Posted on by George Winkler

LAS VEGAS — In his speech at the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas, Martin Truex Jr. joked that Cole Pearn was just a “Furniture Row T-shirt-wearing Canadian.” And that would seem to be entirely accurate given that the crew chief is — a) from Canada — and b) known for a wardrobe comprised largely of 100-percent-cotton articles.

But when Pearn took an interest in a T-shirt designed by our own @nascarcasm, it was only fitting that after Thursday’s festivities the unique piece of clothing would land in the crew chief’s lap. So in the press room afterward, Pearn and Truex shared a light moment with the T-shirt when it was presented to him (see below).

If you thought the souvenir T-shirt you picked up for your friend on the Las Vegas  Strip was cool, well take a look at this:

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: See photos from the red carpet

LAS VEGAS — The 2017 version of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards included a night of tributes, honors and plenty of good cheer celebrating the 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. and his Furniture Row Racing team and giving a fond and heartfelt farewell to the now 15th consecutive NMPA Most Popular Driver in the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The ceremony — shortened to 90 minutes this year — at the gorgeous Wynn Las Vegas included time spent speaking with the 16 playoff drivers, handing out awards and recognizing Truex for his maiden and emotional Cup victory.

Drivers, their wives and the sport’s VIPs walked the sport’s version of the “red carpet” to come into the banquet looking fabulous in tuxes and formal gowns and giving off good vibes and fond farewells.

All 16 drivers who qualified for the playoffs took turns on stage with the final four making speeches culminating with Truex’s earnest words of gratitude for his team, team owner Barney Visser – who is in Denver, recovering from a heart attack – and his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex, who is battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer.

Earnhardt Jr. introduced Truex and offered sincere words of congratulations and praise for his longtime friend and onetime employee.

“His life partner battles the most evil of diseases and he stands with her,” Earnhardt said, bringing Truex on stage to receive his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup.

“He is a champion friend. And there is no one more deserving.

“It’s my privilege to introduce the 2017 Monster Energy Cup champion … my good buddy, Martin Truex Jr.”

RELATED: Scenes from 2017 Champion’s Week

The introduction culminated a night of handshakes and back pats. The ballroom gave a standing ovation to special guests — Las Vegas area emergency responders, who assisted during the recent mass shooting in the city.

And there were multiple good wishes made from drivers and NASCAR executives throughout the evening to 2003 champion Matt Kenseth, who is retiring at the end of the season.

The prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award was presented by the namesake’s grandson, Ben Kennedy, to Julian Maha for his work developing KultureCity. The Alabama doctor founded the KultureCity organization to help children with autism navigate busy locations such as “arenas, stadiums and other public settings as well as developing the “lifeBOKS” program which helps the families “monitor the movements of their children though GPS and Bluetooth tracking devices.”

RELATED: Julian Maha wins Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award

One of the evening’s most anticipated moments was time on stage with Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time competition following the season finale at Miami two weeks ago.

In addition to accepting his NMPA Most Popular Driver award, Earnhardt was also presented the prestigious “Bill France Award of Excellence” by NASCAR Chairman Brian France. The award is not given on an annual basis but instead only for extreme merit and extraordinary work.

“I had no idea,” Earnhardt said of receiving the recognition. “The Myers Brothers award and the Bill France Award, those are so personal and they really get your feelings. It’s an incredible feeling for someone to feel like you’re worth that acknowledgement. I’m grateful and it makes you inspired to continue to be an asset and help the sport grow.”

RELATED: Dale Jr. named 2017 Most Popular Driver

While making his speech for finishing runner-up in the championship, Kyle Busch joked that he appreciated the retired Earnhardt giving all his “Junior Nation” fans to his “Rowdy Nation.”

“It’s all going to be very different getting all those cheers at driver intros,” Busch said smiling.

RELATED: Kyle Busch jokes about inheriting ‘Junior Nation’

In the end, Truex was feted by sponsors, Toyota, fellow drivers and cheers from the rear of the grand room – his Furniture Row Racing team.

“The 78 team has a motto: ‘Never give up,’ ” a smiling Truex said. “It’s just unbelievable to be here. It’s a childhood dream for me.”

He thanked his parents and Pollex’s parents for being there and reminded that team owner “Barney Visser is the heart of this team, People thought he was crazy to start a NASCAR team in Denver.”

“Well, who’s crazy now?” Truex asked, breaking into a grin.

Truex thanked his crew chief Cole Pearn who led the team to a series-best eight wins this season.

RELATED: All of Truex Jr.’s wins

“He never sleeps and is more competitive than anyone I’ve met in my life,” Truex said. “Buddy, thank you for making me a champion.”

