Johnson takes pics, gets roasted first day in Vegas

Champion's Week takes place in Las Vegas for the first time, but Wednesday, championship driver Jimmie Johnson and championship crew chief Chad Knaus, paid a bit of homage to its former home -- New York.

Johnson took part in the traditional landmark photo shoot, hitting a number of recognizable spots along the famed Las Vegas strip. One of those spots was the replica New York skyline that makes up the New York New York Hotel & Casino.

Las Vegas welcomes the 2009 Cup champion.

Johnson and Knaus also took photos outside the Bellagio hotel and the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign at the very end of the strip.

At the sign, which was the champion's last stop on the photo shoot, Johnson took photos with fans and signed autographs. Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo also joined the champions for the photo.

Johnson's day didn't end there. After the photos were taken, he dashed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where his fellow competitors got a little payback for four years of domination.

The track hosted a charity roast of Johnson, with all 12 Chase drivers in attendance -- and none held back.

Said Kurt Busch: "I figured out a new Chase format. Every Chase race, we pull out of a hat who gets to have Chad Knaus as their crew chief. Because it's certainly not your talent that wins you all these championships."

Said fellow four-time champion Jeff Gordon: "Man, you've won four straight championships. I used to be the man. Now you got me on everything. At least my eyebrows are better than yours."

Said Hendrick Motorsports teammate and 2009 championship runner-up Mark Martin: "Jimmie has gotten a lot better looking. As a kid he was ugly. He was so ugly that he had to trick-or-treat by telephone."

The at-track activities began early with the Chasers for Charity Fanfest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Neon Garage. It was a free-admission party for fans, featuring music, food and a Q&A hosted by ESPN's Jamie Little.

The roast, held in the track's Blackjack Club, benefitted Speedway Children's Charities. The event was shown on closed-circuit television in the Neon Garage.

Here are some highlights of Johnson's remaining schedule leading up to Friday night's formal awards ceremony at Wynn's Las Vegas Resort:

Thursday

The annual NMPA Myers Brothers Awards event will be held from 1-2:45 p.m. PT in the Venetian Showroom at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Johnson will be joined by the rest of the top 12 drivers in the 2009 Chase, plus Raybestos Rookie of the Year Joey Logano and other annual award winners.

Race fans will get to see Johnson and fellow Chase drivers participate in a Victory Lap parade in their show cars on Las Vegas Boulevard -- the city's legendary "Strip" -- beginning at 3:15 p.m. PT at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. "Mr. Las Vegas," Wayne Newton, will drop the green flag to start the event. The lap includes a pit stop and "burnout" at the Spring Mountain Road intersection before returning to the MGM Grand at 4 p.m. PT. Sirius Radio will carry live coverage of the Victory Lap.

Following the Victory Lap, fans will have the opportunity to have their questions answered by the Chase drivers at the NASCAR After the Lap presented by Tissot from 4:30-5:30 p.m. PT (doors open at 3 p.m.) at the MGM/Hollywood Theater.

Monday

The celebration begins in the 2009 champ's hometown of El Cajon, Calif., as Johnson and his wife, Chandra, hand out nearly $1 million in grants divided among schools in California, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

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Tuesday

Day 2 of Champion's Week consisted of an appearance at Auto Club Speedway where Johnson had breakfast with and conducted a Q&A with 700 of the track's invited guests. He also participated in several media functions.

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The Official Partners of NASCAR now have the ability to utilize Champion's Week to culminate their fan-centric promotions (i.e. Unilever's Real Fan of the Year, Ford I Drive One promotion and Ask.com's year-long Trivia Challenge). This week, fans will be able to submit their questions via Street Tour, AFLAC Pit Stop and Twitter to their favorite Chase drivers and hear the drivers respond to those questions at this event. Sirius will broadcast the event live and NASCAR.COM will be producing Video on Demand.

The Tissot Watch presentation to the top 12 drivers will also take place at this event. From 7-9 p.m. PT, Johnson and other Chase drivers will join Tony Stewart at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino as he presents the third annual "Stewie Awards," live on Sirius. The event, which honors the best, boldest and funniest moments of the 2009 NASCAR season, will take place at the Rio's Masquerade Village and is open to the public.

Friday

Johnson formally accepts his Cup Series championship awards. He, his family and his Hendrick Motorsports team will participate in traditional photos during the afternoon, before attending the awards ceremony that evening at Wynn's Las Vegas. SPEED will televise the event live from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. ET.

Sirius and MRN also will broadcast the ceremony live.

Related:
• Las Vegas events schedule