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Driver is free to look for ride elsewhere

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, a four-time winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this past season, has asked for and been granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing, according to the organization.

While he has competed full-time in the NCWTS for Kyle Busch Motorsports since 2013, Wallace was under contract through JGR, and competed in two Nationwide Series events in 2014 for the group. He finished 31st early in the season at Talladega and ninth in July at Daytona in the team’s No. 20 Toyota.

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In two seasons with KBM, owned by Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch, Wallace scored five Truck Series wins and finished eighth (2013) and third (’14) in the points standings.

He also scored three career poles.

Busch announced earlier this year that KBM would field three teams for 2015, with drivers Erik Jones and Justin Boston competing full-time while Busch, Matt Tifft and Daniel Suarez will share seat time in a third Toyota entry.

JGR officials had said that they hoped to obtain the necessary sponsorship that would allow Wallace to compete in what will be the XFINITY Series in 2015. In addition to expanding to four full-time Sprint Cup teams for next season, JGR will also field three XFINITY Series teams with Suarez competing full-time and the remaining entries expected to feature a rotating driver lineup.

Wallace became the first African-American driver to win in one of NASCAR’s top three national series since NASCAR Hall of Fame member Wendell Scott’s victory in 1963 when he won his first Truck Series race in 2013 at Martinsville Speedway.

A former NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year award winner, Wallace returned to the half-mile track this year to win again, and added victories at Gateway, Eldora and in the season-ending stop at Homestead-Miami.

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Dale Jr. looks to build ‘rapport’ with new crew chief at Charlotte this week

It may just be a tire test, but Carl Edwards sees it as a "huge" opportunity as he prepares to make his first appearance behind the wheel on behalf of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Edwards is one of four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers scheduled to take part in this week’s Dec. 9-10 Goodyear tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway, joining Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sam Hornish Jr. and Paul Menard.

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"It’s a new rules package, it’s a new car (and) I’m trying a new seat. Everything’s different. New crew chief," Edwards said last week while in Las Vegas for the season-ending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony. "… It can’t be more new. I’ve been sitting there thinking about how I’m going to buckle in and how I’m going to go out there and drive the car and I’m nervous about it. I truly am."

Edwards, 35, is moving from Roush Fenway Racing, where he won 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races between 2005-14, to JGR.

He won the Nationwide Series title in 2007 as well as 38 Nationwide Series races (now XFINITY) while at RFR, and six races in the Camping World Truck Series.

At JGR, he will drive the No. 19 Toyota and be paired with crew chief Darian Grubb.

The test at CMS will not only be about gathering information for Goodyear as it seeks to work through how NASCAR’s 2015 rules package may impact tire wear on intermediate tracks, but also about getting seat and face time in his new surroundings.

"Honestly, I want to perform very well, and I don’t want to miss anything," Edwards said. "I’m having to go over all my mental notes about the things I’m going to do. And that’s fun for me. That’s what I like so I’m real excited about the test."

Edwards is joining former RFR teammate Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch at JGR. Any one of the four could have participated in the test as the Toyota team representative. Because his team is new, Edwards was chosen to take part.

"To me the fact that I’ve got the opportunity to do this test is huge because I don’t know if I could take another month or month and a half of waiting to do that," he said. "So everyone came together and made it possible for me to do this test. Everyone at Roush Fenway Racing was extremely helpful, all the teammates at JGR. Everyone wanted this test so it means a lot for them to let me do it."

All three auto manufacturers participating in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series — Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford — will have team representation at the test. Hornish (Richard Petty Motorsports) will be the Ford team on hand while the Chevrolet teams of Earnhardt (Hendrick Motorsports) and Menard (Richard Childress Racing) will participate.

"I think they feel comfortable with what they’ve got," Earnhardt Jr. said of the tire test. "They want to try a couple of other things. I don’t think we’re in any kind of a hustle mode to try and improve on what we already have.

"Obviously there will be some new rules to work on, and we’re going to have the ’15 package and all that so it will give us an opportunity to tweak on that and learn what we can. But for the most part, we want to try to assist Goodyear in anything they want to do.

"I don’t think there’s any kind of unique or irregular shenanigans going on with what NASCAR has planned or Goodyear has planned. I think it’s going to be pretty basic. I’m just looking forward to it hopefully being very basic and simplistic so me and Greg can just work together and try to build a good rapport to get going."

