CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a cool Friday evening in uptown Charlotte, the NASCAR industry celebrated its heroes, inspirations and champions at the Charlotte Convention Center for the first time in the sport’s modern era.
Racing teams, drivers and fans gathered to see these 2024 winners receive their trophies and to see the sport honor those whose careers have impacted NASCAR not just this season but for years, even decades .
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Cup Series champion Joey Logano began the afternoon by celebrating his third title with the iconic Goodyear Gold Car given to each year’s champion, then later by being feted by the sport at the tuxedo banquet and dress which will be televised on The CW Network Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
The 34-year-old’s three titles won in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford are now the most of any active driver, and he is one of only 10 competitors in the sport’s history to have won three championship trophies.
Logano thanked his team and owner Roger Penske, and the father of three gave a special nod to his wife Brittany, whom he praised for taking care of their young family and home, allowing him to stay focused on the championship. He thanked his family, who were also in the audience, “remembering when I was a kid and I had a go-kart for Christmas and now I’m sitting here as a three-time champion of the Cut, it’s really incredible.”
“For me, we’ve had a lot of opportunities, and life really depends on what you do with opportunities, you don’t know when they’re going to come, but are you ready to take advantage of them when they come,” continued Logano, who received a standing ovation when he was introduced by NASCAR President Steve Phelps.
Logano, whose four wins in 2024 gave him a total of 36, was visibly sentimental, reflecting on his career and season’s accomplishments.
“If you take advantage of the opportunity that God has given us to talk to people, to inspire others to live a life of generosity, then these scenarios of just driving in circles are no longer just driving in circles,” Logano said , emphasizing the importance of sport. a huge effort to help victims of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.
“For me, it’s something I’m most proud of in this industry and being a part of it,” added Logano, who personally helped raise funds and deliver supplies to affected areas.
“I am proud to have won. I’m proud to be a part of this team, but what I’m probably most proud of is the heart of this sport.
Logano’s team owner Penske, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, has now won five NASCAR Cup Series championships, including the last three in a row between Logano (2022 and 2024) and Ryan Blaney (2023).
“From my perspective, Joey Logano was a winner when he joined our team in 2013,” Penske said in his onstage remarks, adding, “We are very proud of all of our teams. Racing is a common thread in our business. It’s teamwork. It’s integrity. And that’s what built the Penske brand. be here.
Beyond the Logano-Penske dominance, it was a night of highlights from across the NASCAR series – those in supporting roles in the pits and beyond.
The Xfinity Series and its first champion, popular JR Motorsports veteran Justin Allgaier, as well as first Craftsman Truck Series champion Ty Majeski and his ThorSport Racing team, were celebrated.
Allgaier team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was visibly excited to honor his longtime driver.
“I’m not normally that type of person, but I knew we were going to win. I’m normally the type of person who thinks about the odds and wonders how we could lose a race or what obstacles lie ahead,” Earnhardt said. “But for some reason, I just felt like the universe owed Justin, and that we were going to get it back 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 those seven cars work all night you could see how Justin the wanted,” Earnhardt continued. “He carried the whole company on his back that night. I’m just proud of him and so grateful to be able to see Justin celebrate tonight.
The sport also celebrated Earnhardt’s good friend, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr, the 2017 Cup Series champion, who retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2024 season and also scored the distinction earned by a former Team Penske champion also in Brad Keselowski, who scored his first victory (at Darlington Raceway) as driver-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, the 2020 series champion, has been named the sport’s most popular driver for the seventh consecutive season.
“First of all, thank you to the fans,” said Elliott, 28, a winner at Texas Motor Speedway this season. “When I look at this award, whether I win it or not…I’ve always viewed it as an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy that my family has left me.”
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Former Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series champion Greg Biffle was recognized as a National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers Award Winner. Biffle, an avid pilot, flew rescue missions and dropped supplies to residents of western North Carolina following the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Helene in October.
“I asked myself if I didn’t go, who would,” said Biffle, who said he received 12,000 messages of help and transported supplies to the area for 14 straight days after the storm began .
“I didn’t do anything different than anyone in this room would have done,” added a humble Biffle.
In other awards presented during the evening, David Wilsonthe long-time president of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) received the Bill France Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the sport. Wilson is retiring after leading Toyota’s racing effort in NASCAR for 30 years – a tenure that included Toyota’s first Cup Series championship in 2015 and two more in 2017 and 2019.
Legacy Motor Club Driver Erik Jones was named a winner of the Comcast Community Champion Award for his work promoting cancer screening, raising funds for breast cancer patients, and long-standing advocacy for literacy, reading books to schoolchildren during his travels across the country racing.
The NASCAR Foundation officially announced Judy Simmonsfrom Axton, Virginia, 2024 winner of the prestigious Betty Jane France Humanitarian Prize. Simmons received a $100,000 donation from the NASCAR Foundation to his nonprofit God’s Pit Crew, which provides disaster assistance to families.
The evening, hosted by Jamie Little, Adam Alexander and Kim Coon, ended shortly after 8 p.m. ET, with the hosts reminding the crowd and fans that NASCAR racing is resuming with the NASCAR Clash exhibition at venerable Bowman Gray Stadium February 2 (8 p.m.). ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Daytona 500 opens the points season Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
