Relive the speeches made by the top 10 drivers at the Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony has come and gone, but the speeches of the top 10 drivers in this year’s final standings remain.
You can relive all of the speeches from the ceremony here.
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Six alterations announced to selection process
LAS VEGAS — Mark Martin won’t have to wait three years to be eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Thanks to changes in the selection process announced Thursday, the veteran driver will be up for consideration beginning with the class of 2015.
And he’s not alone — Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader, Geoffrey Bodine and Ron Hornaday Jr. are also among those drivers who could find themselves up for enshrinement due to eligibility changes that promise to broaden and modernize the pool of available candidates, and especially benefit drivers who competed on the track into their 50s.
NASCAR unveiled six procedural changes to the Hall of Fame selection process in a Champions Week announcement, and the most impactful involves driver eligibility. Currently, drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for three are eligible for nomination to the Hall of Fame. While that will not change, moving forward, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are also immediately eligible for selection.
National series drivers impacted by new NHOF driver eligibility:
• Norm Benning: 61 years old
• Geoff Bodine: 64 years old
• Derrike Cope:55 years old, 31 seasons
• Rick Crawford: 55 years old
• Bill Elliott: 58 years old, 37 seasons
• Bobby Gerhart: 55 years old
• David Green: 56 years old
• Mike Harmon: 55 years old
• Ron Hornaday Jr.: 55 years old
• James Hylton: 79 years old, 30 seasons
• Terry Labonte: 57 years old, 36 seasons
• Mark Martin: 31 seasons
• Butch Miller: 61 years old
• Ken Schrader: 58 years old, 30 seasons
• Mike Skinner: 56 years old
• Morgan Shepherd: 72 years old, 36 seasons
Also, any competitor who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age. The changes will benefit drivers like Martin, 54, a 40-time race winner who likely competed for the final time in the Sprint Cup Series this past season after 31 years on the circuit. Elliott, 58, is a former champion who competed as recently as 2012 and raced over 37 seasons. Two-time champion Terry Labonte, 57, competed in five events this past season, his 36th in the series.
Drivers may also now continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction. The changes to the selection process reflect an era when many drivers are proving competitive well beyond what was once considered retirement age, and will almost certainly add more contemporary names to the pool of drivers eligible for enshrinement.
"It wasn’t a goal on specific drivers," said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR’s chief communication officer. "… That was not the goal. There wasn’t ever really a goal. The discussion came to, our sport is different. We have guys that compete for 20, 30, 35 years. It just makes sense. If they have a Hall of Fame résumé, the voters will determine that. To put more emphasis on the drivers, our sport has always been about the driver, and anything we can do to get more drivers in that discussion is where we wanted to go."
NASCAR chairman Brian France added that the changes will result in "stronger nominees" being put up for consideration. Martin, Elliott, Labonte and the other newly-eligible drivers will now be in the mix when the Hall of Fame’s nominating committee determines the slate of candidates for the 2015 class, the first stages of which will begin in February of next year.
NASCAR formally announced five other changes, including the addition of the reigning Sprint Cup champion to the following year’s voting panel, a move first unveiled in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That means Jimmie Johnson, who captured his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship this season, will be included in the selection meeting and cast a vote for the class of 2015 on voting day, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.
Also, beginning with the 2015 class, a new award called the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR will be initiated to honor significant contributions to the sport’s growth. Potential recipients could include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners will remain eligible for Hall enshrinement.
Five nominees for the Landmark Award will be selected by the Hall’s nominating committee, and then be voted upon by the voting panel. To win the award, an individual must appear on at least 60 percent of the ballots and no more than one award will be presented annually. Voting for this award will occur immediately following the voting for the Hall of Fame class and be monitored by the same independent accounting firm that oversees voting.
Also, for the first time, the nominating committee will meet in person to create the ballots for both the Hall of Fame and the Landmark Award. Previously, the committee submitted nominees via mail to an independent accounting firm which totaled the nominations in order to create the final Hall ballot. The nominating committee will meet during Speedweeks at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, and the nominees for both ballots will be announced later that day.
Moving forward, the nominating committee will also select five fewer members for enshrinement, with the number dropping from 25 to 20 beginning with selection for the 2015 class. And any member of the nominating or voting panels who appeared on the previous or current year’s ballot will now be recused from participation in the nominating or voting process for as long as they are up for consideration. That latter change most directly affects Jerry Cook, the former modified great who has been a voter as well as a nominee.
The number of new Hall of Fame members selected each year, five, remains unchanged. The Hall of Fame’s 2014 class, which will be comprised of former drivers Dale Jarrett, Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, and Fireball Roberts as well as former engine builder Maurice Petty, will be enshrined at the downtown Charlotte, N.C., facility on Jan. 29 of next year.
"The Hall of Fame is a treasure. It’s a treasure for our sport. It’s a treasure for the community of Charlotte," Jewkes said. "These guys that are going to be there are treasures for all of us for a long, long time. Anything we can do to put more focus on the drivers, bring more people into the conversation and then make this process as crisp as possible. My biggest belief out of this whole thing … is, this makes the responsibility to be a voter much more difficult, in my opinion. It puts a lot of responsibility on them to make some tough calls. That ballot is going to be tighter. "
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NASCAR Chairman and CEO hits on Richmond scandal, Iowa purchase, possible qualifying changes
LAS VEGAS — NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France touched on several topics in NASCAR’s season wrap-up session with the media. In addition to changes to the NASCAR Hall of Fame process, France discussed:
• The Richmond scandal. The NASCAR chairman said he was personally "pissed off, to be honest" over the events in the regular-season finale that led to heavy penalties against Michael Waltrip Racing for race manipulation, and altered the face of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. But the chairman stands by the way NASCAR handled the controversy, which involved the unprecedented step of adding a 13th driver — in this case, Jeff Gordon — to the Chase.
"I was very angry about it," France said. "But I also knew that … if we dealt with it really straight on, that we wouldn’t have a long‑term blemish. It was going to be really tough, especially for the teams that got penalized, losing sponsors. That was no fun for anybody. But I knew that our credibility would be preserved if we did the right thing and we acted swiftly. So I wasn’t ever worried about that. But of course we were disappointed. But that’s just the nature, I guess, of competitive sports. You’ve got human beings trying to do their best, and sometimes they cross lines they shouldn’t cross."
• Iowa Speedway. NASCAR last week announced it had purchased the track that has hosted NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events since 2009. The facility had gone through ownership changes, France said, and NASCAR’s ownership gives the track some stability.
"It’s an attractive asset in a region of the country that is very NASCAR-centric, and they run multiple events for multiple series, they’ve had a lot of success," France said. "The public companies that are in the space, for various reasons, the timing wasn’t right for them, but the time was right for us. So from a NASCAR standpoint, we’ll get to give some stability to a facility that needs that, number one. We’ve got a lot of talent through our system that we’ll be able to deploy to promote, run, operate and execute that facility, and we’ll try to do our best to position it."
• Qualifying changes. France reiterated that NASCAR is continuing to examine potential changes to the qualifying format. In a meeting with competitors earlier this season, NASCAR said it was looking at moving away from single-car qualifying in favor of group formats like those used on road courses.
"It’s the one format that we will deal with, because it’s not part of the race‑day event. And our goal is to make that a little more exciting, a little more interesting for the fans," France said. "The track operators have certainly wanted that for a long time, and they’re right. So we’ve been working on some ideas, and there will be something pretty shortly on that, and it will make it more exciting."
• The Sprint Cup schedule. Many have wondered if NASCAR will use the kickoff of the sport’s new television deal in 2015 as an opportunity to revamp the Sprint Cup schedule, but France said he doesn’t foresee that happening.
"Most tracks with a couple of exceptions don’t like to give up a date that’s worked for them, and so on, that they’ve had for a long time," France said. "So there might be a change or two, but I wouldn’t predict any significant changes."
• NBC’s return. The peacock network will return as a NASCAR broadcast partner in 2015, and this week unveiled a talent lineup that includes Rick Allen as lead announcer and Jeff Burton as analyst. France said he can already sense that within the NBC portfolio, NASCAR will be a priority.
"Right away, we’re going to get a lot more attention simply because it’s their focus," he said. "They’re going to use the assets within the (NBC) Universal platform, the E Channel, things that we don’t think about every day, to cross-promote day in and day out. And when you create interest levels that hopefully go up, we match that with even better racing than we have today, (that’s) our goal."
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Stewart makes a surprise appearance and takes home Myers Brothers Award
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ driver Tony Stewart’s reaction to being named recipient of the 2013 NMPA Myers Brothers Award was emotional and heartfelt.
“This is crazy,” said the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. “What an honor. It’s very humbling.”