Earnhardt, 40, will work with crew chief Greg Ives, who moves over from the JR Motorsports championship winning Nationwide Series team to lead the No. 88 Sprint Cup effort.

Goodyear officials are expected to hold a tire test in January at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and could test at Atlanta Motor Speedway before the series travels there for next year’s second race of the season.

According to CMS officials, the grandstands will not be open to fans during the test due to the track’s Christmas lights display. However, fans are encouraged to watch testing from the fifth-floor clubhouse. Anyone interested should enter the second-floor ticket office and take the elevator to the fifth floor between 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Nationwide Series champion, team to spend Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio

NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Chase Elliott and members of the No. 9 JR Motorsports team will be on the road Tuesday as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, home of the series sponsor, to be honored for their 2014 efforts.

The day-long schedule will include a visit to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a Marketing University panel discussion, autograph session, broom ball at Nationwide Arena, team dinner and taking in the Columbus Blue Jackets-Philadelphia Flyers NHL contest.

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Elliott, who turned 19 on Nov. 28, became the youngest driver to win the series title this season. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner, Elliott scored his first series win at Texas Motor Speedway, and came back a week later to win his second race, at Darlington Raceway. He added a third victory later in the season at Chicagoland Speedway.

With crew chief Greg Ives leading the team, Elliott ended the year with 16 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. He and teammate Regan Smith placed 1-2 in the series’ points standings.

JRM, which fields three teams in the series, is co-owned by Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Sprint Cup team owner Rick Hendrick.

Elliott wrapped up the title with one race remaining, thanks to a fifth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway.

"It’s just been a very, very fun road," Elliott said. "I feel very fortunate to have not just this year with Greg and with Dale and Kelley and Mr. Hendrick, and just honestly, the best group of people that you could possibly have surrounding you in racing in the past five years that I’ve been short track racing and whatnot.

"I feel like I’ve had the absolute best possible people there, too, and I feel like all these people along the way have made me look a heck of a lot better than I really am. It’s been an honor to work with these guys, and not just this year, but all along the way."

Nationwide Insurance, which has served as series sponsor since 2008, will be replaced by XFINITY beginning in 2015. However, the company will remain involved in the sport through team sponsorship with Earnhardt Jr. as well as sponsor of the series’ race at Mid-Ohio.

"What they’ve done with this series … (it’s) in a whole lot better place than it was when they started," Earnhardt Jr. said of Nationwide’’ involvement. "They’ve done a wonderful job being a part of our sport and representing our sport. They really love this series, and this series fit them very well."

Ives, who will move over to become crew chief for Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Sprint Cup team, and Earnhardt Jr. will be unable to join the team on the trip to Columbus due to their participation in a Goodyear tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway scheduled for the same day.

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Camping World Truck Series driver earns victory as KBM racer crashes late

RELATED: Results on Speed51.com

John Hunter Nemechek won the Snowball Derby on Sunday at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida as fellow NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Erik Jones, running for Kyle Busch Motorsports, crashed late and was unable to win the race for a third consecutive year.

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"It’s an amazing feeling to be able to win the Snowball Derby and have a bunch of our family here," Nemechek said. "I’m pretty much speechless."

The win is his first Super Late Model victory and the fifth win of the year in his Pro Late Model Series Chevy. He earned victories at the Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia on January 26, Milwaukee Mile on June 8, Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on September 28 and in the All-American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville on November 1.

For the second consecutive season, Nemechek finished second in the Snowflake 100, which ended in the early hours of Sunday morning. His two previous starts in the Snowball Derby in 2012 and 2013 resulted in 10th and fifth-place results.

Dalton Sergeant finished second, followed by Derek Thorn, pole sitter Hunter Robbins and Grant Enfinger.

Running second late in the race, NASCAR Next’s Jones and Augie Grill crashed to end Jones’ chance to become the first driver to win three Snowball Derbies in a row. He finished 27th. Nemechek inherited the lead after the wreck and held on through two restarts to take the victory.

Other drivers with NASCAR ties competed in the 47th annual event including Clay Rogers, who finished 12th, Corey Lajoie (13th), Johanna Long (17th), Daniel Hemric (24th), NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Chase Elliott (29th), Ross Kenseth (35th) and Mike Garvey (37th). Elliott, Long and Rogers are former Snowball Derby winners. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Donnie Allison and Kyle Busch and NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip also are past winners of the race.

