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Hendrick gets emotional during NASCAR awards ceremony
By Isaac Brekken
December 5, 2009
LAS VEGAS — Rick Hendrick capped a record-making season Friday night with NASCAR's highest award, and the car owner had to stop to compose himself during the annual awards ceremony that honored driver Jimmie Johnson's fourth consecutive title.
Johnson's championship gave Hendrick Motorsports its 12th NASCAR title, and capped a year that saw Hendrick sweep the top three spots in the standings. For his efforts, Hendrick was given the Bill France Award of Excellence.
It was presented by Betty Jane France, widow of former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., and Hendrick had to stop to compose himself while accepting the honor.
"My speech, I don't think I'll be able to do it," he said.
It was yet another Hendrick celebration, only this time the party was in Las Vegas and roared long into the night. NASCAR celebrated its season in New York City for 28 consecutive years, but moved out West this year for a change of scenery that the entire industry enjoyed.
"The change of scenery is welcome by all the drivers," said fifth-place finisher Denny Hamlin, who thanked series sponsor Sprint for the "two hot girls" they send to Victory Lane each week and Coca-Cola, he described as a great soda and mixer.
Comedian Frank Caliendo hosted the event and kept things rolling through the four-plus hours, eventually turning it over to the drivers — and to Johnson, who sat at the main stage for the fourth straight year.
He collected a check of $6.6 million by Sprint chief executive officer Dan Hesse.
"I'd be willing to give a donation to get Jimmie to retire. Or at least take a vacation for five or 10 years," joked two-time champion Tony Stewart, who finished sixth in the standings.
Johnson, who was roasted earlier this week by the 11 other championship contenders, has shown no signs of letting up.
"We've won four. Let's see if we can win five," he said.
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NASCAR Goes All-In for Las Vegas
By Holly Cain
December 5, 2009
LAS VEGAS — Imagine Vegas icon Wayne Newton dropping the green flag for a race car parade on a shut down Las Vegas Strip, NASCAR pit crews performing demonstration stops in front of Bally's and the ultra-lux Bellagio resorts and four-time champ Jimmie Johnson doing victory burnouts on Las Vegas Boulevard.
This over-the-top scene is NASCAR's reality this week and the thousands of fans that have gathered here for NASCAR Champion's Week couldn't be more supportive of the sport's decision to move west after more than a decade spent holding the Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony in New York's famed Waldorf-Astoria.
"You couldn't pay me to leave this city right now,'' two-time cup champion Tony Stewart said Thursday, offering rave reviews. "I'm a million times happier out here. ... I don't like cabs blowing horns at two o'clock in the morning. It's just so much more relaxing and there's so much more to do here.''
"The atmosphere is so much more laid back,'' Stewart continued. "And that's something especially this time of year, we all appreciate, having something that isn't as stressful as the rest of the year.''
The black-tie Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Wynn Las Vegas will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel at 9 p.m. ET Friday with additional live broadcasts on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio and MRN affiliates.
And there is no mistaking Las Vegas' offering of a fun, lively alternative to the stuffy, formal New York atmosphere.
There have been nightly parties at clubs and for the first time, events specifically designed to let fans be a part of the champion's celebration.
Thousands lined up on the overhead sidewalks and along the streets to watch Johnson do something as simple as burnout Thursday. Fans were invited to nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway for what turned out to be a raucous and hilarious roast of Johnson by his 11 Chase competitors.
The atmosphere is so relaxed even Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya are acting like long-lost best friends -- only a couple weeks after crashing each other out of the Cup Series season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.
As Stewart sat down for a brief interview session in The Venetian resort Thursday, Montoya interrupted a reporter's question, reaching in toward Stewart to straighten his tie with a "there you go sweetheart." The two laughed loudly.
Only minutes earlier, Stewart thanked Montoya for "the inspiration" during an acceptance speech for a contingency award he received in NASCAR's version of the Academy Awards' technical awards presentation held at a different time than the prime-time ceremony.
And of course, these men who risk their lives for a living aren't above risking a little of their prize money either. Craps seems to be the game of choice, although Denny Hamlin was seen waging his number on the roulette wheel and Johnson's championship crew chief Chad Knaus concedes he's down "a little" on the blackjack table.
"The thing about craps is there is so much action, it's really fast-paced, there's action all the time,'' driver Greg Biffle explained.
"Having NASCAR week here is good for the sport, good for Las Vegas, personally I like Vegas a little bit better not so cramped, not so busy and there aren't horns blowing all the time, sirens going off.
Then he added with a smile, "I do think New York would have been cheaper for me at this point, for all the gambling I've been doing.'
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NASCAR NOTES
December 5, 2009
JUNIOR MOST POPULAR AGAIN
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's most popular driver for the seventh consecutive year.
Earnhardt's win keeps him at third on the career list behind Bill Elliott's record 16 times selected as the most popular driver, and Richard Petty, who won the award nine times. The award, which is sponsored by Chex and presented by the National Motorsports Press Association, has been given since 1965 and voted on by fans.
Earnhardt, who is not part of the 12 drivers being celebrated this weekend in Las Vegas, took some time to get to the stage during Thursday's awards ceremony.
"They nearly stuck me up there in the top row," he said after finally getting to the podium.
"I take a lot of honor in (the award) it and a lot of pride. I know it's kind of a cliche, but I just wanted to be a race-car driver, wanted to be able to make a living showing up, driving cars every week. Having the fan support like I have has been an incredible bonus for me.
"I can't thank them enough, so I guess I'll just keep showing up."
