Martin Truex Jr. previews his champion’s speech: ‘short and sweet’

RELATED: All the news from Champion's Week | Full schedule LAS VEGAS – Driver appearances, victory lap burnouts, and fan autograph sessions this week all lead up to Thursday night's highly anticipated Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards live from Las Vegas. The banquet, held again in the elegant Wynn Las Vegas, will feature interviews from all 16 of NASCAR's playoff drivers topped by speeches from the Championship 4, including Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. Truex and his Furniture Row Racing team were recognized Wednesday at the traditional Myers Brothers ceremony for its eight-win title-hoisting work in 2017 and Truex promised afterward a champion's speech that would be "short and sweet." He said he is making several revisions to his original speech after practicing it on Tuesday. "You've just got to get the job done, have fun and go celebrate with everyone," Truex said. "I feel good about it [the speech], it's short and sweet." RELATED: Truex Jr., Pollex named 2017 Myers Brothers recipient Popular NASCAR on NBC broadcasters Krista Voda and Rutledge Wood will host the evening events, which in addition to recognizing the playoff competitors includes revealing the winner of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner and naming the 2017 NMPA Most Popular Driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time competition following the Homestead-Miami season-ender two weeks ago, has won the Most Popular Driver award for the previous 14 seasons and will be celebrated Thursday night for his impact on the sport. The banquet will air on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET and re-air at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN. There will be a special version of "NASCAR America," featuring a Red Carpet pre-show from the Wynn at 7 p.m. ET (NBCSN) leading into the banquet coverage.