In 10 starts in the Camping World Truck Series, Nemechek had six top-10 finishes, including a top-five finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He shared the No. 8 ride with his father, Joe, and the two teamed up for a seventh-place finish in the owner standings.

At 17, Nemechek is restricted to running road courses and tracks at 1.25 miles or shorter, but when he turns 18 on June 11, 2015, he will finish out the remainder of the Camping World Truck schedule, beginning with the July 9 event at Kentucky Speedway.

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Measuring risk versus reward, Childers discusses leaving MWR for SHR

Kevin Harvick’s gracious keynote speech Friday night as reigning champion at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards touched all the bases for acknowledging the people who helped him reach stock-car racing’s pinnacle, 14 years after his tenure in the big leagues began. But his seven-minute oration also included a poignant moment of brutal honesty.

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Last offseason, Harvick was transitioning from the only Sprint Cup team he’d ever driven for, leaving Richard Childress Racing for new terrain at Stewart-Haas Racing — a move, he said, that left him "scared to death" as he entered the next phase of his career. It turns out, the man who would become his championship-winning crew chief was approaching a similar crossroads, coming close to making a decision with sport-altering implications.

Friday night, Rodney Childers detailed his personal bout with the choice to leave Michael Waltrip Racing after five years, at first downplaying his trepidation in making such a dramatic jump.

"He’s lying," Harvick jabbed with a smile, recalling his similar hesitations before entering uncharted waters.

"Once we made the decision, I think both of us were pretty determined," Childers said after completing his first stint at the championship team’s head table at the Wynn Las Vegas. "You always worry a little bit any time you leave your comfort zone, like he said, it is scary and it’s something you have to fight through and be a team together, and we were able to do that."

By the summer of 2013, though, Childers’ confidence in making the move received its toughest challenge. On the eve of making the season’s first trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Childers had just had a productive meeting that seemed to cement his decision to shift teams. He texted his wife, Katrina, on the Wednesday before the race weekend to say that he was going to join Stewart-Haas Racing.

Four days later, Childers was celebrating with his Michael Waltrip-owned team in Victory Lane, thanks to Brian Vickers‘ bold move on a late-race restart that ironically foiled Tony Stewart, the driver/owner who would eventually become his boss. Childers’ next text to his wife seemed to indicate a change of heart.

"So I’m standing in Victory Lane and I send her a message and say, ‘I can’t do that. I can’t turn around and leave this.’ I worked so hard for this for three years to get this team to where it is, to get these cars where they are," Childers said. "You know, it was a struggle every week. I would wake up one day and I would feel one way, and I would wake up the next day and feel another way. Really, it just came down to us talking every day, it seemed like, and just feeling more and more comfortable with each other. It just comes down to what is your best chance to win a championship. I mean, that’s why we do this, and if you can’t do that, there’s no point in even spending the time away from your kids and family, so that’s what it came down to.

"I said, one day if I’m going to win a championship, it’s going to be with a Hendrick engine and it’s probably going to be with a Hendrick chassis, and it’s probably going to be with Kevin Harvick. So if you add all that stuff up, it made my decision a lot easier. Once that decision was made, it was full-bore as hard as we can go."

The full-on approach manifested itself early in 2014 with a romp to Harvick’s and Childers’ first victory together at Phoenix International Raceway in the second race of the young season. But the validation of their hard work actually predated the breakthrough win.

After Childers was cleared to officially join Stewart-Haas upon his delayed release from his MWR contract, he went to work. Harvick did, too, showing up at the SHR shop one week after the checkered flag fell at the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale. The only soul he encountered upon his first visit to his new workplace, Harvick said, was Childers.

Soon thereafter, their audition as a new driver/crew chief pairing, at a December test of the 2014 NASCAR rules package at Charlotte Motor Speedway, gave a hint to those paying attention that the new No. 4 team had done its homework.

The performance also foreshadowed two recurring themes for the season — Harvick’s tenacious speed and the team chemistry that would guild their championship march. Both were enough to reassure the minds of driver and crew chief alike that the right decisions had been reached.

"There’s a lot of things that could go wrong, and you think about everything that could go wrong after you’ve thought about everything that could be so right," Harvick said. "You just never know until you get into a situation as to how something is going to work, because I’ve been around long enough to know that you can hire the all-star team and if they all don’t get along, it’s not going to work. You can buy all the right stuff in this sport, but if you don’t have the right people, it’s not going to function.

