Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

LAS VEGAS – It was hardly a surprise to hear Chase Elliott’s name called as the 2018 Most Popular Driver during the NASCAR Champion’s Week banquet in Las Vegas.

Elliott’s fellow drivers joked about it throughout the week, many of them already predicting Elliott to win it long before his name was called. Kyle Busch even clowned with Elliott during his media obligations offstage.

“When all your peers answer the interview as if you’ve already won, it kind of makes it odd,” Elliott said with a smile. “… It’s a great honor to have.”

RELATED: Past Most Popular Driver winners

The award has been in the families of the Elliotts and Earnhardts for 33 years in total, with the younger Elliott claiming his first title on Thursday evening. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. – who won the award for 15 straight seasons before his retirement at the end of the season — announced Elliott as the winner, it was almost a passing of the torch.

From one beloved racing family back to another.

“So cool though that it’s stayed between Elliott and Earnhardt for so long,” Elliott said on stage after accepting the award.

“I am glad though that you quit a year before you broke Dad’s record,” he then joked with Junior, referencing his father Bill Elliott’s 16 MPD wins. “… I’m pretty happy about that. We got it back in the right name.”

The popularity of the Elliotts and Earnhardts is well known and as the only active driver now, Chase Elliott leads it. The plethora of No. 9 T-shirts and hats seen at race tracks across the country are unmistakable. The crowd’s roar that comes with Elliott takes the lead in a race is similar to … well, Junior.

Off the race track, the two families aren’t the flashy type. But they do have great respect for one another and the sport.

Maybe that’s what fans love about them.

“I think really through the whole process, probably the coolest thing I learned was the year that Dale (Earnhardt Sr.) died and Dad took his name out of the hat to even win the award that year,” Elliott recalled of his father. “Obviously Dale won it and …. Junior and I were talking a second ago about how he accepted that award on behalf of his father that year. So, he actually has accepted 16, much like my father. So, just very cool. You learn a lot through these experiences.

MORE: Go behind the scenes in Elliott’s hometown

“But I thought that really said more than anything about why he’s won it so many years when he didn’t even enter it that season to make sure that Dale won it. And rightfully so.”

Elliott’s crowning on Thursday is likely the first of many MPD awards for the 23-year-old driver, as his career with Hendrick Motorsports is just beginning. He broke through for his first Monster Energy Series win this season at Watkins Glen International, following it up with a pair of playoff wins after that at Dover International Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

For now though, he’ll enjoy this award –and the fans’ support that allowed him to earn it.

“At the end of the day, the votes are awesome, people taking their time to pull for us throughout the year,” Elliott said. “I feel like the biggest thing that I noticed that was really recognizable is just how fired up people about us, wanting my team to do good this year … and seeing all the hats and T-shirts and things. Those are the things that really hit home with me. Seeing it at track and seeing it live and in person. …

“You try to be you, I guess, all the time. All of the history of it and Dale’s success and Dad’s success. Having it between Elliott and Earnhardt for I don’t know how many years now. It’s kind of crazy.

“So, to watch that come full circle and to be able to kind of carry that legacy at least for this year is special and I’ll certainly enjoy it.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2018 season is in the books, and with it, another successful year by the Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers.

Headlined by champion Joey Logano, the seven-driver group had plenty of bright spots this year. Here are a few moments that stand out, as highlighted in the above video.

• Joey Logano: The 2018 series champion, Logano rose to the occasion when it mattered most. He finished the season with three wins, two of them likely the most important of the season. His October win in Martinsville was the Round of 8 opener and clinched his spot in the Championship 4, the season finale race in Miami which Logano also won to earn the championship.

• Austin Dillon: Dillon won the historic Daytona 500 to start the season in February, clinched his spot in the postseason in the first race of the year. Dillon bumped Aric Almirlola out of the way on the last lap to power ahead for the checkered flag, the second of his career.

• Bubba Wallace: A runner-up finish in the historic Daytona 500 highlighted Wallace’s first season in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. The emotional moment was documented in true behind-the-scenes fashion on the “Behind the Wall” series on Facebook Watch.

• Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished third in the Daytona 500, making it a clean 1-2-3 sweep of Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers in the biggest race of the year. Hamlin’s 10 top-five finishes made it four consecutive seasons with double digit top fives, and he topped 350 laps led for the 13th consecutive season. Of his four pole awards, the biggest came last in the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

• Ryan Newman: In what was his last season with Richard Childress Racing, Newman posted nine top-10 finishes and his name was uttered on the scanner all year as drivers bemoaned how difficult it was to pass him on the race track. Newman will drive the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing beginning in 2019.

• Daniel Suarez: Suarez tripled his top-five finishes from 2017 to 2018. His best finish was runner-up at Pocono Raceway in July, a race in which he started from the pole — the first premier series pole award of his career — and finished second to teammate Kyle Busch.

• Kyle Larson: Perhaps no driver makes you hold your breath more than Larson. Riding the high line at Homestead-Miami Speedway saw Larson run in the top five with the Championship 4 field most of the night. He also was part of the best finish of the season, emerging second at Chicagoland in a frenetic last-lap with Kyle Busch that saw plenty of contact.

 

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LAS VEGAS — Austin Dillon would be lying if he said he didn’t miss hearing crew chief Danny Stockman’s voice on his radio.

That will change next season; after five years apart the duo will reunite in 2019, as Stockman moves to crew chief Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

“I’ve missed him from the moment we separated,” Dillon said Wednesday at The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas for NASCAR Champion’s Week. “He’s always been there for me, believed in me. …

“We had so much success together in the Trucks and Xfinity Series and having that familiar voice back on the radio for me is going to be huge. I know what kind of passion he has for the sport and the amount of effort he’s going to put in next year … he’s going to set the bar high for everyone at RCR. And that’s the culture we have to have to become another champion in the Cup Series and that’s our ultimate goal, to win championships.

“And now we have the opportunity to do it together. I’m lit and fired up to go after it.”

RELATED: Austin Dillon’s career stats

Together, Dillon and Stockman clinched the 2011 Camping World Truck Series title and 2013 Xfinity Series championship. They’ve won five Xfinity Series races as a duo and nabbed two Champing World Truck Series victories in their championship-clinching 2011 season.

When Dillon moved to the Monster Energy Series full-time in 2014, the two went their separate ways; Dillon worked with three crew chiefs in a five-year span (Gil Martin, Slugger Labbe and Justin Alexander), while Stockman has worked with several drivers in different series. He most recently served as crew chief for Daniel Hemric’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series from 2017-2018.

Those seasons with others will make them stronger in 2019, Dillon said.

“I think it was good to have the years apart because we both got better, having to work with other people and be more open about working with other people,” he said. “So, I can’t wait to get back together and see what we’ve learned away from each other and then bring that chemistry together that we already had.”

Dillon broke through for his first win in the Monster Energy Series in 2017 in the coveted Coca-Cola 600. He followed it up with a bucket-list Daytona 500 victory this year, clinching a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs field for the second straight year.

RELATED: Relive Dillon’s Daytona 500 victory

With the first couple victories in the books, he eyes more with Stockman — and believes their combination bodes well for future success.

“I truthfully think there’s no limit for us as a group together,” he said. “We can work hard on our Camaro — with the new package change, too, it gives us a great starting point to kind of be a … level playing field, I guess you could say. I feel like we can win a championship together, we can be in the top four.

“I’ve competed the last five years without him and had some successful years but I feel like this is the year where we could go out there and really compete and have a shot at the (Championship) 4.”

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LAS VEGAS — Fresh off his first year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron has shed his rookie stripe. And when the clock struck midnight to Nov. 29, he removed a different label — the underage one.

That’s right, the 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner fittingly celebrated his 21st birthday in Las Vegas.

“It’s a trip,” Byron said Wednesday afternoon about his birthday timing. “It’s kind of symbolic of the fact that I’m kind of coming of age and kind of getting the rookie stripes off and everything. It makes sense that going into my second year, growing up a little bit. Started living out on my own and some of the things I’m doing there, so that stuff will help grow up a little bit.”

WATCH: Celebrating the 2018 Rookies of the Year

Indeed, the 2018 offseason is like a transition and growth period for the young driver. He moved into his own place three weeks before the end of the season — “I gotta do laundry and pay my own bills and there’s all these things. And the place doesn’t clean itself,” he said with a smile.

And on Wednesday afternoon, Byron accepted the 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in front of his fellow series drivers at the Myers Brother Awards. He earned 10 top-15 finishes in 2018 and paced the field for 61 laps to claim the award.

“I love to race,” Byron said during his acceptance speech. “Six years ago, it would have been crazy to imagine that I would be racing side-by-side with idols of mine. The first race of the year, lining up against Jimmie Johnson in the Duel: the lights, the colors, it was a lot brighter than in an Xfinity car.”

The 2018 season brought plenty of “new” for Byron, who started with a new series, team, crew chief and car number, inheriting the No. 24 driven to fame by Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

RELATED: William Byron’s career stats 

“It’s been a lot of growing up,” he told NASCAR.com. “I feel like I’ve learned a ton of things and it’s just been a learning process to understand the Cup Series and understand what makes me tick. So, I’ve enjoyed that part of it. I feel like going into next year, I don’t have to learn all that stuff again. …

“(I’ll be) definitely more aggressive, I would say, and confident and not feeling like I’m being judged as much,” he continued on his approach for 2019. “I feel like in my rookie year, there was a lot of judgement. I feel like I won’t have that as much. I feel like I’ll be able to get past that and not feel like I’m not part of the series.”

The rookie stripe now gone from his No. 24, Byron looks to his sophomore season that will begin in a few months. And maybe while in Las Vegas, he’ll toast (with an adult beverage) to his promising future — and a memorable first year in the Monster Energy Series.

“As I look towards next year, I’m excited and ready to get going,” he said. “No more rookie meetings, and that’s a freedom I haven’t had in my short NASCAR career thus far.

“With that being said, I’m ready to take those rookie stripes off.”

MORE: Best photos from Champion’s Week in Las Vegas

Posted on by Sponsored Content

Sunoco has been the exclusive fuel provider for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for 15 years. That’s more than 15.5 million miles of racing and more than 1,300 victories, and we’re celebrating some of the most iconic moments in a series of videos.

The Sunoco fuel used by the NASCAR national series has changed twice since it became the official fuel of NASCAR in 2004, improving performance and environmental quality along the way. In 2004, NASCAR competition was fueled by Sunoco Supreme. From 2007-2010, NASCAR ran on Sunoco 260 GTX. Since 2011, Sunoco Green E15 has been on board for every green flag — and appropriately, it’s green in color. Sunoco Green E15 is 98 octane, unleaded fuel and contains 15 volume percent ethanol plus more oxygen than most fuels, as it’s built for racing.

For 15 years, Sunoco has been fueling the most memorable victories and greatest moments in NASCAR. Learn more about the highlights in this video series: Sunoco Fueled for 15: Celebrating 15 years of Fueling Victories.

  • Celebrating 2018 Sunoco Rookies of the Year: We salute the 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in each of NASCAR’s national series. William Byron secured the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award on the strength of four top-10 finishes in the iconic No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Tyler Reddick rode his great season all the way to the series championship, taking the Sunoco checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Myatt Snider won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award driving for powerhouse ThorSport Racing, capturing four top-five finishes on the season and ranking ninth in the final standings. MORE: Watch the video
  • Dale Earnhardt Junior wins the 2004 Daytona 500: Sunoco has been fueling racing engines for more than 50 years, but their partnership with NASCAR started with a bang as Junior sealed his first Daytona 500 victory in their first Cup Series race as the Official Fuel. Earnhardt started on the pole and staged a fierce battle with Tony Stewart. Junior held on, taking the Sunoco checkered flag just .273 seconds ahead of Stewart and continuing the Earnhardt family’s superspeedway dominance. MORE: Watch the video 
  • Kurt Busch’s 2004 championship: Kurt Busch’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career began with Roush Fenway Racing, with seven races in 2000 and a full-time ride in 2001. Busch brought Roush Fenway a premier series title three years later, in 2004 – a first for both Busch and Sunoco, as it was the first championship fueled by Sunoco. It was the second consecutive championship for Roush, with Matt Kenseth taking the crown in 2003. MORE: Watch the video
  • Carl Edwards’ 2005 victory at Atlanta: At 25 years old and in his first season driving for Jack Roush in the No. 99 Ford, Carl Edwards put on a show for fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Edwards clinched his first premier series victory by passing Jimmie Johnson on the final lap and streaking across the start-finish line just .028 seconds ahead of the No. 48 car. It was the first of 28 career Sunoco Checkered Flags for Edwards. MORE: Watch the video
  • Ryan Newman wins the 2008 Daytona 500: Ryan Newman brought iconic team owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory in 2008, the 50th running of the “Great American Race.” Kurt Busch, driving the No. 2 Penske Dodge, pushed his teammate’s No. 12 car across the start-finish line for the Sunoco Checkered Flag and a Team Penske 1-2- finish. MORE: Watch the video
  • Trevor Bayne wins the 2011 Daytona 500: In only his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start, Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500 – the first win in 10 years for the Wood Brothers and the iconic No. 21 Ford. Bayne also was the youngest driver ever to win the race at 20 years and 1 day old. MORE: Watch the video
  • Jimmie Johnson’s 2011 win at Talladega: The 2011 Aaron’s 499 was one for the record books. Coming through the final corners, four pairs of cars pushed, drafted and timed slingshot moves against each other creating a four-wide finish at the line. When the Sunoco Checkered Flag flew, it was Johnson nosing out Clint Bowyer by just .002 seconds for the victory. It stands as the closest finish at Talladega Superspeedway. MORE: Watch the video
  • Tony Stewart’s 2011 championship: Tony Stewart earned his reputation as a closer in 2011 when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title race came down to the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stewart had a slow start to 2011, but four wins in the first nine Playoff races put him second in the standings behind Carl Edwards going into the season finale. At Homestead, Stewart took the Sunoco Checkered Flag again with Edwards coming in as the race’s runner-up, putting the two in a dead heat on points. Stewart’s five victories on the season won him the championship on a tiebreaker. MORE: Watch the video 
  • Danica Patrick wins the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500: As a Sunoco Rookie in 2013, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, Danica Patrick won the pole for her first start in the Daytona 500. She went on to become the first woman to lead laps in “The Great American Race” with a total of 5 laps led. Patrick also notched a top-10 finish. MORE: Watch the video
  • Jeff Gordon’s 2015 Martinsville victory: Jeff Gordon’s final full season included a thrilling trip to Victory Lane at Martinsville where he memorably shouted, “We’re going to Homestead!” It would be the last time Gordon drove the legendary No. 24 Chevrolet to victory and his ninth and final Sunoco Checkered Flag at Martinsville Speedway. MORE: Watch the video
  • Kyle Busch wins 2015 Championship: In arguably the best comeback story in NASCAR history, Kyle Busch rebounded from a hard crash, a broken leg and ankle suffered in the season-opening Xfinity race at Daytona. He missed the first 11 races of the season but took home an impressive five Sunoco Checkered Flags and the 2015 Championship. It was also Toyota’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title since joining the premier series in 2007. MORE: Watch the video
  • Daniel Suarez wins 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship: In just his second season as a full-time NASCAR driver in any national series, Daniel Suarez took the 2016 Xfinity Series championship. Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, Suarez became the first driver born outside the United States to win a national series championship. The title came after an exceptional 2015 season in which Suarez was the Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year. MORE: Watch the video
  • Jimmie Johnson wins all 7 Championships on Sunoco Fuel: Jimmie Johnson earned all seven of his record-tying championships running on Sunoco Fuel. Sharing the record with legends Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty puts him in pretty impressive company. Johnson also earned 77 of his 83 race wins on Sunoco fuel. Though parting ways with long-time crew chief Chad Knaus for 2019, Johnson will chase more SunocoCheckered Flags in the No. 48 Chevrolet next season. MORE: Watch the video 
  • Celebrating 2018 Sunoco Rookies of the Year: We salute the 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the year in each of NASCAR’s national series. William Byron secured the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award on the strength of four top-10 finishes in the iconic No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Tyler Reddick rode his great season all the way to the series championship, taking the Sunoco Checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Myatt Snider won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award driving for powerhouse ThorSport Racing, capturing four top-five finishes on the season and ranking ninth in the final standings. MORE: Watch the video
  • Joey Logano wins his first Monster Energy Series championship on Sunoco Fuel: Facing the ‘Big 3’ of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Team Penske driver Joey Logano led 80 laps and captured the Sunoco Checkered Flag and the series championship for 2018. Logano was runnerup in 2016, and this was his first championship in his 10th year racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. MORE: Watch the video
  • 2018 Champions Tyler Reddick and Brett Moffitt: Both Xfinity Series Champion Tyler Reddick and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Brett Moffitt won their titles by winning the Sunoco Checkered Flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reddick had two wins on the season in his Sunoco Rookie of the Year debut season with JR Motorsports. Moffitt racked up six Sunoco Checkered Flags in the 2018 Truck Series season on his way to the championship. MORE: Watch the video