Stewart was honored by the National Motor Sports Press Association (NMPA) during Thursday’s annual Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon at Wynn Las Vegas for a variety of reasons – as a fierce competitor, championship team owner and race track promoter.
“But he’s also helped others on many occasions; quietly and without recognition,” said NMPA President Kenny Bruce. “The stories of our winner’s big heart have gotten around; much to his dismay, I’m sure. Trust me, they’re endless.”
Bruce’s introductory remarks were echoed by master of ceremonies and FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy. “What he does for the sport makes him one of a kind.”
The Myers Brothers Award is presented in the names of pioneer NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers. 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.
Stewart was cited for a longtime body of work – and specifically for his role in taking NASCAR back to its roots. He and his staff at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, produced the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series “Mudsummer Classic,” the sanctioning body’s first national points competition on a dirt surface in more than four decades.
“I’d always joked around that having a dirt race on the schedule would be really great,” Stewart said.
Stewart, however, prefers to credit others – specifically NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell and Eldora Speedway manager Roger Slack – for the ultimate success of the “Mudsummer Classic.”
Stewart’s 2013 season was cut short by a broken leg suffered in a sprint car accident in early August. He crossed the stage on Thursday without the aid of crutches to accept his award and should be ready to battle for his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup title when the 2014 season opens with February’s Daytona 500.
“It was hard sitting on the sidelines watching,” he said addressing his 13 fellow drivers who competed in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. “It’s given me a different perspective.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named the NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for a record, 11th consecutive season. He matched Bill Elliott’s mark a year ago although the 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion continues to hold the overall record of 16.
Earnhardt said many things motivate a driver to compete at a high level.
“None impacts us more than the fans,” he said. “This year we feel like we were giving them a lot to cheer for on the race track and paying them back for all the years they’ve voted for us to win this award.”
In the end, more than one million votes were tallied for 39 eligible drivers with Earnhardt collecting in excess of 700,000 votes.
A complete list of awards presented during Thursday’s NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon can be found at the end of this release.
Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, addressed the media prior to the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon calling the just-concluded season “a good year.”
“Obviously, there’s some business things we’ve got accomplished like getting our media rights secured for the next decade,” he said. “That’s tremendous for the industry; great visibility. NBC is going to do a really good job (beginning in 2015).”
France pronounced the roll-out of the Gen-6 Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry successful.
“There were some fair questions and expectations – would we get that right and in ‘08 (with the Car of Tomorrow), we didn’t,” he said. “I think we changed that in a big way getting the car manufacturers, the teams and others all on the same page and we have a better racing product, which is the center of it for all of us.”
The premier series’ three manufacturers were named joint recipients of the 2013 Buddy Shuman Award for their role in creating race cars styled to better connect the sport with the pride of car ownership shared by millions of North American consumers.
The 2013 season also saw the emergence of future – and diverse – stars such as Kyle Larson in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Darrell Wallace Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Larson is the first Asian-American to win a Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in one of NASCAR’s national series. Wallace was the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national series race in nearly 50 years.
“You saw a mix of things coming in the future,” France said. “They’re going to be with us; Kyle Larson being one, at the Cup level beginning next year. Darrell Wallace had a bit of a breakout year for himself.”
Despite cooler than normal temperatures, thousands of fans lined The Strip – Las Vegas Boulevard – as the top-13 drivers celebrated the conclusion of the 2013 season with the fifth annual Victory Lap. Engines rumbled and smoke from burnouts filled the air during the popular event that started and finished in front of the Miracle Mile Shops on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Additional events Thursday included the NASCAR After The LapTM sponsored by Ford and Coca-Cola at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort, a “tell-all” driver-fan interaction that lived up to its promise as one of the most sought after off-track tickets.
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Manufacturers honored for collaboration on Generation-6 car
In a testament to the effective collaboration of competitors toward a common goal, the three auto makers involved in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing — Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota –shared the Buddy Shuman Award, presented annually by the Champion brand to individuals and organizations that have played key roles in the growth and development of stock car racing.
The three automakers worked closely with NASCAR and with each other to speed the development of the Generation-6 race car introduced into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.
"I don’t know whether or not you could get three insurance companies to come together and work together, but the fact of the matter is we’re not afraid of one another," said Ed Laukes, vice president for marketing communications and motorsports for Toyota.
"We compete on the race track, we compete in the showroom, we compete in auto shows, we compete everywhere all year round. I don’t know whether that could happen in any other industry. It’s really special for the automotive industry."
