Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Dale Jr. wins Myers Brothers Award, Harvick earns seven honors

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– In recognition of his career achievements as a champion driver, team owner and philanthropist, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named the recipient of the 2014 NMPA Myers Brothers Award, a prestigious accolade recognizing those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.

"This doesn’t even seem real," said an emotional Earnhardt after receiving the honor at the 2014 NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon held at Wynn Las Vegas. "The truth is obviously I’m extremely humbled by this award, but I feel like I share it on so many levels – my sister Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) along with everyone at JR Motorsports is as deserving of this as anyone. I have a lot of passions with NASCAR, but I wouldn’t be able to know how to make them realities without all those folks."

An accomplished driver, evidenced by his 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories and two NASCAR Nationwide Series championships, Earnhardt was cited just as much for his achievements outside his No. 88 Chevrolet, namely as the owner of JR Motorsports and a tireless community benefactor.

This season, JR Motorsports driver Chase Elliott became the youngest competitor to win a NASCAR national series championship after clinching the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series title. The 18-year-old will likely join Brad Keselowski, Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt as Sprint Cup regulars who have developed under Earnhardt full time at the Nationwide level.

In addition to his Nationwide Series program, Earnhardt contributes to racing at its grassroots levels, fielding Late Model or Street Stock cars since founding JR Motorsports. His Late Model drivers Josh Berry and William Byron finished first and second, respectively, this season in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt’s work extends off the track into the community. He has made 235 appearances on behalf of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a number that ranks in the top five among professional athletes. Furthermore, his Dale Jr. Foundation raised $913,000 to be distributed to more than 70 different charities.

"I’m just as proud of what we’ve accomplished there as anything we’ve ever done on the race track," Earnhardt said about his foundation.

The NMPA Myers Brothers Award has been presented annually since 1958 in the names of pioneer NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers and its winner is chosen by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association. Past recipients are a virtual who’s-who of the industry – drivers, owners, track operators, sponsors and members of the media – and include nearly every current member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Seventeen other awards were given out at the luncheon, spanning from achievements in marketing, performance on the track and exemplary work in the garage. 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick garnered seven honors, including the 3M Lap Leader Award and Mobil 1 Driver of the Year.

"This is really the first time I’ve gotten to stand up here and actually realize what we’ve accomplished," Harvick said. "Thank you to everyone who has participated in making our sport what it is."

Here is the complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:

• NMPA Myers Brothers Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Buddy Shuman Award: Bill Joyner, Sunoco’s Manager of Automotive Events
• NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Toyota
• 3M Lap Leader Award: Kevin Harvick
• American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kevin Harvick
• Coors Light Pole Award: Brad Keselowski
• Duralast Brakes “Brake in the Race” Award: Kevin Harvick
• Freescale “Wide Open” Award: Kevin Harvick
• Goodyear Tires Award: Kevin Harvick
• MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Billy Davis, Hendrick Engines No. 4 team
• Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 team
• Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Kevin Harvick
• MOOG Steering & Suspension Problem Solver of the Year Award: Luke Lambert, crew chief No. 31 Richard Childress Racing team
• Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Matt Kenseth
• Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Kevin Harvick
• Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Kyle Larson
• Champion Sponsor Award: Budweiser
• Champion Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Champion’s Week will conclude tomorrow with the following events (all times local PT unless noted):

Friday, Dec. 5
• Pit Pass Check-In: Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 3, fans can pick up a Pit Pass at NASCAR fan headquarters, Champion’s Week Live at The LINQ Promenade, and start checking in at various locations around the city where NASCAR partners will feature displays, including show cars. Running from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day, check-in locations include Tropicana (Ford), Treasure Island (Daytona International Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway), Paris Las Vegas (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Caesars Palace (Chevrolet), Lagasse Stadium at The Palazzo (Toyota), and Excalibur (Mechanix Wear).