"You thought you had talked and done all the right things and put all the right people in place, but it didn’t take long for me to figure out things were good when we got to that test last December in Charlotte."

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Receives $100,000 donation for ‘Best Buddies,’ 2015 Toyota Camry

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2014) — Daniel Noltemeyer of Louisville, Kentucky, representing Best Buddies Kentucky, was presented with the fourth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award on Friday night, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas.

Noltemeyer, one of four national finalists for the award, will receive a $100,000 donation for Best Buddies Kentucky from The NASCAR Foundation, in addition to a 2015 Toyota Camry provided by Toyota, the award’s 2014 Official Car Sponsor. The other finalists will receive $25,000 donations for their respective charitable causes.

Noltemeyer, 32, was chosen via an online vote conducted on NASCAR.com. He is a founder of Best Buddies Kentucky, an organization committed to facilitating social inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Noltemeyer, who has Down syndrome, has become a renowned Best Buddies spokesman — and not only in his home state. He also is an ambassador for Best Buddies International via an appointment by Best Buddies International founder Anthony Kennedy Shriver.

"I am so honored [by this award]," Noltemeyer said. "I helped found Best Buddies Kentucky five years ago [and] I want to give back to an organization that has changed my life. I have learned to be a strong advocate for myself and others with disabilities, but most of all, I have made special friendships.

"I want to expand programs to make friendships possible for everyone. It’s like a dream come true to win this award to show the world how much someone with intellectual and developmental disabilities can accomplish."


The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award honors the commitment that the foundation’s Chairwoman, Betty Jane France, has demonstrated throughout her life to philanthropy and community service. The award is presented annually to a dedicated NASCAR fan that has made a profound impact on the lives of children in their community.

"Daniel says he is honored by winning the award; I want to emphasize that the feeling is mutual," France said. "He is a remarkable young man, an inspiration to not only people with IDD, but everyone.

"Daniel was part of a very elite group of finalists this year, a group that NASCAR fans really responded to, as we had the closest voting in the award’s four years of existence."

In addition to Noltemeyer, the list of finalists included:

• Tammy Anderson-Lee, representing the Autism Society San Diego where she has developed adaptive swimming programs for children with Autism.

• Amber Larkin of Windermere, Florida, founder of the Noah’s Light Foundation, which is involved in the fight against pediatric brain cancer.

• Chris McElwee of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, founder of Michael’s Way, which provides financial assistance to families dealing with expenses resulting from children’s cancer.

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Driver nabs award for 12th straight year

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014 and eighth overall in the final points standings, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Sprint NMPA Most Popular Driver award for the series.

It is the 12th consecutive year that Earnhardt Jr., 40, has won the award. In addition to the trophy he received during Friday evening’s season-ending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Wynn Las Vegas, Earnhardt will collect a check for $10,000 earmarked for the charity of his choice.

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"Even after all these years, I never have an assumption that I have won it," Earnhardt Jr. said after receiving the award. "You just never know. I never anticipated having the support that we have. When I began racing, I knew of my father’s support, he had a ton of fans. … I didn’t assume or anticipate the following that we have, even today it really is just overwhelming. It really is hard to believe and hard to fathom that we continue to win this award; this was a good year because of the victories we were able to deliver on the race track but all those years when we weren’t … it was very difficult to accept the award because I felt we hadn’t performed. But our fans stood behind us. It just says a lot about their loyalty."

In his speech, accepting the award, Earnhardt Jr. thanked the fans numerous times. And Junior shared an interesting fact about the speech, he didn’t use the teleprompter.

"It was the first time I gave my speech without reading it from the teleprompter or a piece of paper so I hope my remarks came across well because I genuinely do appreciate all the efforts the fans put in.

"I was able to literally witness it in the palm of my hand all year long. The fans were up all day every day voting … that was the most impressive thing."

Earnhardt Jr. joined Twitter after his Daytona 500 win this year and he got to converse with his fans in a whole new way this season.

"People ask me all the time about what the most positive thing about being on Twitter this year was and I never could give them my honest opinion because I hadn’t won the award, but having won it tonight, seeing those votes every day, seeing that commitment and determination was really inspiring knowing that we had that kind of support. They were up before I was every day, going to town on that … computer. It really meant a lot to me."

And that fan support was there for Junior on social media, in good times and bad.