Chevrolet Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Jim Campbell suggested a fourth recipient of the Shuman award might have been appropriate.
"I really felt like, in addition to the three manufacturers, they should have had somebody from NASCAR up there — Robin Pemberton (vice president of competition and racing development) and his team," Campbell said. "Without that work, it would have never happened."
Tim Duerr, motorsports marketing manager at Ford, said the advent of the Gen-6 car and its heightened brand identity was helping Ford achieve its primary goal of selling cars.
"Fusion sales are at a record pace," Duerr said. "We’re very proud of what the new Fusion has done from an appearance, quality and performance standpoint. To put that car out on the track every weekend in front of the 75 million NASCAR fans is just a great benefit to Ford Motor Company."
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Gen-6, NASCAR Next also in the NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum spotlight
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — As Scott Atherton put it, Brian France’s presence at the 2013 NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum at the Aria was lost on no one.
France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, kicked off the session on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship by affirming his unqualified support of the racing series formed by the merger of the GRAND-AM Road Racing and American Le Mans Series.
"The results are tremendous, what we’re seeing with our OEM participation getting bigger and better, our sponsorships getting bigger and better. Interest in the combined schedule for 2014 has never been stronger. You can feel it." — NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France on TUDOR United Sports Car Championship
"A couple of years ago, we looked at sports car racing, which we had our own position in with Grand-American," France said. "It was very obvious that two separate sports car racing series would never achieve what we needed to.
"There were lots of difficulties in pulling that together, but we did. In 2012, we announced that, and then we went on in 2013 to integrate those two companies. The results are tremendous, what we’re seeing with our OEM participation getting bigger and better, our sponsorships getting bigger and better. Interest in the combined schedule for 2014 has never been stronger. You can feel it."
Atherton, president and chief operating officer of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), the sanctioning body for the new series, concurred that enthusiasm for the merged series is building rapidly.
"Sept. 5, 2012, was when we went public with the announcement of the merger, and since that time, it has been the most incredible process I’ve ever been involved with," Atherton said. "There’s a large group of people that deserve a lot of credit for pulling this together…
"Next we had to define a new brand and a new name — United SportsCar Championship, and then the decision to put it all under the umbrella of IMSA as the sanctioning body of record. So, GRAND-AM as a brand and as an entity — gone. American Le Mans Series, brand and entity — also gone, replaced by IMSA."
According to Atherton, the new entity promises more racing for more drivers at historic venues, starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona in late January.
"For years, we all took a sheet of paper and said, ‘OK, write down your dream schedule,’ and frankly, 2014 represents that," Atherton said. "To open up with the Rolex 24 At Daytona, followed by the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, followed by the Long Beach Grand Prix…
"You name the track. If it’s a historically significant major-market sports car history venue, it’s on our calendar."
In addition to the attractive schedule, the series debuts with a five-year commitment from TUDOR, a division of Rolex that previously has marketed the brand primarily in Asia.
"We have this heritage in motorsports," said Russell Kelly, brand manager for TUDOR. "Rolex has supported motorsports and had a relationship with the France family since 1959. It’s no secret that we have a love of motorsports.
"TUDOR has just come back to the U.S. market in September of this year. It’s important for us because, first of all, the sports car racing series is defined by time. It’s not defined by distance. It’s not defined by the number of laps. It’s defined by time.
"More important, it helped us to reach a demographic where we wouldn’t otherwise have an audience… The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship really gives us an opportunity to come here, with a great schedule in two key markets for us, and speak to the local, domestic customer."
Atherton also revealed a new technology that will facilitate keeping track of the running positions of all cars in all series, an aspect of sports car and endurance racing that had the potential for confusion in the past.
Those who follow the sport will recall leader lights on the front-running cars. Now fans will be able to see the positions of every car on the track.
"Beginning in 2014 with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, every car is going to have a digital panel on it, still color-coded to each class, but every position, regardless of where the car is, will be displayed in brilliant color that’s visible in the brightest of sunlight," Atherton said.
"So you can go away, have a lunch break, do whatever you do, come back, and within one lap you’re going to know every car’s position in every class simply by watching the cars go by in front of you. So we’re tackling some of the Achilles heels in sports car racing."
STRONG SEASON
France prefaced his introduction of the merged sports car series with a synopsis of the past season in NASCAR racing, referring notably to the introduction of the new Gen-6 race car to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
"We had a couple of things we had to get right," France said. "One of them was launching the Gen-6 race car at the Sprint Cup level. Understand that we didn’t have a very good track record. If you go back to ’08 (with the introduction of the Gen-5 as the ‘Car of Tomorrow’) — I take a lot of responsibility for this — we didn’t have the cooperation of the OEMs and the rest of the industry, and we didn’t get the proper launch of our product, which is a key thing we have to get right…
"So high expectations from us to get this right, get the OEMs back where they were positioned better with us, get the drivers and the teams liking the cars — how they drive and how they race — and the fans ultimately liking what they see on the track. After all, that’s the heart of what we do."
France referenced the upcoming testing (Dec. 9 at Charlotte Motor Speedway) and review as part of the continuing process in improving the performance of the Gen-6 car on intermediate speedways.
"I’m pleased to say that we got all that right, for the most part," France said. "We’re still working on one significant part of that. And one part of that is our competition review that we’ve been doing, knowing that the stated goal of NASCAR is very simple: to have the closest, most competitive and safest racing in the world."
FANS FIRST
In one of the early-morning sessions, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell spearheaded a discussion about creating the ultimate fan experience.
Much of the focus dealt with the influx of new young talent through NASCAR’s touring series and the concerted effort to make the young drivers household names to the fan base.
"What you’ve seen, by investing in the NASCAR touring series, by investing in the NASCAR Next program, you’ve got Ryan Blaney coming up, you’ve got Chase Elliott coming up, Kyle Larson, names that people have now heard of who are winning — Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez out of Mexico," O’Donnell said.
"So I think that we have really taken the initiative to not just look at Cup, but all the way down to the touring series."
During a panel discussion focused on attracting new fans to motorsports, NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Kim Brink noted that the sanctioning body had expanded the scope of its advertising to underline the drama and danger inherent to the sport.
"Steve Phelps, our CMO was making a presentation," Brink said. "And he said, ‘What our drivers do day-in and day-out; it’s dangerous; it’s hard; it’s intense.’ So I said, ‘Steve, we have a body of (advertising) work, and we’re not showing that. Can we have the latitude to really be able to show that intensity?’
"We’re always really careful not to show anything where a fan is hurt or a driver’s hurt… With those parameters, we showed it to Brian (France) and to Mike (Helton, NASCAR president) and to Steve, and there was absolutely no hesitation."
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Six-time champ says it never gets old during "Victory Lap" burnout
LAS VEGAS — Thousands of fans lined the sidewalks and skywalks along and above the famous Las Vegas Strip Thursday afternoon and even above the roar of 13 race cars, the cheers for NASCAR’s newly-crowned six-time Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson were unmistakable.
Given the incredible opportunity to ride shotgun with Johnson in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for the "Victory Lap" portion of NASCAR’s Champion’s Week, it quickly became obvious to me the passion and loyalty goes both ways.
"It never gets old," Johnson said with a big grin as we took off down Las Vegas Boulevard for a mid-speed parade starring the 13 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers bookended with a pair of crowd-pleasing burnouts.
The only advice Johnson gave was a warning that I better be prepared when the jack came off the car on my side for a two-tire pit stop demonstration.
"It drops pretty hard," Johnson said. And he was right.
Watch: Holly Cain’s in-car view of Jimmie Johnson’s "Victory Lap" burnout
The burnouts absolutely lived up to my expectations and his promise that we’d "have a little fun." The second of Johnson’s burnouts was so intense, it ended with a blown left rear tire.
"You hear that?" Johnson asked, with a mischievous smile. "Blew a tire."
With all the smoke billowing around the car as we spun and Johnson madly manhandling the steering wheel, I wondered how he could even keep his orientation in the intersection or when he does donuts on the race track celebrating a win.
"You don’t," he said with a laugh, before revving the car and spinning us for an encore.
Leading the Chase field down the boulevard in between the two burnout stations and the pit stop, Johnson’s head moved like he was watching a fast-paced point in tennis. He waved to both sides of the street and took note that it was one of the largest crowds in memory despite cool temperatures in the 40s. Fans on both sides screamed out for him. Standing on one corner was a couple who had hats with neon signs on top blinking "48-CHAMP" in bright red lights. Middle-aged women squealed, college-aged guys whistled and screamed.
"Germany loves you!" one fan yelled out.
"Wow, Germany, now that’s cool," Johnson said giving the fan a thumbs-up with one hand, genuinely impressed with the attention and humbled by the big reception.
