The hotrods and shining stars will rev their motors up and down Broadway this week as NASCAR prepares for all the pomp and circumstance of the annual awards celebration.
New York plays host to the official crowning of the champion and NASCAR milks the big-city media machine cow dry to get their final headlines before the Big Apple drops signaling a new year.
It will be a busy week for 2006 Nextel Cup Chase winner Jimmie Johnson. He’ll be posing in shots all around town with the trophy and Johnson is also scheduled to appear with Regis and Kelly on their morning television show.
All the stuff leading up to the Friday night gala is usually more exciting than the big ceremony itself. The television coverage of the awards is normally a pretty boring affair. It seems to run long every year and I have not been able to stay awake until the end for the last several years.
My TIVO machine always misses the champion’s comments too. It would suit me just fine if NASCAR would throw the black flag at some of the entertainment elements, although I use the term “entertainment” with some hesitation.
Someone in the marketing department decided the awards needed some distractions from the racing fuel, tires, engine departments and pit crews. Their answer has come in the form of comic, dance and song routines scattered between the money and trophy presentations.
I suspect that being at the Waldorf-Astoria party in person is thrilling, but watching it all drag out on TV does not produce a lot of adrenalin. The electronic beaming of the ceremony seems to diminish the excitement and sometimes has the same effect as drinking a few shots of Nyquil.
Don’t get me wrong. I know it is possible for the award presentations to produce some “classic” moments. I can remember Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace letting go with some delightful off-the-cuff comments that caused the crowd to bust out in laughter, but that was back before the day of teleprompters that script out exactly what each award recipient should say.
It seems there may have been a couple of drivers who chose not to use the electronic reading machine last year and if I am remembering correctly, those were the best speeches of the night.
The acceptance speeches were a lot more fun in the early days of the award’s television coverage and I can only imagine what the affairs were like before the cameras began covering the ceremony from start to finish.
The TNT network will provide the Friday night coverage of the NASCAR awards that are scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. The Speed Channel will also present a pre-award’s program at 7:00 p.m.
The Chase Winner: Jimmie Johnson, 31 years old from El Cajon, Calif., won the 2006 NEXTEL Cup championship. He is the 28th driver to win the championship for NASCAR’s premier series. He won the Chase by 56 points over Matt Kenseth.
Johnson is the seventh different NEXTEL/Winston Cup champion in the last eight years. Only Tony Stewart (2002 and 2005) has repeated as series champion since 1998.
Johnson’s championship comes in his fifth full season of NEXTEL Cup competition. Johnson’s previous best season finish of second occurred in 2003 and 2004. He has finished in the top five in points in all five of his full-time seasons.
Johnson won five races in 2006 (Daytona, Las Vegas, Talladega, Indianapolis and Martinsville). He has 23 career NEXTEL Cup wins. He also recorded one Bud Pole, 13 top-five finishes and 24 top-ten finishes this season.
Johnson led the standings a total of 25 races in 2006, including the final three. Johnson took the lead following Daytona and held the lead for the first four races. He then dropped to third for one race, retaking the point lead after Martinsville for two races. He was second after Race No. 8 (Phoenix) but came back to take the lead for 16 races the next event. He dropped out of the lead following Race No. 25 (California) but retook the lead following Texas during the Chase.
Johnson’s lead of 124 points over Matt Kenseth following Race No. 22 (Watkins Glen) was the largest by any driver this season. Johnson has ranked in the top-ten in the championship point standings for 105 races, the sixth-longest streak in the top-ten since the point system modification in 1975.
Johnson won the season opening Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. The winner of the Daytona 500 has won the championship that season eight times. The winner of the Brickyard 400 has won the championship that season six times, including four consecutive years (1998 through 2001) and the past two seasons.
This is Jeff Gordon’s first NEXTEL Cup Series championship in his fifth season as an owner. Gordon co-owns Johnson’s No. 48 with Rick Hendrick, making this the sixth NEXTEL Cup owner championship for Hendrick Motorsports.
2006 NASCAR Division Champions:
Jimmie Johnson—Nextel Cup
Kevin Harvick—Busch Series
Todd Bodine—Craftsman Truck Series
Eric Holmes—Grand National West Series
Mike Olsen—Grand National East Series
Mike Stefanik—Whelen Modified Tour
Junior Miller—Southern Modified Tour
Gary Lewis—Elite Northwest
Tim Schendel—Elite Midwest
J.R. Norris—Elite Southeast
Rip Michels—Elite Southwest
Philip Morris—Dodge Weekly Series
Georgia Boys: Jason Hogan was the only Georgia driver posting a top-ten finish in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown in South Boston, Virginia over the weekend. The Cleveland driver finished eighth.
The other drivers qualifying for the field of the 250-lap Super Late Model race were Ryan Seig, of Tucker (13th) and Justin Wakefield, of Woodstock (24th).
Jimmy Kite, who launched his Indy car driving career while living in Henry County, is racing into a new venture. Kite is not from stepping out of the open wheel and stock car machines, but he has found a way to help secure his future while doing something he loves; the hobby business.
Kite has opened a new store, JK Hobby World, to feed one passion while working on the other. JK Hobby World is currently operating with a storefront in Farmington, Missouri, where Kite has longtime family roots, and recently debuted online at www.JKHobbyWorld.com. JK Hobby World carries a complete line of supplies for the hobby enthusiast including models, games, train and slot car sets as well as an extensive list of radio controlled cars, planes, tools and supplies.
Kite has started the Indianapolis 500 five times.
High Speed TV:
Thursday November 30
7:00 p.m. NASCAR New York Pre-Awards Coverage—Speed
Friday December 1
12:00 p.m. Hooter’s Pro-Cup Lakeland—Speed
7:00 p.m. NASCAR Pre-Awards Coverage—Speed
9:00 p.m. NASCAR Awards Banquet—TNT
Saturday December 2
7:30 p.m. Late Model Dirt Racing—Speed
Sunday December 3
12:00 p.m. Charlotte Summer Legends Series—Speed
7:00 p.m. The Speed Report—Speed
Saturday’s Allan Vigil Ford 120 will air 3:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Newstalk 750 WSB Radio and www.wsbradio.com. For more race information visit our Fastcar Newsdesk at www.captainherb.net.
Coming Soon: Newstalk 750 WSB Toys For Tots/Allan Vigil Ford 120 Live Broadcast. Saturday, December 16, The Bar-B-Que House, 541 Thornton Road (Ga. Hwy 6) Exit 44 off I-20 NEXT DOOR TO HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2 to 4PM More Information: 770-941-1155
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