• 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards: This black-tie celebration will be held at Wynn Las Vegas, where the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner and the other Chase drivers will be honored. The drivers and stars will walk the Red Carpet from 4 – 5 p.m. and NASCAR.com will live stream the arrivals from 4:30 – 5 p.m. FOX Sports 1 will air the show live beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will begin coverage at 8 p.m. ET.

• Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Reveal: The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will be given to one dedicated NASCAR fan who has made a profound impact on children in his or her community. The NASCAR Foundation will announce the national award winner during this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards. Fans can cast their vote for the 2014 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner by visiting www.NASCAR.com/Award before 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 4.

For more information on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, visit www.NASCAR.com/ChampionsWeek.

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Decade-long partner advances sport with innovative activation that goes beyond the track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 4, 2014) — Toyota will be honored today with the 2014 NASCAR® Marketing Achievement Award at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon held in the Encore Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas.

An official partner since 2004, Toyota joins Coca-Cola as the only multiple-time winner of the award. Utilizing an integrated marketing approach, Toyota has engaged fans, customers and employees across every facet of the NASCAR industry, including intellectual property, promotions, B2B, online, broadcast, at track, event marketing, and social media.

"Toyota is a world class marketer that consistently demonstrates how to effectively leverage its strong brand across all NASCAR platforms to drive measurable performance both on and off the track," said NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar. "Celebrating its 10th year in the sport, Toyota is a true partner to NASCAR at all levels."

This year, Toyota played a vital role in advancing core NASCAR initiatives including engaging fans across digital platforms, heavily investing in creative and media to connect with fans, developing activation geared toward reaching diverse audiences, and leading the way in promoting the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ format.

"Toyota is honored to receive the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award for the second time in only four years," said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience for Toyota. "Our commitment to NASCAR, both on the race track and to our fans and consumers, has grown each and every year since we formed our partnership in 2004. Our continued development of new initiatives to engage the fans and help enhance their experience is paramount. We thank NASCAR for its continued support, and look forward to introducing everyone to the 2015 Camry along with other initiatives when we get to Daytona in February."

Key Toyota integrated marketing highlights that reached NASCAR stakeholders this year include:
• Partnered to help launch the Air Titan 2.0, NASCAR’s innovative track drying system, which is pulled by Toyota Tundra trucks
• Supported The NASCAR Foundation by contributing a Toyota Camry to the 2014 Betty Jane France Award winner
• Became the first founding partner of the Daytona Rising Project
• Introduced its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, 2015 Camry race car in unison with its Camry production cars’ arrival in the showroom
• Executed four race entitlements across three tracks and major at-track presence, activating at 32 tracks
• Prominently featured NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth in national TV creative
• Continued support of NASCAR multi-cultural marketing efforts, including; integration with NASCAR Te Mueve Hispanic marketing platform, entitling the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series Toyota 120 at Phoenix International Raceway, sponsoring NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing drivers Darrell Wallace, Jr., German Quiroga and Daniel Suarez
• First Official Partner to support and integrate into the new NASCAR Chase Grid™ digital game platform
• Sponsored the new interactive Chase fan event in Chicago, Chase Grid Live Sponsored by Toyota and Sprint
• Built cultural relevance in NASCAR by using its "Made in America" core message to establish the company as an American carmaker, and supported our nation’s military and their families through its backing of Hiring Our Heroes and NASCAR — An American Salute initiatives

Other previous winners of the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award include: Mars, Incorporated; ESPN; FOX / TNT / NBC; Nationwide Insurance; and Sprint.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ will culminate with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards™, where this year’s Chase drivers will be recognized for their accomplishments on stage before a star-studded audience comprised of teams, owners, celebrities and fans. FOX Sports 1 will provide coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will begin coverage at 8 p.m. ET.

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Four-time champion explains late stop in season finale

LAS VEGAS–Jeff Gordon appeared to have a race-winning car in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but a decision to pit for four tires late in the race dropped him far back in the running order and relegated the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 10th-place finish.

In tying up that loose end from Homestead, Gordon explained that his decision was dictated by a choice made earlier in the race.