Johnson was clearly soaking it all in. In a week jam-packed with television appearances, luncheons, media interviews, he said this loud drive in the car was among the most reflective times of the week.
Six championships puts him one shy of NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. From the moment Johnson officially clinched this year’s title everyone else wanted to focus on that historic seventh. Johnson just wants to relish his sixth.
Before arriving in Las Vegas, Johnson said he watched the speech Earnhardt gave at the 1993 banquet after accepting his sixth championship trophy. Although he said he was initially watching it to hear a motivating line or perhaps discover a similar story, instead what struck Johnson most was how nervous Earnhardt looked at times — "Just like the rest of us" — and how simple the message really needed to be.
Even in different eras of the sport, the champion’s thank you boiled down to showing your appreciation for sponsors, the team and family. And the fans.
"Did you watch Dale’s seventh championship speech?" I asked, knowing the answer.
Johnson shook his head "no" and smiled.
"Not yet."
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The global leading beverage company becomes first three-time recipient of NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2013) – The Coca-Cola Company was honored today with the 2013 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 1998, Coca-Cola becomes the first three-time recipient of the prestigious award. Utilizing an immersive integrated marketing approach, Coca-Cola has engaged fans, customers and employees across virtually every facet of the NASCAR ecosystem, including intellectual property, promotions, public relations, B2B, online, broadcast, at track, event marketing, social media and retail.
"Over the course of our 15-year relationship Coca-Cola has become one of the most recognized brands in our sport," said Jim O’Connell, NASCAR chief sales officer. "Once again Coca-Cola raised the bar by creating innovative activation and an integrated marketing approach to engage with millions of NASCAR fans, embodying the spirit of the award."
This year, Coca-Cola introduced a series of brand spots titled, "Coca-Cola Racing Family Road Trip," featuring NASCAR stars Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The four-part series premiered during the Daytona 500 and its creative mirrored storylines that were playing out on the track throughout the season.
"The Coca-Cola partnership with NASCAR is rich in history and passionately multifaceted. We’re honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award from such a valuable partner," said Sharon Byers, senior vice president, sports and entertainment marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. "From our Coca-Cola Racing Family members to decades of supporting local, regional and national activation, together our properties talk to a broad scope of fans. In 2013, the NASCAR partnership extended across 19 tracks, 13 current and alumni drivers, two entitlement races, activation with 36 national retail partners in over 250,000 retail locations, 2.8 million My Coke Rewards entries in NASCAR-themed sweepstakes and nearly 12,000 participants in our Coca-Cola Family Track Walks."
In 2013, Coca-Cola executed a number of integrated marketing campaigns designed to reach its key stakeholders, including:
• Coca-Cola’s two entitlement races, Coca-Cola 600 and Coke Zero 400, which bookend the summer months – a particularly important selling-season for Coca-Cola.
• Coca-Cola 600 activation included a Coca-Cola Racing Family Track Walk and iHeart Radio Trace Adkins Concert attended by 1,500 members of the military in Charlotte, N.C.
• The "Coke Zero Enjoy Everything Island" was created on Lake Lloyd during the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., featuring games / prizes, driver interviews and live music.
• Coke Zero teamed up with Danica Patrick to release new Enjoy Everything creative that aired during the Coke Zero 400.
• Partnered with NASCAR’s three auto manufacturers (Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota) to create three My Coke Rewards promotions that resulted in more than 2.8 million entries and a total of 160,000 opt-ins for the auto manufacturers.
• Implemented a sweepstakes program in 180 military commissaries across the country during the "NASCAR: An American Salute" program in May.
• Through various retail and local market activations Coca-Cola executed more than 100 programs leveraging its status as the Official Soft Drink of NASCAR.
• Continued to execute an at-track recycling program that places approximately 10,000 recycling bins at NASCAR race tracks throughout the season, resulting in more than 15 million cans and bottles recycled to date, enabling NASCAR to become the largest recycler in sports.
Previous winners of the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award include: Anheuser-Busch; Mars, Incorporated; ESPN; FOX / TNT / NBC; Gillette; Kmart; Nationwide Insurance; Office Depot; Sprint; The Home Depot; and Toyota.
This year’s awards will take place Dec. 6, returning to Wynn Las Vegas with FOX Sports 2 and NASCAR.com providing coverage from 9 p.m. – midnight ET. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will provide live coverage.