Sunoco keeps fueling victories through the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs in all three series. We will highlight some of the best NASCAR triumphs fueled by Sunoco in videos. Watch here for more thrilling moments, from jaw-dropping Sunoco Rookie of the Year performances to record-setting and barrier-shattering moments in the sport.

Posted on by Zack Albert

LAS VEGAS — The spirit of collaboration that has been a recent trend within the NASCAR industry is growing tentacles into other forms of motorsports.

Back-to-back announcements this week have signaled that the NASCAR K&N Pro Series will become a companion event with both the World of Outlaws and IndyCar next season. That’s of particular interest to Kyle Larson, the 2012 K&N East champ and a sprint-car phenom with six Outlaws feature wins to his credit.

RELATED: NASCAR, World of Outlaws to hold doubleheader

“If the sprint cars race on a track like that, I think there’s a lot of NASCAR fans that’ll go there and that may be their first-ever sprint car race that they’ve seen,” said Larson, on hand at the Wynn Las Vegas for NASCAR Champion’s Week.

The NASCAR K&N West Series will make its second appearance at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track on Feb. 28, the lead-in to a NASCAR national series tripleheader at the 1.5-mile asphalt LVMS venue down the street. The K&N cars will share the bill with the World of Outlaws’ high-powered barnstorming speed show.

“I think it’s exciting that NASCAR and the World of Outlaws are working together for that event,” Larson said. “I think it’s definitely cool. I don’t think race fans really think, ‘Oh, cool. They’re putting NASCAR K&N with the Outlaws,’ well, I think for them to both be able to showcase how cool the event is, the track needs to be right, the way it’s prepped needs to be right.”

Larson alluded to issues with dust and visibility that hampered the first portion of the inaugural K&N West event on the Vegas dirt last September, requiring a mid-race re-watering of the surface. So might we expect to see Larson making the rounds on the track’s water truck next season?

“I’ve never driven one,” he said, “but I would gladly help in whatever way I could to make sure that the racing is going to be as good as it can be.”

The IndyCar partnership will take place next summer at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois. The 1.25-mile track will host a combination race for both the K&N East and West tours on Aug. 24, the same day as the IndyCar event.

RELATED: Gateway to host NASCAR, IndyCar doubleheader

“Motorsports enthusiasts hopefully can get excited about other forms of motorsports,” said Kyle Busch. “I look at the Kyle Larson aspect of it. He’s a huge dirt guy. He loves midgets, loves sprint cars and all that sort of stuff, then comes to NASCAR because he’s very good at what he does. He’s talented but it’s also a way of making a better living, right? But still, he gives back to his roots. I give back to my roots with Super Late Model racing, and other guys do Late Model Stock car racing, like Dale Jr. It’s those different enthusiasts you try to hit and try to showcase different racing authorities.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LAS VEGAS — Martin Truex Jr. thought he had the Championship 4 race won — until a late caution intervened and gave Joey Logano the chance he needed to deny Truex a second straight title.