"I got to know my fans really in a whole new way this year. We got to talk a lot on social media. When we lost we talked, when we won we talked and that was a great experience for me as well, and all-around an eye-opener to make that connection that wasn’t there before."

Completing the top 10 in total votes for this year’s award were (listed alphabetically): Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Josh Wise.

The MPD award, sponsored by Sprint and overseen by the National Motorsports Press Association, is the only NASCAR award determined solely by fan vote. It has been awarded annually since 1953.

Beginning in July, fans were able to vote once daily by visiting www.sprint.com/speed. Those who chose to share their votes via social media (Facebook, Twitter) were allowed one additional vote during each 24-hour window.

Additionally, fans were able to cast votes for their favorite driver by visiting the Sprint Experience at the track during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends throughout the year.

Bill Elliott holds the record for most MPD awards, winning the fan vote 16 times during a career that spanned 37 years.

Previous MPD Winners
Year, recipient
2014, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2013, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2011, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2010, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2009, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2006, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2005, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2003, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2002, Bill Elliott
2001, Dale Earnhardt
2000, Bill Elliott
1999, Bill Elliott
1998, Bill Elliott
1997, Bill Elliott
1996, Bill Elliott
1995, Bill Elliott
1994, Bill Elliott
1993, Bill Elliott
1992, Bill Elliott
1991, Bill Elliott
1990, Darrell Waltrip
1989, Darrell Waltrip
1988, Bill Elliott
1987, Bill Elliott
1986, Bill Elliott
1985, Bill Elliott
1984, Bill Elliott
1983, Bobby Allison
1982, Bobby Allison
1981, Bobby Allison
1980, David Pearson
1979, David Pearson
1978, Richard Petty
1977, Richard Petty
1976, Richard Petty
1975, Richard Petty
1974, Richard Petty
1973, Bobby Allison
1972, Bobby Allison
1971, Bobby Allison
1970, Richard Petty
1969, Bobby Isaac
1968, Richard Petty
1967, Cale Yarborough
1966, Darel Dieringer
1965, Fred Lorenzen
1964, Richard Petty
1963, Fred Lorenzen
1962, Richard Petty
1961, Joe Weatherly
1960, Rex White
1959, Jack Smith
1958, Glen Wood
1957, Fireball Roberts
1956, Curtis Turner
1955, Tim Flock
1954, Lee Petty
1953, Lee Petty

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K&N East champ to share seat with Earnhardt Jr., Harvick and Kahne

Ben Rhodes, the reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and a NASCAR Next driver, will drive 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2015 for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro, the team announced Friday.

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In addition to winning the K&N East title, the Louisville, Kentucky, native also took Sunoco Rookie of the Year and most popular driver honors in the NASCAR touring series, running for Turner Scott Motorsports. He had five wins, 11 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in 14 races this season for crew chief Mark McFarland, a former JR Motorsports driver.

"Ben is one of the rising talents in NASCAR," JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said. "As a company, JRM takes pride in cultivating young drivers, and together with Alpha Energy Solutions, we’re thrilled to give Ben a platform to further develop his skills at the next level. I’m excited to see what this coming year will bring for him and the 88 team."

The 17-year-old, who turns 18 on Feb. 21, ran four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2014 at tracks a mile in length or shorter. He earned three top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Earlier this week, it was announced that former Hendrick Motorsports engineer, Dave Elenz, will serve as the team’s new crew chief.

Rhodes won his K&N East title with sponsor Alpha Energy Solutions, and the Louisville-based commercial and industrial mechanical service provider will join him at JR Motorsports.

"I’m thrilled to be joining one of the top teams in NASCAR for the 2015 season," Rhodes said. "It’s been my goal to compete in NASCAR’s top tiers, and this is a tremendous opportunity with JR Motorsports and Alpha Energy Solutions to race in the XFINITY Series.

"I couldn’t think of a better group of people to surround myself with to continue my growth in the sport. I am looking forward to working with crew chief Dave Elenz, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet with Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne, as well as sharing the track with my teammates Chase Elliott and Regan Smith."

The No. 88 team will compete in the full 33-race XFINITY Series schedule in 2015.

Rhodes’ complete schedule in the No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet includes races at Iowa Speedway (May 17), Chicagoland Speedway (June 20), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18), a second event at Iowa Speedway (Aug. 1), Watkins Glen International (Aug. 8), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Aug. 15), Road America (Aug. 29), Kentucky Speedway (Sept. 26), Dover International Speedway (Oct. 3) and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 21).