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Six modifications made for eligibility and selection process
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2013) — NASCAR today announced a number of changes to the selection process for the NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF), including a modification to driver eligibility parameters and the creation of a new award to honor significant contributions to the growth and success of the sport.
In all, six changes and updates will be made starting with the selection of the Class of 2015 — all designed to improve upon an already strong process that has led to the selection of 25 deserving inductees.
"We’re very proud of how the NASCAR Hall of Fame has evolved and believe the first five classes reflect the strength of the nominating and voting procedures, with voices from every corner of our industry included in the selection process," said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR vice president and chief communications officer. "Based on feedback from voters, industry leaders, media who cover our sport and the fans, we believe the changes announced today are a strong recognition of the uniqueness of our sport and will make the overall selection process even stronger in how we honor those who have driven NASCAR to great success on and off the track."
Following is a summary of changes:
Driver Eligibility
Currently, drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for three years are eligible for nomination to the NHOF. That will not change.
Moving forward, however, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are immediately eligible for the NHOF. Also, any competitor who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age.
Drivers may continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction.
Nominating Committee Will Select Five Fewer Nominees for Enshrinement
Throughout its history, the NHOF Nominating Committee has selected 25 nominees each year to be discussed and voted on for NHOF enshrinement. That number will be reduced to 20 starting with the selection process for the 2015 class.
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR
Beginning with the 2015 class, a new award — Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR — will be initiated to honor significant contributions to the growth and esteem of NASCAR.
Potential Landmark Award recipients could include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners will remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.
Five nominees will be selected by the NHOF Nominating Committee and then be voted on by the Voting Panel. To win the award, an individual must appear on at least 60 percent of the ballots and no more than one award will be presented annually. Voting for this award will occur immediately following the voting for the NHOF class and be monitored by the same independent accounting firm that oversees NHOF voting.
Nominating Committee to Meet, Vote on 20 NHOF Nominees / Five Landmark Award Nominees
For the first time, the Nominating Committee will meet in person to discuss, debate and vote to create two ballots — the NHOF ballot and the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR ballot. Previously, the committee submitted nominees via mail to an independent accounting firm that tallies the nominations in order to create the final NHOF ballot.
The Nominating Committee will meet during Speedweeks at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, and the nominees for both ballots will be announced later that day.
Nominees To Be Recused From the Nominating / Voting Process
Any member of the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel who appeared on the previous year’s ballot or current year’s ballot will now be recused from participating in the nominating and / or voting process for as long as he / she appears on the ballot. If an individual who is currently on the Nominating Committee or Voting Panel is inducted, or is no longer included on a final ballot, he or she is immediately reinstated to active participation on the panel(s).
Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Added To Voting Panel
As was already announced on Nov. 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the annual NASCAR Championship Contenders Press Conference, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will be added to the following year’s voting panel.
That means Jimmie Johnson, who captured his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, will be included in the selection meeting and can cast a vote for the NHOF Class of 2015 on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.
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Veteran helped plan national series’ return to dirt in 2013
Tony Stewart was announced Thursday as the 2013 National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock-car racing.
The honor was announced during the annual Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon as part of NASCAR Champion’s Week at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, helped to organize and promote NASCAR’s first national series race on dirt since 1970, hosting the first Mudsummer Classic in July for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The event was run before a capacity crowd at Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio and drew rave reviews from drivers, fans and officials.
Stewart’s passion for racing extends beyond his ownership stake in Stewart-Haas Racing, his powerhouse team which will expand to four full-time Sprint Cup cars in 2014. Besides the half-mile dirt oval at Eldora, Stewart is also part-owner of local tracks in Macon, Ill., and Paducah, Ky.
Stewart is also a frequent competitor at the local level, especially in the open-wheeled sprint cars from his earliest days in racing. A crash in early August left Stewart with a severely broken leg, cutting short both his season in NASCAR’s big leagues and his grass-roots endeavors.
"I don’t know of anyone more passionate about what they do than Tony Stewart," NMPA president Kenny Bruce said. "Before an injury sidelined him during the second half of the season, he was on pace to compete in more than 100 races in 2013. Tony eats, sleeps, lives and breathes racing and he understands the importance of the local weekend shows better than most. It’s where he came from, and he’s never forgotten that or those who made it possible."
The Myers Brothers Award has been given annually since 1958. It’s the second straight year that a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor has won, on the heels of four-time champion Jeff Gordon receiving the honor in 2012.
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