Best of Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series honored
MORE: Best photos from NNS, NCWTS banquet
DORAL, Fla. -- NASCAR's first year celebrating its Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series awards banquet at the Trump National Doral Miami feted one of the sport's newest champions and a repeat victor Monday night. But before the festivities came into full swing, it included a warm-up by the resort's namesake.
The day after the thrilling conclusion to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton -- stock-car racing's other national series champions -- took center stage Monday as the toast of the glitzy Donald J. Trump Ballroom. But before their speeches and moments of remembrance, "The Donald" himself gave the industry a warm welcome.
"I didn't watch a minute of the NFL yesterday," Trump said about Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "I watched NASCAR. You're much more brave."
Participants in both series donned their formal best Monday evening, celebrating the accolades of two seasons of racing that began in February at Daytona. Those assembled at the 62 tables cheered the contributions of departing entitlement sponsor Nationwide and longtime broadcast partner ESPN, but also paid tribute to two deserving champions.
Elliott's first full season in a NASCAR national series was welcomed with a championship in what will become the NASCAR XFINITY Series next year. But it also came with a surprise honor in the form of the series' most popular driver award. His father, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bill Elliott, was a 16-time winner of the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award in NASCAR's premier series.
"This is really cool," Elliott said after accepting the award. "I got to do this in the K&N Series. To know you have the support of a lot of great fans across the United States when you do as much racing as we have this season, it's been really, really cool to see that at home and on the road, as far away as California. Just thanks to everybody who made it possible."
Crafton's return to the head table came by virtue of his second straight title, a historic first for the Camping World Truck Series. Last season his heart-tugging acceptance speech took several emotional turns; this year, a quip beforehand about his 1 1/2-year-old daughter, Elladee, helped him channel his inner comic.
"She's been around two years and I've won two truck series championships," Crafton said. "Why'd I wait so long to have kids?"
Ryan Blaney, the truck series' runner-up this year, brought home the most popular driver award in the Camping World Truck Series but waved off making an acceptance speech.
"That was cool. Maybe they were all Canadians," Blaney said, making reference to winning over the crowd with his stirring victory Labor Day weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. "So I've got that going for me."
The Team Penske No. 22 Ford (Nationwide) and Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Toyota (trucks) were honored for their team owner championships in their respective series. Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch (Nationwide) also claimed top honors in the year-end Keystone Light and Coors Light Pole Awards, leading both series in the number of poles this season.
Busch was also lauded with the Mobil 1 Driver of the Year in the truck series. Kyle Larson won the award in the Nationwide Series.
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