And Truex finished the night in the ultimate feel good — a reminder that life and love go beyond the race trophies and championships.

“You are the love of my life,” Truex said, turning toward Pollex. “Thank you for the change you caused in my life. Winning is a great feeling but spending my life with you is the real victory.”

It sure felt like a win all around.

Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

LAS VEGAS — Julian Maha, a Birmingham physician and founder of an organization that works to improve the lives of children with autism, was announced as the winner of The NASCAR Foundation’s Seventh Annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide on Thursday night, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas.

Maha, from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, was chosen via an online fan vote conducted on NASCAR.com. He is the award-winning founder of KultureCity, the cutting-edge organization that also seeks to educate society regarding inclusion of autistic children. In addition to the award, KultureCity received a $100,000 donation from the foundation, NASCAR’s charitable arm.

The award honors the philanthropic ideals and vision of the late Betty Jane France, who started The NASCAR Foundation in 2006. It is annually presented to a NASCAR fan who embodies those ideals through their own service in the community.

Maha has a non-verbal autistic son, who inspired him to found KultureCity in 2013. A variety of accomplishments and accolades have followed.

KultureCity — which has been named a Top-10 Non-Profit by Microsoft and the Top Non-Profit in Alabama — estimates that under Maha’s leadership, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 100,000 autistic children.  Maha is a past recipient of the Alabama Distinguished Citizen Award; he was named “Top Southerner” by Southern Living Magazine and was a Top 40 under 40 Influencer in 2016. In addition, his Sensory Initiative program — which addresses sensory inclusivity in locations such as arenas, stadiums and other public settings — has been utilized at the Birmingham Zoo and Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, and by 12 NBA teams and two NFL teams.

Maha also is a proud NASCAR fan, which makes sense. He lives just a short drive from Talladega Superspeedway,

“For me, the biggest thing about NASCAR, is that everyone gets together and they create what is almost a community over a race weekend,” Maha said. “It’s an amazing display of enjoyment of a singular event and an amazing display of unity. People from different backgrounds, different demographics. It’s everything that’s great about America.”

This year’s three award finalists’ charities each received $25,000 from The NASCAR Foundation. Those finalists:

Shannon Goldwater of Scottsdale, Arizona, founder of Feeding Matters, an organization that strives to promote advances in both the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders.

Tammy Richardson of Las Vegas, representing the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation that provides programs and services to children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Richardson is a longtime volunteer and committee member at the foundation’s Camp Cartwheel.

Two-time cancer survivor Chante Gonzalez Vido of Jamul, California, head counselor at a camp for young cancer patients that is operated by The Seany Foundation, which assists children and their families battling cancer.

Posted on by Staff Report

Dover International Speedway officials report the track and its staff are safe and sound after a 4.1-magnitude earthquake shook the Delaware facility around 4:47 p.m. ET Thursday afternoon.

The epicenter was measured just 6 miles east-northeast of the 1-mile concrete track, according to the United States Geological Society. The magnitude falls under the category of “light” on the Richter scale, with noticeable shaking but zero to minimal damage. Early news about the temblor measured the severity higher, with initial reports of 4.4 and 5.1.

Speedway officials said there were no initial reports of damage on the track’s grounds, but that a more comprehensive survey was planned once daylight returned Friday.

The track, known for its Miles the Monster mascot and its reputation as one of NASCAR’s toughest venues, responded to the earthquake with trademark bravado in a tweet.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: The complete 2018 NASCAR schedule

Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s newest race has a name, taking a cue from a Sin City institution that’s close to home.

South Point 400The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ second stop at the Nevada track in 2018 will be known as the South Point 400. The venue’s multiyear agreement with the hotel, casino and spa was announced Thursday, the final day of NASCAR’s Champion’s Week festivities.

“Racing has been one of my life’s greatest passions, and it’s a dream to be deeply involved with a sport I love,” South Point owner Michael Gaughan said in a news release. “The South Point and LVMS have had a long and strong partnership, and we can’t wait to be part of the track’s second tripleheader weekend next year.”

The 1.5-mile track announced in March that it would host two NASCAR tripleheader weekends next season. The South Point-backed event is scheduled Sept. 16 to kick off the Monster Energy Series’ Playoffs, with XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series races set for the preceding days.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s other triple bill on the 2018 schedule is set for March 2-4.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Dale Jr. on baby names, his NASCAR role and more

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been praised over the years for his candor, openness and thoughtfulness.

The 14-time Most Popular Driver brings an element of authenticity to his interviews unparalleled in NASCAR, and no interviewer seems to bring this side of Junior out more than NBC Sports’ Dan Patrick. The longtime anchor has built a rapport with Earnhardt and has routinely listed the Hendrick Motorsports driver among his favorite interviewees — and it’s easy to see why.