“No question,” Truex said. “If it wasn’t for a bad pit stop on the (earlier) green-flag stop… we had a straightaway lead at that point. We were running those guys down really fast.

“I had already passed the 22 (Logano) for second, and I was catching the 4 car (Harvick) three or four tenths (of a second) a lap. I mean, it wasn’t going to take long — but it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

RELATED: Truex: ‘Hell of an effort’ at Miami | Where does Truex rank for 2019?

Truex didn’t have the fastest car last year, but he managed to hold off Kyle Busch in the championship race.

“It’s hard to get completely devastated about a race working out that way,’ said Truex, who will be driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. “We did all we could do. We put ourselves in position, made the right decisions.

“The year before, we were the second-best car. Kyle had it won, and the pit strategy — the way we played it out — we caught the caution at the right time and got the lead and were able to hold him off. So it’s like you win one you maybe shouldn’t have, and you lose one you maybe shouldn’t have. They kind of even out.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LAS VEGAS — What was a dream to Joey Logano became an ambition, and on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, ambition became reality.

The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford won the season finale at the South Florida track to claim his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, and the reality of that first title sank in as soon as Logano crossed the finish line.

RELATED: Logano soaking in title

“This is what we’ve worked for our whole life,” Logano said on Wednesday at the Wynn Las Vegas after the NMPA Myers Brothers Awards. “Not 10 years that we’ve been trying at the Cup level, but it started in ’95 when I first got behind the wheel of a go-kart. That’s when this goal started.

PHOTOS: Sights from Logano’s Vegas tour

“There was never a second thing that I was going to try to do. This was it — NASCAR champion.”

Not that Logano considered a Cup championship a possibility when he was 5 years old — but he could dream.

“You’re a kid, and it’s a dream,” Logano said. “Maybe a goal is a little different. It’s a dream at that point. A lot of kids want to be NASCAR champion, and I’m here to say it can happen, as long as you keep working hard and taking advantage of the opportunities in front of you.

“When I went to elementary school, and they said, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’, it was always race car driver.”

MORE: Full Champion’s Week schedule

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LAS VEGAS — During his recent car swap in Bahrain with former Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was impressive in his first stint in an F1 car, running only two tenths of a second slower that Alonso’s fastest lap.

But Alonso impressed Johnson in a stock car, too — and surprised the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“One thing that really surprised me was how good he was at sliding the car around,” Johnson said. “In Formula 1, you don’t really slide those cars, but I rode with him in some type of McLaren sports car on some hot laps, and he was dead sideways the entire time.

“I said, ‘I thought you drive a Formula 1 car straight,’ and he said, ‘You do, but I like to slide.’ So, the entire time, he was boiling the tires in the sports car. And when he got in the Cup car, I don’t think he ever went straight. He was sliding and drifting through every turn, amazing car control …

“I don’t think he knows what his plans are for 2019, but I’d love to have him in NASCAR.”

RELATED: Detailing ride swap between Johnson, Alonso | Johnson’s day in Bahrain

Posted on by Staff Report

The NMPA Myers Brothers Awards were held on Wednesday, November 28 at the Wynn Las Vegas. Here’s a rundown of who took home the awards.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Champion Buddy Shuman Award: Grant Lynch, Talladega Superspeedway Chairman
Busch Pole Award: Kurt Busch, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: ExxonMobil’s Mobil 1 brand
Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year: No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew
MOOG Go the Extra Mile Crew Chief of the Year Award: Adam Stevens, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Doug Yates, Roush Yates Engines for performance of No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Mobil 1 Performance Award: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Goodyear NASCAR Series Champion Award: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Sponsor Award: Shell-Pennzoil
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Crew Award: Todd Gordon, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
NMPA Myers Brothers Award: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France

RELATED: France honored with NMPA Myers Brothers Award