Earnhardt, in his second season with Hendrick Motorsports, finished 25th in the standings. His Hendrick teammates went 1-2-3, as Jimmie Johnson won his fourth straight championship to lead the sweep.
Earnhardt flew to Las Vegas just in time to accept the award, and planned to leave immediately after. Because of his hectic travel schedule, he said he's trying to have a quiet offseason with friends and family and enjoy the new home he built and moved into about two weeks ago.
But he didn't consider skipping the ceremony — something he did several years ago when he accepted the award via taped message. Earnhardt said he "learned my lesson" after receiving a good bit of backlash for not showing up in person.
"I understand how important it is to accept it in person," he said. "There's a big sense of that I earned this, that I deserve this because of my family name. My father, he gave me a hell of a gift in popularity, so my job has been to try to be an asset to the sport and to maintain that gift and it's integrity. The name that my father has built, the Earnhardt name, and the respect that it has.
"So there's a lot of emotions that run through when I accept the award."
HAMLIN POSTPONES SURGERY
Denny Hamlin had minor knee surgery planned for the end of this season, but delayed the procedure after booking a suite with a basketball court inside of it for his stay in Las Vegas.
Since arriving Tuesday evening, Hamlin said he and his friends have gotten in at least three games a day on the court. His surgery will be Dec. 16.
"I moved my surgery back because I had this reserved for the last two months," he said. "It was scheduled for last week, and I thought there would be no point in it. I moved my surgery back to accommodate my hotel room in Vegas, so I'm trying to get all the ball in that I can since I'm going to be out for a month."
BUSCH'S CREW CHIEF CHOICES
Kurt Busch figured he's still about a week away from finding a crew chief to lead his Penske Racing team.
The candidates have been whittled down to about three, and Busch said two were from other race teams and one was already at Penske. He wouldn't reveal who he's talking to, but the candidates are believed to include Dave Winston, his current engineer, and Steve Addington, who was fired in October as crew chief for Busch's younger brother, Kyle, at Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We've talked with a few guys on the outside, we have an internal guy that we want to bump up," Busch said. "It's still a work in progress. We haven't decided. I was hoping to have a decision and an announcement this week. But we won't have that."
The void was created when Pat Tryson decided to move to Michael Waltrip Racing to crew chief for Martin Truex Jr.
Busch said he's part of a four-man team at Penske looking for Tryson's replacement, joining owner Roger Penske, team president Tim Cindric and vice president of operations Michael Nelson.
"There's still somebody out there I'd like to talk to," Busch said. "I haven't found, necessarily, the guy you'd want to jump on top of and go to."
Busch said leadership is a key quality he's looking for in his new crew chief.
"You need to have a guy who fits into the Penske mold, as far as an engineering background, but yet I like a car guy, somebody that knows how to turn the wrenches and throws things in and out of the car right off his hip," Busch said.
CREW CHIEFS ON THE MOVE
Veteran crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe has parted with TRG Motorsports to become crew chief for the No. 98 Ford driven by Paul Menard, according to a Foxsports.com report. TRG owner Kevin Buckler confirmed Labbe's departure on Thursday.
The No. 98 Menard car is part of a merger under which Richard Petty Motorsports will absorb Yates Racing, which fields Menard's car. The result will be a four-car team under the RPM banner, featuring drivers Kasey Kahne, AJ Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Menard.
The team will field Fords in 2010, with power supplied by Roush-Yates engines ...
If Ron Hornaday Jr. is to add to his record four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships -- the last of which came this year -- he'll have to do so without veteran crew chief Rick Ren. Kevin Harvick Inc., which fields trucks for Hornaday, announced Thursday that Ren was leaving the organization to pursue opportunities elsewhere in the sport.
Ren reportedly will take a management job with a new truck series team owned by Kyle Busch, who for the last five years has driven selected races in trucks fielded by Billy Ballew -- for the love of competition, not for money.
As to Ren's replacement, Harvick said the announcement of a new crew chief for Hornaday could come as early as next week.
NASCAR'S NEW VIDEOGRAPHER?
One crew chief who won't be making a move has been making news in a different way. Chad Knaus, four-time champion crew chief for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson, is seldom seen without his video camera.
Knaus has been documenting the 2009 championship season, and Thursday's Myers Brothers awards ceremony was no exception. When Knaus appeared on stage to receive his Sprint Cup champion crew chief award, he was shooting video.
"NASCAR Images is probably going to get mad," Knaus quipped. "I've got bootleg documents now, and I'll probably get charged."
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Stewart, Montoya make nice
By Reid Spencer
December 5, 2009
LAS VEGAS — Bygones are bygones, as far as Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya are concerned.
Though the two drivers knocked each other around in the season finale Nov. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- with Stewart bumping Montoya into the wall and Montoya spinning Stewart down the frontstretch in retaliation -- the drivers had settled their differences by the time Montoya appeared on Stewart's "Stewie Awards" show on Sirius/XM Radio Thursday night at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
Montoya received his Stewie for Best Driver-to-Crew-Chief Radio Chatter for his over-the-top reaction to the speeding penalty that ruined his chance to win at Indianapolis in July.
About his run-in with Stewart, Montoya was glib and matter-of-fact.
"It's funny," Montoya said Thursday before the Myers Brothers awards ceremonies at the Venetian Showroom. "Actually, I was talking with Tony (Wednesday), and we were laughing about it. It's crazy. You guys (reporters) make a big deal out of nothing. It's not the first time we got together.
"The last time we saw each other in qualifying afterwards, and we were laughing about it -- after Texas my first year (2007) -- and here we saw each other and it was like, when it happened, he knew it was coming. It wasn't a surprise -- come on!"
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