The “Dan Patrick Show” aired a wide-ranging, 21-minute conversation between the two on Thursday morning. The exchange – originally slated for 10 minutes – took many twists and turns, only to be cut off due to time constraints mid-sentence; it could’ve gone even longer.

Early in the interview after discussing some early career tribulations, Patrick asked Earnhardt if he’d ever tried therapy.

MORE: Junior on ‘Dan Patrick Show’: 2001 closest I came to quitting

“Oh yeah, I’ve been in therapy in and out of my whole life,” he explained. “I was in therapy as a child and definitely think that therapy is a very useful tool. If you meet the right therapist; I met a lady named Jane that I worked on and off with the last several years and she has changed my life. To meet the right person that you can trust and listen to and sort of absorb what they’re telling you, it can be incredibly helpful.”

Patrick noted that it was unusual for a child to be in therapy.

Earnhardt explained the unique circumstances of his upbringing, and a significant emotional event a young age.

“As a child it was hard to open up or understand why you were there or understand what was the reason for being there. Man, I was a troubled kid. I was going to get kicked out of a Christian school and got sent to military school for a year and a half and I didn’t really have much direction until I got the opportunity to drive race cars. I was really probably more of a disappointment up until probably 1996, ’97 when I started driving in the XFINITY Series in a couple races for Dad and started showing ‘hey, there’s some purpose for me here and here’s direction for me.’

“Having divorced parents and then the fire; we were living with my mom in a mill house near Concord Mills in Kannapolis that caught fire when I was five, six years old. So, I’m standing outside in the yard in the morning watching our house burn down. My mom is broke and doesn’t have anywhere to turn, so she had to move back to Norfolk, Virginia to live with her mother, because that’s the only place she could go. She made the very difficult choice to give up custody of me and my sister at that moment to my dad because she knew that he could provide for us and give us a better life. I was at my mom’s watching our house burn down in the morning and then that evening I was at my dad’s house, rummaging through my toy box in the garage, seeing if all my toys had made the trip. That’s difficult. Probably needed some therapy through all that.”

It also explains why Earnhardt – who it’d be easy to assume would have lived the good life growing up the son of a seven-time champion – admittedly struggled in his adolescence and even into his early 20s.

MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. through the years

Those teenage years were especially trying times, and his relationship with his father was complicated, he divulged.

“I was just wanting his attention. I didn’t know it, because I didn’t want his attention in a negative way, I didn’t want whoopin’s and all that stuff. My sister says that I was always acting out and trying to get his attention. Kelley would do things like get good grades, which is what she’s supposed to do to get his attention, and I was doing whatever I could to … I felt like the only way I could get him to talk to me or notice me was if I did something wrong or rebelled or fall back or whatever or made things difficult. I don’t think I did those things on purpose but my sister swears I did.

“He wasn’t around; it wasn’t like we were interacting all the time. He would come home from working in his shop all day long. He’d get home around 9, 10 o’clock and it’s time for us to go to bed. And we’re dying for just five minutes of his time. We just want five minutes just to see him and say hey. He would come in and sit in his La-Z-Boy in the living room and you would sit on the couch and ask him questions and he would not even answer your questions, he was so tired and worn down and so much on his mind about his racing career. This is back in the mid-80s when he was sort of kind of struggling to right the ship, so-to-speak. It was a difficult time but I think that he was really frustrated for a long time with me and who I was going to become and what kind of kid or what kind of person I was going to be.”

Their relationship started to turn a corner around the time Earnhardt got behind the wheel of an XFINITY Series car for a part-time schedule in 1997, at the age of 22.

Racing was a language they could both speak.

“It really clicked as soon as I got in the race car. I don’t know if he knew I could a race car or not, because he never saw me in the late model series from ’92 to ’96; he never saw a race. I ran 159 late model races and I don’t think he saw one of them. He was just going off people’s opinions off whether I had any talent or not.

“Once I got in an XFINITY car, we went to Michigan and ran in the top 10 right there in front of him and he says ‘hey, this is all right,’ so we started talking about the future.”

And that future?

A career that saw Earnhardt earn 26 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins, become the face of the sport and, most importantly, follow a man that found himself along the way.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

RELATED: Dale Jr. opens up about his childhood with Dan Patrick

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took some time out of his busy schedule during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas to call in to NBCSN’s “Dan Patrick Show” Thursday morning, discussing a variety of topics — both deeply personal and fun-spirited.