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Jay Mohr roasts 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion before giving him his due

RELATED: See all the driver speeches | View the Red Carpet Arrivals

LAS VEGAS — The spot at the head table at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards was all Kevin Harvick‘s, with wife DeLana and 2-year-old son Keelan joining the Stewart-Haas Racing group in the celebration. The only problem was that host Jay Mohr had become accustomed to finding six-time champion Jimmie Johnson and Co. to his right, jokingly mistaking the Harvicks’ identity.

The jokes came fast and heavy in Friday night’s awards gala at the Wynn Las Vegas with first-time champion Harvick not immune from Mohr’s skewering. But there were also moments of sincerity among the levity as a family photo of father, mother and young son cherishing their victory moment was shown on the screen.

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"It’s pictures like this that show you what NASCAR is all about," Mohr said. "And we all know in this room, it’s about family. This is a family, and Kevin Harvick, my friend, what better way to celebrate your first Sprint Cup Series championship than here tonight being honored by your NASCAR family."

Harvick’s closing kick to the season, with wins in the final two races of 2014, captivated fans and the industry in the first year of the new playoff format, but so did the season-long show of speed that made his No. 4 Chevrolet the car to watch nearly every single weekend. Friday night, he gave his words of thanks after a well-earned first title.

"From a kid in Bakersfield who just wanted to race," Harvick said, "just wanted to live out his dream, just for fun, did it as a hobby, this season has been a dream come true."

With this season’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field expanded under the new format, all 16 qualifiers walked the red carpet and were honored on stage at the black-tie event. Almost all took some good-natured ribbing from the comedian/host.

Mohr initially opened up with the promise of a "kindler, gentler" monologue after last season’s stint as presenter got him on Danica Patrick‘s bad side. This year, the targets were wide-ranging — everything from NASCAR’s winner stickers, Joey Logano‘s pit-crew misstep in the championship race and Michael Waltrip‘s tenure on "Dancing with the Stars" made the joke list.

Brad Keselowski, who netted the most victories in the 2014 season (six) but also made the most waves in the Chase with a handful of well-publicized run-ins late in the year, saw his turn into NASCAR’s pre-eminent villain among fans make him an easy target.

"In Kentucky, Brad Keselowski cut his hand in Victory Lane opening a bottle of champagne," Mohr said. "Even booze hates Brad Keselowski. "

Keselowski took the joke well.

"I think he’s just great. He puts us all back down," Keselowski said. "Sometimes we get stuck in — it kind of reminds me of ‘Talladega Nights’ — we kind of get stuck in this place where we put ourselves. Jay does a good job of knocking us back down and putting it in perspective that we’re race car drivers, right?"

Gordon, the four-time champion at age 43, was the oldest driver in the Chase, leading Mohr to list his season statistics as "four wins, 23 top-10s and five cases of Ensure." The age jokes were a continuation of the barbs from the previous night’s NASCAR After the Lap tell-all, but Gordon didn’t seem to mind.

"If they were making fun of me and I wasn’t here, maybe it would bother me," Gordon said. "The fact that we made it here, you have to be very appreciative of the efforts that got you here and the fact that it is a very competitive series. And I am the oldest guy in the Chase, and I’m proud of that. I don’t look at it so much as age — I’ve been around a long time. I started at a young age, been doing this a long time, and to still be doing it at the level that I’m doing it, yeah, I don’t mind being made fun of."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award for the 12th straight year, tipping his cap to his nation of fans for their votes and engagement with him on Twitter.

Daniel Noltemeyer of Louisville secured the fourth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, winning a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation and a 2015 Camry from award sponsor Toyota on behalf of Best Buddies Kentucky, a group that organizes social programs and awareness for people with developmental disabilities.

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Team shuffles the deck for 2015 Sprint Cup Series season

RELATED: See other changes for 2015

Joe Gibbs Racing announced its crew chief lineup Thursday, with multiple changes coming to its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. The crew chief shuffle comes months after the news that Carl Edwards would join JGR in 2015, making the team a four-car operation.

Two of Joe Gibbs Racing’s returning three drivers will have new crew chiefs after the organization decided to swap some positions internally.