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"I think the question really needs to be about, before that, why we didn’t pit," Gordon told the NASCAR Wire Service after the Myers Brothers Luncheon. "You take all the information you have from past history of long green-flag runs to the end of the race, track position, who’s coming, who’s not…

"We dominated that race, had a car that I think could have and should have won that race. But we all came in and got four tires, they throw the green, and caution comes out in three or four laps. We stay out, and I think we went one more round of green-flag run, four or five laps, and caution comes out again.

"At that point, that’s where the race changed for us and really took us out of contention, because we decided to stay out, and all those other guys decided to come in, and there were just too many cautions at the end."

Gordon scoffed at the suggestion that he might not have wanted to restart up front on old tires at the end of the race, with the potential to effect the outcome of the championship battle.

"Heck, no, that had nothing to do with it," Gordon said. "It was all about winning the race, and knowing that those guys behind us had fresh tires, because they elected to pit—and that place eats tires up…

"What’s really interesting is, when you look at (Sprint Cup champion) Kevin Harvick‘s position, he came down pit road and took four (tires) where some other guys took two, and he saw his championship chances completely go out the window. If you listened to his radio communication, it was ‘We’re done, we’re done.’

"But enough cautions fell after that to bring them back into it, and he did a great job, obviously, moving up through there. And that exact same thing that helped win him the championship is what cost us the win for that race."

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Posted on by Staff Report

Network’s approach ‘reinvigorates’ him as son Adam’s entry into the sport did

Kyle Petty has joined the race-day broadcast team for NBC Sports Group, the organization announced Thursday, and is the latest figure to join the network’s ever-growing cast of NASCAR experts in preparation for the 2015 season and beyond.

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Petty will work alongside Krista Voda, whose hiring was announced in late October, as an analyst on pre- and post-race shows surrounding NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series coverage. He will also remain a regular contributor to "NASCAR America" on NBCSN.

"Kyle Petty brings a lifetime of experience to our team that is unmatched," said Sam Flood, executive producer, NBC Sports and NBCSN. "As a driver, team owner, philanthropist and multigenerational observer of the sport, he has seen it all, and has great perspectives across NASCAR’s full spectrum."

Petty joins a group that already includes race announcer Rick Allen and on-air analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, along with reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro and Dave Burns.

The son of Richard Petty and grandson of Lee Petty, both NASCAR Hall of Famers, Kyle grew up entrenched in the sport and made 829 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A guest on "The Morning Drive" on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when the news was released, Petty joked, "Breaking news after I’ve been on "NASCAR America" on NBC for 23 weeks this year. Breaking news, I have a job next year."

From his work on the nightly NBCSN show, Petty said the staff has "reinvigorated" him. He compared the network’s fresh-eyed return to NASCAR to his late son’s approach to racing when Adam became a national series competitor.

"…when Adam came along, it was like I was seeing these race tracks for the first time because he was so excited," Petty said. "Even though he had been around the sport, he hadn’t driven, and he was so excited.

"(He would) tell me what the race track felt like or tell me what was going on at the race track or what he learned today at the race track. And I get that same feeling from these people at NBC.

"They’re just excited to be at the race track, and they’re excited to be a part of the sport."

FOX and NBC have exclusive NASCAR broadcasting rights, beginning next year. NBC will broadcast the final 20 Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content, beginning next year.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Miss Kentucky USA 2012 to replace Rachel Rupert in 2015

From a six-pack of candidates, the next Miss Coors Light has been chosen to replace retiring Rachel Rupert.

"I like drinking beer, fast cars and left turns!"

—Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz

Amanda Mertz was introduced today at Champion’s Week Live at The LINQ in Las Vegas, in between the NASCAR Victory Lap and NASCAR After the Lap, as part of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week.