The call was originally supposed to last 10 minutes, but it turned into a 21-minute conversation with Patrick; one that was abruptly ended mid-sentence due to other prior commitments. Although Earnhardt talked longer than the allotted time, it seemed he wanted to talk longer. Patrick even shared on-air that Earnhardt later sent him a text apologizing for cutting their talk “short.”

Paying particular attention to the fun stuff, baby names were quickly brought up by Patrick as Earnhardt’s wife, Amy, is pregnant with the couple’s first child. With their daughter due in May, Patrick asked if they have a few names picked out already.

“We do. We have a list on our phones that we share. I had a lot of names that I liked, but all those got sent to the trash can,” Earnhardt said with a laugh.

“I’m learning as I go that it’s really going to be down to her. She’s got some great ideas and whatever she chooses is going to be just perfect.”

Patrick then asked what other NASCAR driver Earnhardt would name the baby if it was a boy.

“Oh, man. That’s a tough call,” Earnhardt said. “Kyle Larson is a cool name. I think Chase Elliott, that’s a cool name. And Ryan Blaney. All these young kids are coming in with all these racing names.

Earnhardt then came up with the perfect mixture.

“I think Chase Blaney.”

When asked if he would ever want to take on being the president of NASCAR someday, Earnhardt shared that he didn’t see himself thriving in that position.

“I think it would be interesting to be in those conversations, to be in those boardroom meetings, understand a little bit of what’s going on and how they come to the decisions that they come to,” he said. “I’m sure there’s a lot more moving parts than myself or a lot of people know that make up the decisions they have. I don’t think I would want to be a president of NASCAR, nor do I think I would be a great president for the sport.”

But, Earnhardt didn’t rule out an executive role of some form potentially down the road.

“I think I could be just underneath that in maybe a Mike Helton-style role or a Steve O’Donnell-style role where I have some influence,” Earnhardt said. “I think the France family should and always should be the leaders of the sport. They are the ones that brought this together and created it. I do think it would be fun and be something I would be good at if I could be an influence in the sport some way, some how.”

The two-time Daytona 500 champion and 14-time Most Popular Driver wrapped up the show by talking about his beloved Washington Redskins, as Patrick suggested he pack up the RV and take his family around to games across the country.

“I mean, yeah, why not? That sounds like a lot of fun,” Earnhardt said. “They are more fun to watch these last couple years as the defense has gotten better. It’s funny … I get invited to go see them play away, but I don’t feel comfortable going into the opponent’s stadium. When they play the Panthers, or the Cowboys especially, I cannot go to the Cowboys stadium.”

When Patrick asked if he hated the Dallas Cowboys, Earnhardt didn’t mind giving his opinion.

“I don’t like them, yes,” he said. “Hate is a strong word. I grew up with a family that had a lot of Cowboys fans in it and it’s been a tug-of-war all my life.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Champion’s Week schedule

Jimmie Johnson pulled back the curtain Thursday on a little-known recent tradition among drivers who have worn the NASCAR premier series crown — a champion’s journal.

In a Thursday morning post to his Instagram account, Johnson said he had asked NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton about producing a mantle to be passed from champion to champion each year. At Helton’s suggestion, Johnson wrote, he started a journal in 2011 and passed it on to Tony Stewart, who succeeded him as series champ that season.

Johnson posted a picture of the keepsake book Thursday, open to his first entry, signed and dated December 2011. It reads: “It’s hard to believe something like this journal wasn’t done before. I thought it would be a great tradition to start between champions, and I’m honored to be the first entry. My thought is the outbound champion writes a letter to the inbound champion. From there, the champ keeps the book until the NASCAR awards ceremony and then passes it along.”

Only Johnson has won multiple championships during the journal’s existence. Since that first entry in 2011, the journal has been held by Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Johnson again, up to current champion Martin Truex Jr.

Truex is to be honored Thursday night at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas. But before being feted as a first-time title winner, Truex took ownership of the memento, where he’ll pen his letter to the 2018 champ in one year’s time.

Johnson has made his own history in the sport with seven premier series championships. With the gesture to create a personal, living document for the sport’s most talented drivers, he revealed that he’s also done his part to preserve and share that history with an exclusive club in stock-car racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: ‘Much higher goals’ for Austin Dillon in 2018

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon and fiancee Whitney Ward are set to be married December 9, according to Ward’s Twitter account.

 


Dillon proposed to the former NFL cheerleader in August 2016, and the pair will tie the knot in Lexington, North Carolina — perhaps at Childress Vineyards, owned by Dillon’s grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress.

MORE: Austin Dillon gets engaged to Whitney Ward

The wedding continues a positive offseason for the Dillon family thus far, as brother Ty and his wife, Haley, announced the birth of their first child last week.

Posted on by Holly Cain

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.