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The changes: Darian Grubb will shift from Denny Hamlin to Edwards; Dave Rogers will shift from Kyle Busch to Hamlin; Adam Stevens will be Busch’s new crew chief. Jason Ratcliff will remain with Matt Kenseth.

Grubb has 21 career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, seven of which came with Hamlin over a span of three years. Previously, Grubb was atop the pit box of Tony Stewart and Casey Mears, with his three-year stint alongside ‘Smoke’ producing 11 wins and one championship.

Ironically, Grubb’s championship effort came at the expense of Edwards, who lost to Stewart on a tiebreaker in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup three years ago.

"To be able to work with Darian is very special for me. I saw firsthand how tough he is in 2011," Edwards said. "I mean, he was flawless on the box, and from where I was sitting, that was extremely impressive so the opportunity to work with him and especially to work with him coming off this season and I know how bad he wants it.

"He’s different than a lot of the crew chiefs I’ve worked with. He’s very calm and he’s like Bob Osborne, and that relationship was really good. We did very well together, and I’ve worked with great crew chiefs. Jimmy Fennig, this year, I mean he showed me just how hard of a racer a person can be. But to be able to work with Darian, I think it’s an opportunity for me to be able to learn."

Rogers had been Busch’s full-time crew chief since 2010 and has 13 wins with the No. 18 team. Their best finish in the points standings was fourth last year, and the change comes on the heels of a season in which the two had an instance or two of displeasure over the radio.

Rogers told SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio said his familiarity with Hamlin from their work together in the Nationwide Series will help the transition (Hamlin won seven races in NASCAR’s No. 2 series with Rogers) and that the comfort level of some of the crew chiefs past work helped to set up the pairings.

"Denny and I have worked together on the Nationwide side," Rogers said. "Really had a great working relationship over there with the Rockwell Automation car. And then Adam now has a great relationship with Kyle working on the Monster Energy car. So it’s kind of a deal where, quite honestly, none of our teams are running as well as we wanted to so it’s a good way to liven things up by making some changes. But you’re pairing a new crew chief in Adam Stevens with a driver he’s comfortable with. And you’re pairing a driver and a crew chief, in myself and Denny, together that also has that same comfort. I think from Joe’s perspective it made sense on a lot of fronts."

Hamlin equated the personnel swap to virtually taking over the wheel of Busch’s No. 18 team — the exception being that his pit crew, one of the best in the business, remains intact on the No. 11.

"I think it’s a great deal for me and really, Carl’s stepping into a great situation with Darian, and I know what he’s capable of doing, and he’s getting really all of my A-team mechanics and everything," Hamlin said. "No one got slighted on this deal whatsoever, so we’ve really got some good things going for us."

Stevens is getting promoted from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to fill Rogers’ spot atop the No. 18 pit box. In just four years in the series, he won 31 races — most with Busch behind the wheel of the No. 54 Toyota.

"The guys that he works around and the team and everything that he’s put together on the Nationwide series level, everyone respects him, they love him, they think he’s smart and of course I do as well, Busch said. "The relationship we’ve had over the last year that’s gone really well, we’ve won lots of races and been competitive. I think that Nationwide level (of competition) is obviously a lot less than at Sprint Cup level but still I think he’s got a good repertoire within the shop and with his guys. When you can have all that, there’s no better thing than to try and move that guy up."

Ratcliff and Kenseth have been together for two years, finishing second and seventh in the final standings. The duo won six races together in 2013. (Kenseth won seven races himself, one with a substitute crew chief.)

"With the expansion of our NASCAR Sprint Cup Series operations to four teams next year with the addition of Carl Edwards, we have been able to take a step back and evaluate each of our teams and make decisions that we feel are best for our organization long term," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, in a team release. "Like Jason and Dave previously, Adam (Stevens) has clearly proven that he is ready to move into the Cup Series and we feel that his familiarity with Kyle provides the opportunity for us to make that move now. We think pairing Dave with Denny and Darian with Carl will also make each team stronger heading into next season. Jason and Matt came together quickly and we felt it was in the best interest of the 20 team to keep it as is."

The organization also announced its crew chief lineup for the 2015 XFINITY Series.

Eric Phillips will lead the efforts of Daniel Suarez in the No. 18, Mike Wheeler — who filled in for Grubb during a six-race stretch on the No. 11 Sprint Cup team — will lead the No. 20 group (mutiple drivers) and Chris Gayle will replace Stevens on the No. 54.

Zack Albert contributed to this report.

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