Mertz will begin shadowing Rupert at her favorite race track, Daytona International Speedway, where the first Coors Light Pole of the new season for the Daytona 500 will be awarded on February 15 on FOX. Next April or May, she’ll don the Coors Light fire suit at tracks across the country as she presents the Coors Light Pole Award in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

A perfect pick for the position, Mertz said, "I like drinking beer, fast cars and left turns!" She’s also represented Coors Light at various races in the Daytona Beach, Florida market.

The winner of Miss Kentucky USA 2012 hails from Louisville, Kentucky. She has been an entertainment correspondent for Got Country Online and was featured in music videos for Brantley Gilbert’s "Small Town Throwdown" and Jason Aldean’s "Burnin’ It Down."

Her hobbies include fishing, working out, racing, football, traveling, the lake, bow hunting and anything outdoors.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner announced Friday

LAS VEGAS — NASCAR’s top drivers mixed and mingled at a reception Wednesday night at the Wynn Las Vegas, but their customary star power was outshone by four special individuals making a life-changing impact in the NASCAR community.

The four finalists for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award took center stage Wednesday night, introduced by the award’s namesake, the widow of former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. After the four were introduced, France said this year’s selections "raised the bar" with their contributions to philanthropy.

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"That wasn’t easy to do," France said. "The bar was already pretty high."

Voting for the fourth annual award continues through Thursday at midnight ET at NASCAR.com/award. The winner will be announced Friday night during the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony, with the recipient collecting a $100,000 contribution for his or her charity from Bank of America and a 2015 Camry provided by award sponsor Toyota.

The other three finalists will receive $25,000 donations for their causes. France was quick to point out that regardless of Friday’s announcement, all of the four nominees were already winners.

"Their stories are emotional and impactful," France said. "They truly represent the heart and soul of the NASCAR world, which we all know is much more than racing. Caring, compassion and commitment — that’s what we’ve been introduced to this evening."

The four finalists — who were announced at Kansas Speedway in October — come from all regions of the country. Wednesday evening, they converged in Las Vegas to take photos and exchange greetings with the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers.

The four nominees for this year’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award are:

• Tammy Anderson-Lee, San Diego: A longtime volunteer with the Autism Society of San Diego, Anderson-Lee has been instrumental in teaching survival swimming to the community with her innovative Pool PALS program.

• Amber Larkin; Windermere, Florida: Larkin founded the Noah’s Light Foundation in 2010 to help fund research and raise awareness for finding a cure for pediatric brain cancer. The foundation is named after her son, who passed away from the disease in 2012.

• Chris McElwee; Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: The founder of Michael’s Way, named in memory of his brother’s bout with leukemia, has raised more than $400,000 to help families of children with cancer.

• Daniel Noltemeyer; Louisville, Kentucky: Noltemeyer, a 32-year-old living with Down Syndrome, helped form Best Buddies Kentucky with the goal of helping raise awareness and furthering social activities for people with developmental disabilities.

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Honored as a driver and owner, supporting racing from local to national series

RELATED: NMPA Most Popular Driver Award moved to Friday

LAS VEGAS — Dale Earnhardt Jr., a champion as both a competitor and team owner, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Myers Brothers Award for 2014.

Earnhardt, 40, was chosen by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association and presented the award during Thursday’s annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon held at the Wynn Las Vegas.

The Myers Brothers Award is named in honor of brothers Billy and Bobby Myers, two of NASCAR’s pioneers from the 1950s. It has been presented annually since 1958 with the purpose of recognizing those that have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.

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"I was so nervous but I’d never been more excited to give a speech," Earnhardt Jr. said afterward. "I was so proud for myself, my sister and JR Motorsports to get this acknowledgement. You never assume to get credited or get that pat on the back but when it does happen it’s such a great feeling.

"I felt like JR Motorsports has been a great asset to the sport. I feel like we’ve done a lot of good things to help the sport. … This was kind of an acknowledgement to that — that we’re doing the right things and we need to continue with our direction.

"As an individual, I looked at the long list of people that had won this award and it’s a who’s who of the sport, the people that made the sport. To have my name in that list is overwhelming and a great honor."

