NASCAR celebrates champions and award winners

Today at 05:40 AM

Friday evening in downtown Charlotte, the NASCAR industry celebrated its heroes, industry inspirations and champions at the Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame for the first time in the sport's modern era.

Race teams, drivers and fans gathered to watch these 2024 titlists receive their trophies and to see the sport honor those whose careers impacted NASCAR not only this season but for years and even decades.

NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano began the afternoon celebrating his third title with a special solid gold car given to each year's champion from Goodyear and then later finally being feted by the sport at the tuxedo-and-gown banquet that will be televised on the CW Network, Sunday at 3pm ET.

The 34-year old's three titles in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford are now most among all active drivers and he is one of only 10 competitors in the history of the sport to have ever earned a trio of championship trophies.

Logano thanked his team, his team owner Roger Penske and the father of three gave a special nod to his wife Brittany, who he praised for taking care of their young family and home — allowing him to maintain championship focus. He thanked his family, who was also in the audience, "remembering when I was a kid and got a go-kart for Christmas and now I'm sitting here a three-time Cup champion, it's just truly incredible.''

"To me, we did get a lot of opportunities and life's really all about what you do with the opportunities, you don't know when they are going to come your way but are you ready to take advantage when they do,'' continued Logano, whose four wins in 2024 give him 36 total.

Logano was sentimental reflecting on his career and season's accomplishments.

"If you take the opportunity that God's given us to talk to people, to inspire others to live a life of generosity, that's when these scenarios of ‘just driving in circles' aren't just driving in circles anymore,'' he said, noting the sport's huge push to help Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina recently.

"That to me is something I'm most proud of in this industry and being part of that,” added Logano, who has personally helped raise money and deliver supplies to the affected regions. "I'm proud of winning. I'm proud to be part of this team but what I'm probably most proud of is the heart of this sport.''

Logano's team owner, NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Penske has now earned five NASCAR Cup Series championships including the last three consecutively between Logano (2022 and 2024) and Ryan Blaney (2023).

"From my perspective, Joey Logano was a winner when he came to our team in 2013,'' Penske said. "We're so proud of all our teams. Racing is a common thread through our businesses. It's teamwork. It's pressure. It's integrity. It's transparency. This has built the Penske brand. And we're thrilled to be here.''

Beyond the Logano-Penske dominance, it was a night of emphasizing highlights across all NASCAR series — those in supporting roles in the pits and beyond.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and its first-time champion, popular veteran JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier along with Craftsman Truck Series first-time champion Ty Majeski and his ThorSport Raing team were celebrated.

Allgaier's team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was visibly excited to honor his longtime driver.

"I'm normally not this kind of person but I knew we were going to win it. I'm normally the kind of person who thinks about the odds and wonders how we might lose a race or what are the obstacles in front of us,'' Earnhardt said. "But for some reason I just felt like the universe owed Justin and we were going to collect when we got to Phoenix.''

"Man, did he get up on the wheel, all those restarts — those were classic, classic moments and if you just watched that seven-car work all night long you could see how bad Justin wanted it. He carried the whole company on his back that night. Just proud of him and so thankful to be able to see Justin celebrate this tonight.”

The sport also celebrated Earnhardt's good friend, Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2024 season and also marked the distinction earned by a former Penske champion as well as Brad Keselowski, who claimed his first victory (at Darlington, S.C.) as a driver-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott, the 2020 series champion, was named the sport's Most Popular Driver for the seventh-consecutive season.

"First and foremost, thank you to the fans,'' said Elliott, 28, who won at Texas this season. "When I look at this award, regardless if I win it or not … I've always viewed it as an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy my family has set up for me.''

Former NASCAR Truck Series and Xfinity Series champion Greg Biffle was recognized as the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers Award winner. Biffle, an avid pilot, flew rescue missions and dropped supplies to the residents in Western North Carolina following the devastating damage from Hurricane Helene in October.

"I thought, if I didn't go, who's going to go,'' said Biffle, who said he received 12,000 messages for help and flew supplies into the area for 14 consecutive days after the storm hit.

"I didn't do anything any different than anyone in this room would have,'' a humble Biffle added.

In other awards presented on the night, David Wilson, the long-time president of Toyota Racing Development was presented the Bill France Award of Excellence for his contributions to the sport. Wilson is retiring after leading the Toyota racing effort in NASCAR for 30 years — a tenure that included Toyota's first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2015 and two more in 2017 and 2019.

Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones was named the Comcast Community Champion Award winner for his work in promoting cancer screenings, raising money for breast cancer patients and longtime literacy advocacy, reading books to school children as he travels around the country racing.

The NASCAR Foundation formally announced Judy Simmons, of Axton, Va., as the 2024 winner of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Simmons received a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to her God's Pit Crew non-profit organization, which provides disaster relief help to families.

The evening, hosted by Jamie Little, Adam Alexander, Kim Coon concluded shortly after 8pm with the hosts reminding the crowd and fans who will watch on the CW Network on Sunday, that NASCAR racing resumes with the NASCAR Clash exhibition at the venerable Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2. The Daytona 500 opens the points season Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway.