Named in honor
of former NASCAR competitors Billy and Bob Myers, the award was presented to
Stewart on Dec. 5 during the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon.
In addition to
competing and consistently contending for NASCAR's ultimate prize as a driver,
Stewart is also co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which will field four Sprint
Cup teams for the first time in 2014.
His business
endeavors reach far beyond the Cup Series, however. Stewart owns Eldora
Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and is part of ownership groups for Macon (Ill.)
Speedway and Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway.
And his Tony
Stewart Racing organization fields highly competitive entries in the USAC and
the World of Outlaws series as well.
Earlier this
year, Stewart accomplished a first for NASCAR when he and his management team
brought a national series to Eldora, hosting the MudSummer Classic Camping
World Truck Series event. It was the first time in more than four decades that
a top NASCAR series had competed on dirt.
The event
played out before a packed house and drew positive reviews from officials,
competitors and most importantly, fans.
"If it
only goes one year and we only get one opportunity to do it, is all the time,
effort and worry worth it? Absolutely," Stewart said prior to the start of
the event.
It was, he said
"more than just a truck race."
"Big
picture – this is big for every dirt track across the country and this is
exposure that a lot of these tracks never get."
"I don't
know of anyone more passionate about what they do than Tony Stewart," NMPA
president Kenny Bruce said. "Before an injury sidelined him during the
second half of the season, he was on pace to compete in more than 100 races in
2013. Tony eats, sleeps, lives and breathes racing and he understands the
importance of the local weekend shows better than most. It's where he came
from, and he's never forgotten that or those who made it possible."
Voted on each
year by members of the NMPA, the Myers Brothers Award recognizes individuals
and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock
car racing. It has been awarded annually since 1958.
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