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Industry’s Best Honored At End-Of-Season Luncheon
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The annual end-of-season NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, held in Las Vegas, awarded 19 different individuals and companies for their outstanding efforts in the performance racing and NASCAR fields.
In recognition of her leadership and accomplishments as founder and chairwoman emeritus of the NASCAR Foundation, the late Betty Jane France was named the recipient of the 2016 Myers Brothers Award. The prestigious honor recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to stock car racing and is voted upon by the National Motorsports Press Association.
A philanthropist in support of children’s health causes, France started the NASCAR Foundation in 2006. Through her leadership and passion over the past decade, the NASCAR Foundation has raised more than $25 million and improved the lives of one million children across the country.
In 2011, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide was created in her honor. Each year it is granted to a person who exhibits the unwavering commitment to philanthropic and community efforts that Betty Jane demonstrated throughout her life.
France, a longtime community leader in Daytona Beach, Florida, helped establish the “Speediatrics” children’s care units at Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Florida, and NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
In addition to her guidance of the NASCAR Foundation, she served as NASCAR executive vice president and assistant treasurer, helping her husband, former NASCAR President Bill France Jr., elevate the sanctioning body to America’s No. 1 form of motorsports.
France is the mother of NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy.
The Myers Brothers Award – named after pioneer NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers – has been presented every year since 1958. Eighteen other awards were given out at the luncheon, acknowledging achievements ranging from marketing excellence to success on the track and skill in the garage.
Another award winner of the afternoon was team owner, entrepreneur and mechanical wizard Jack Roush, winner of the prestigious NASCAR Buddy Shuman Award. Established in 1957 in memory of Louis Grier “Buddy” Shuman, one of stock car racing’s most popular early drivers, the award has been sponsored for 60 consecutive years by Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ Champion brand of spark plugs, filters, wipers, batteries and other products. Federal-Mogul Motorparts is a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation.
Roush joins such racing luminaries as Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Ken Squier, Chris Economaki and Rick Hendrick in receiving the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped shape professional stock car racing. Shuman was a beloved figured who raced in Grand National (now NASCAR’s Premier Series) events in the early 1950s and also served as NASCAR’s first technical inspector.
A native of Covington, Ky., Roush became interested in motorsports as an engineer at Ford Motor Company in the mid-1960s. He and racing partner Wayne Gapp had significant early success in drag racing’s Pro Stock class before Roush began developing road racing vehicles through a consulting deal with Ford. He leveraged his engineering skill and racing experience to establish Jack Roush Performance Engineering in 1976. Roush was a dominant force in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing during the 1980s, winning more than 100 races and 24 national titles. He moved to NASCAR in 1988 with the launch of Roush Racing, a one-car Cup (now called Premier Series) team led by driver Mark Martin. Roush Racing won back-to-back championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, the organization announced a joint venture with Fenway Sports Group. The resulting organization, Roush Fenway Racing, now operates three teams apiece in NASCAR Premier Series and XFINITY Series competition.
“Jack is a true racing legend, with unprecedented success as a performance engineer, driver, entrepreneur, team owner, tactician and mentor,” said Michael Proud, vice president of marketing, Americas, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Perhaps his most impressive achievement, however, has been his ability to empower those around him – drivers, mechanics, engine builders, crew chiefs and engineers – to excel both on and off the track. The Roush brand is synonymous with race-winning performance.”
The complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:
In recognition of her leadership and accomplishments as founder and chairwoman emeritus of the NASCAR Foundation, the late Betty Jane France was named the recipient of the 2016 Myers Brothers Award. The prestigious honor recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to stock car racing and is voted upon by the National Motorsports Press Association.
A philanthropist in support of children’s health causes, France started the NASCAR Foundation in 2006. Through her leadership and passion over the past decade, the NASCAR Foundation has raised more than $25 million and improved the lives of one million children across the country.
In 2011, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide was created in her honor. Each year it is granted to a person who exhibits the unwavering commitment to philanthropic and community efforts that Betty Jane demonstrated throughout her life.
France, a longtime community leader in Daytona Beach, Florida, helped establish the “Speediatrics” children’s care units at Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Florida, and NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
In addition to her guidance of the NASCAR Foundation, she served as NASCAR executive vice president and assistant treasurer, helping her husband, former NASCAR President Bill France Jr., elevate the sanctioning body to America’s No. 1 form of motorsports.
France is the mother of NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy.
The Myers Brothers Award – named after pioneer NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers – has been presented every year since 1958. Eighteen other awards were given out at the luncheon, acknowledging achievements ranging from marketing excellence to success on the track and skill in the garage.
Another award winner of the afternoon was team owner, entrepreneur and mechanical wizard Jack Roush, winner of the prestigious NASCAR Buddy Shuman Award. Established in 1957 in memory of Louis Grier “Buddy” Shuman, one of stock car racing’s most popular early drivers, the award has been sponsored for 60 consecutive years by Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ Champion brand of spark plugs, filters, wipers, batteries and other products. Federal-Mogul Motorparts is a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation.
Roush joins such racing luminaries as Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Ken Squier, Chris Economaki and Rick Hendrick in receiving the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped shape professional stock car racing. Shuman was a beloved figured who raced in Grand National (now NASCAR’s Premier Series) events in the early 1950s and also served as NASCAR’s first technical inspector.
A native of Covington, Ky., Roush became interested in motorsports as an engineer at Ford Motor Company in the mid-1960s. He and racing partner Wayne Gapp had significant early success in drag racing’s Pro Stock class before Roush began developing road racing vehicles through a consulting deal with Ford. He leveraged his engineering skill and racing experience to establish Jack Roush Performance Engineering in 1976. Roush was a dominant force in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing during the 1980s, winning more than 100 races and 24 national titles. He moved to NASCAR in 1988 with the launch of Roush Racing, a one-car Cup (now called Premier Series) team led by driver Mark Martin. Roush Racing won back-to-back championships in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, the organization announced a joint venture with Fenway Sports Group. The resulting organization, Roush Fenway Racing, now operates three teams apiece in NASCAR Premier Series and XFINITY Series competition.
“Jack is a true racing legend, with unprecedented success as a performance engineer, driver, entrepreneur, team owner, tactician and mentor,” said Michael Proud, vice president of marketing, Americas, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Perhaps his most impressive achievement, however, has been his ability to empower those around him – drivers, mechanics, engine builders, crew chiefs and engineers – to excel both on and off the track. The Roush brand is synonymous with race-winning performance.”
The complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:
- NMPA Myers Brothers Award: Betty Jane France
- Buddy Shuman Award: Jack Roush
- NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Comcast XFINITY
- Chevrolet Cross Flags Award: Tony Stewart
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kevin Harvick
- Coors Light Pole Award: Carl Edwards
- Duralast Brakes “Brake in the Race” Award: Kyle Busch
- Goodyear NASCAR Series Champion Award: Jimmie Johnson
- Ingersoll Rand Power Move Award: Dave Rogers, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Crew Chief
- MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Scott Vester, Hendrick Engines No. 4 team
- Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 team
- Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Kyle Busch
- MOOG Steering & Suspension Problem Solver of the Year Award: Alan Gustafson, crew chief No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team
- Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Kyle Busch
- Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Jimmie Johnson
- Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Chase Elliott
- Champion Sponsor Award: Lowe’s
- Champion Crew Chief Award: Chad Knaus
- Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide: Andy Hoffman
