. In 2009, Stewart won seven WIX Filters Lap Leader Awards.

Administered by NASCAR Automotive Group, the NASCAR Prize Money & Decal Program (commonly referred to as the Contingency Program) strives to build and maintain strong relationships with high quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors become eligible for awards by displaying program decals on the front fender of their race vehicles and, in some instances, use of a sponsor's product.