Eighth in this year’s final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings, Earnhardt qualified for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup for the seventh time and finished the season with four victories, 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes.

He is a 23-time winner in Sprint Cup, twice a champion in the NASCAR Nationwide (now XFINITY) Series as a driver, and a three-time champion of that series as co-team owner.

But it is his care and concern for both the history and the future of the sport that has elevated the third-generation driver to being more than a successful competitor.

Along with sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Sprint Cup team owner Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports organization has become a successful pipeline for grooming talent at the track as well as at the race shop.

In 2014, JR Motorsports driver Chase Elliott became the youngest driver to win the Nationwide Series championship, and is expected to make a handful of Sprint Cup starts for Hendrick Motorsports in 2015 while also defending his series title. Elliott and teammate Regan Smith finished 1-2 in the series’ points standings.

Elliott’s crew chief Greg Ives will join Earnhardt next season as crew chief for the No. 88 Sprint Cup team at HMS.

Just this week, JRM announced that Dave Elenz and Jason Burdett had been named crew chiefs for two of the organization’s three teams. Elenz previously served as an engineer on the No. 88 and 48 teams at Hendrick Motorsports while Burdett, who does have crew chief experience, was a car chief for eight seasons at HMS.

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup champion, competed full-time for JRM in 2008 and ’09, finishing third in points each year. Sprint Cup competitors Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt also have driven for the team full-time, with each earning top-10 points finishes.

Fellow Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr. won back-to-back Nationwide Series titles (2004-05) when the team was known as Chance2 Motorsports and operated in conjunction with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"I can’t wait to go home and share this with Kelley and everybody at the shop," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I have that passion and love everything about it, I love the history, the people from the past, (and) the people we have today. I really admire all the drivers that we race against and all the people in the garage.

"But we don’t have the foundation, the foundation isn’t as effective, the race teams don’t happen and they run themselves as fluidly without Kelley, without all those people. This doesn’t happen without those guys and they do so much."

Earnhardt Jr. isn’t attracted to only the upper levels of NASCAR competition. He is one of the few NASCAR team owners that have given back to grassroots racing by fielding full-time operations for regional short-track racing as well. He has fielded Street Stock or Late Model entries at local short tracks since starting JRM.

This season, his Late Model drivers Josh Berry and William Byron finished first and second, respectively, in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at historic Hickory Motor Speedway. The sweep gave JRM 1-2 points finishes in both series in which it competed full-time in ’14.

It was the second LM championship in three years for the organization, as Berry won the title at Motor Mile Speedway in 2012.

Berry also made two Nationwide Series starts for JRM this season.

Earnhardt Jr.’s off-track endeavors have been just as noteworthy. This past season, he facilitated his 235th meeting through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a total that ranks among the top five for all professional athletes.

And the Dale Jr. Foundation raised a record $913,000 for distribution to 70 charities in 2014. The Foundation’s focus is to give underprivileged individuals, particularly youngsters, the resources to improve their confidence and education.

"(It was) more emotional than I anticipated it being," he said of the honor. "Winning races is exciting, a huge thrill and you just explode inside. This was humbling; really you implode more than explode.

"It’s such a great feeling. I really appreciate our group getting acknowledged for all the hard work. I’ve felt like for years that we were doing some great things on and off the race track at JR Motorsports. This really solidifies my opinion there."

Others receiving votes for the 2014 Myers Brothers Award were ESPN and series sponsors Sprint and Nationwide Insurance.

Below is a complete list of previous winners, courtesy of NMPAOnline.com.

