NASCAR’s first year celebrating its Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series awards banquet at the Trump National Doral Miami feted one of the sport’s newest champions and a repeat victor Monday night. But before the festivities came into full swing, it included a warm-up by the resort’s namesake. The day after the thrilling conclusion to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton ‘ stock-car racing’s other national series champions ‘ took center stage Monday as the toast of the glitzy Donald J. Trump Ballroom. But before their speeches and moments of remembrance, ‘The Donald’ himself gave the industry a warm welcome. Participants in both series donned their formal best Monday evening, celebrating the accolades of two seasons of racing that began in February at Daytona.
Crafton’s return to the head table came by virtue of his second straight title, a historic first for the Camping World Truck Series. Last season his heart-tugging acceptance speech took several emotional turns; this year, a quip beforehand about his 1 1/2-year-old daughter, Elladee, helped him channel his inner comic. ‘She’s been around two years and I’ve won two truck series championships,’ Crafton said. ‘Why’d I wait so long to have kids?’
Ryan Blaney, the truck series’ runner-up this year, brought home the most popular driver award in the Camping World Truck Series but waved off making an acceptance speech. The Team Penske #22 Ford (Nationwide) and Kyle Busch Motorsports #51 Toyota (trucks) were honored for their team owner championships in their respective series.
Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch (Nationwide) also claimed top honors in the year-end Keystone Light and Coors Light Pole Awards, leading both series in the number of poles this season. Busch was also lauded with the Mobil 1 Driver of the Year in the truck series.(NASCAR.com)