Myers Brothers Award Winners

Year Recipient
2013 Tony Stewart
2012 Jeff Gordon
2011 Drs. Joe & Rose Mattioli
2010 Jim Hunter
2009 Barney Hall
2008 Thomas Taylor Warren
2007 Bill France Jr.
2006 Benny Parsons
2005 Rusty Wallace
2004 Kyle & Pattie Petty
2003 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
2002 Mike Helton
2001 Dale Earnhardt
2000 Kyle Petty
1999 Junie Donlavey
1998 T. Wayne Robertson
1997 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1996 Rick Hendrick
1995 The Nashville Network
1994 Brickyard 400 / Indianapolis Motor Speedway
1993 Goody’s Manufacturing Co.
1992 Richard and Lynda Petty
1991 Harry Gant
1990 Dick Beatty
1989 Bill France Jr.
1988 Richmond International Raceway
1987 ESPN
1986 Hayride 500
1985 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1984 Charlotte Motor Speedway
1983 CBS-TV
1982 Motor Racing Network
1981 Junior Johnson
1980 STP & Champion Spark Plug Co.
1979 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
1978 Busch
1977 First National City Travelers Checks
1976 Junior Johnson
1975 Bill France Sr.
1974 H. Clay Earles
1973 Wood Brothers
1972 Winston Cigarettes
1971 Richard Petty
1970 Richard Howard
1969 David Pearson
1968 Wood Brothers
1967 Richard Petty
1966 Norris Friel
1965 Ned Jarrett
1964 Richard Petty
1963 Marvin Panch
1962 Hank Schoolfield
1961 Ned Jarrett
1960 Russ Catlin
1959 Lee Petty
1958 Bob Colvin

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Owner heads to Las Vegas to celebrate Harvick championship

Newly crowned championship owner Tony Stewart was released from the hospital Wednesday following surgery on his right leg and will attend NASCAR’s Champion’s Week festivities in Las Vegas later this week.

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The planned surgery was to replace a rod in Stewart’s right leg — routine follow-up for a severely broken right tibia and fibula suffered in a sprint car racing accident in August 2013.

It’s the fourth surgery since the accident and Stewart told NASCAR.com last month that there will be one more in the future. He missed the remaining 15 races of the 2013 season recovering.

Stewart will be attending the Myers Brothers Luncheon on Thursday and the formal Sprint Cup Series Awards banquet on Friday evening to celebrate his Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick‘s first Sprint Cup championship — the second for SHR in the last four years. Co-owner Gene Haas will be sitting on stage at the head table with Harvick with Stewart — on crutches — in the audience.

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NASCAR COO highlights SportsBusiness Journal Motorsports Marketing Forum

LAS VEGAS — Brent Dewar has a unique perspective when it comes to recognizing the progress NASCAR has made over the past year.

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After a 30-year career at General Motors, where he retired in 2010 as senior vice president of global Chevrolet, Dewar came to NASCAR a year ago as chief operating officer.

In the past 12 months, Dewar has gotten a first-hand look at the inner workings of a sanctioning body he once viewed from a markedly different perspective as the representative of an OEM.

"Five years ago, when I left General Motors, I met with Brian France, and he talked about his vision of where he wanted the sport to go," Dewar said Tuesday on the opening day of the NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum presented by SportsBusiness Daily/Global/Journal at the Aria. "And he talked about technology and change and driving new fans and being more open and transparent and things of that nature.

"I remember thinking at the time, ‘Wow! Good luck with that, Brian.’ "I went off and (did) some other things for a few years, and it’s really gratifying to see, five years later, some of the things Brian talked to me about at that lunchtime in New York are really coming to bear."

Dewar answered a multitude of questions in a session titled "Fireside Chat: A Year in Review and the Plan Moving Forward," but much of what he addressed was the positive response to the new elimination-style Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format introduced this year.

As Dewar pointed out, this year’s playoff succeeded not only in attracting new fans to the sport but also in recovering what he termed "lapsed fans," as the buzz around the Chase reached critical mass. In addition, the intensity of the competition in the Chase enhanced the fundamental nature of the competition itself.

"In my first weeks at NASCAR, we were rolling out the concept to the teams," Dewar said. "Brian France, he was the brainchild of the change… He approached the drivers about ‘Listen, you guys aren’t racing hard enough,’ and a number of them, really, said, ‘That’s not true — we race every weekend, we race to win.’

"And he said, ‘Look, guys, I’m not a race car driver…’ But you take Brian, who’s been around the sport since he was a child, with his father and grandfather, and he felt and saw a difference. And this format really brought that out."

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY

It’s easy to enumerate a long list of technological innovations in NASCAR racing — from the NASCAR Green agenda to the Fan and Media Engagement Center to the Air Titan track-drying system to the online rulebook and parts database — but one of the most innovative changes is yet to come, according to NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell.

"Next year, starting at Daytona, we’ll be implementing technology as a referee in our sport," O’Donnell said Wednesday at the NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum.

Not only will race officials have a database at their disposal for inspections, but calls on pit road also will be made based on real-time video observation of every aspect of a pit stop.

"We believe we’ll be the first sport to incorporate technology in every second of every race," O’Donnell said. "Everything will be under review."

From May on, NASCAR ran the "technological refereeing" as a redundant system to the human officiating. O’Donnell said the Chase race at Phoenix would have yielded 75 penalties on the technological side, for example, something the sanctioning body will have to address with the teams.

Accordingly, NASCAR is taking crew chiefs and pit crew coaches through the system next week to familiarize them with the new "referee" before the system goes live at Daytona.

TOYOTA CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY

Toyota may be the most recent manufacturer to join the NASCAR ranks, but Keith Dahl, the automaker’s corporate manager of motorsports and engagement marketing, doesn’t consider the brand the new kid on the block any more.

In fact, in terms of its presence in the sport, Toyota, which debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2004, has come a long way since its first foray into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the 2007 Daytona 500. There, Toyota’s activation of the brand took place in the parking lot of the now-defunct Cancun Lagoon restaurant across from the speedway.

Today, Toyota maintains an increasingly pervasive presence in the sport, with race entitlements, official pace cars and such partnerships with NASCAR as "Chase Grid Live" in Chicago and official truck status for the Air Titan track-drying system.

For Dahl, of course, the bottom line in NASCAR marketing is driving showroom traffic and increasing opinion and purchase consideration among NASCAR fans.

"We are delighted with NASCAR’s partnership," Dahl said. "It’s opened up a lot of doors for us. It’s a substantial part of our investment, but it’s an easy business case to make."

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Posted on by Staff Report

Networks co-create promotion for multiple platforms

FOX Sports and NBC Sports, which will broadcast all of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series races starting in 2015, will team up for a co-created on-air promotion that will be available on multiple network platforms, the two organizations announced Wednesday.

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At the Sports Business Journal Motorsports Marketing Forum in Las Vegas, NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus and FOX Sports President, COO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks made the announcement jointly.

The intention of the project is to promote the upcoming season on the heels of a dramatic conclusion to 2014, which saw Kevin Harvick win his first championship in the brand-new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format.

"It’s no secret that we compete rather fiercely in most other areas of our business, but given all of the excitement surrounding the sport, we felt the time was right to come together and celebrate our new broadcast partnership," NBC Sports Group’s CMO John Miller said. "Our collective competitive spirit yielded a piece that turned out extremely well, and we’re looking forward to future collaborations as we build on NASCAR’s momentum."

"This approach simply makes sense," added Robert Gottlieb, EVP of Marketing, FOX Sports. "The new distribution of NASCAR programming across FOX and NBC lends itself to a co-branded effort. We’re excited to tell NASCAR Nation about how great the 2015 season is going to be."

The new 10-year broadcasting partnership that begins next year has FOX Sports and FOX Sports 1 providing coverage for the first half of the season, with NBC picking up for the second half.

"As we crown a first-time champion and celebrate what has been an exciting year for NASCAR in 2014, it’s great to see that NBC and FOX have already created a spirit of collaboration and synergy that will propel the sport forward," said Brent Dewar, NASCAR’s chief operating officer. "Two of the world’s largest media companies collaborating on NASCAR-themed creative months before a new season begins demonstrates the level of commitment the industry and our fans can expect from NASCAR and our television broadcast partners in 2015 and beyond."

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