In a season already filled with great success Dale Earnhardt Jr. won another award Thursday, but this one was as much for his contributions to NASCAR off the track as on.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. honored for NASCAR contributions
Earnhardt was named the recipient of the prestigious Myers Brothers Award.
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Earnhardt was named the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Myers Brothers Award, which has been presented annually since 1958 and is handed out by the National Motorsports Press Association.
In honoring Earnhardt, the NMPA cited his role as a driver, championship-winning car owner and philanthropist. He won four Sprint Cup races in 2014, including the Daytona 500. And along with sister, Kelley, and Cup team owner Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt is the co-owner of the Xfinity Series (formerly Nationwide) team JR Motorsports.
JRM has played a significant part in launching the NASCAR careers of drivers Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick as well as several crewmembers. Eighteen-year-old Elliott won the Xfinity championship this past season as a rookie. Teammate Regan Smith finished second in points, with JRM winning nine races overall.
I'm floored. What an honor to be voted for the Myers Brothers Award. A huge shoutout to everyone @JRMotorsports for their tireless efforts.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) December 4, 2014 “The truth is obviously I’m extremely humbled by this award, but I feel like I share it on so many levels - my sister Kelley along with everyone at JR Motorsports is as deserving of this as anyone,” Earnhardt said. “I have a lot of passions with NASCAR, but I wouldn’t be able to know how to make them realities without all those folks.
“I really feel in my heart, just knowing what I’ve heard and the compliments that I’ve gotten over the last several years, that JR Motorsports is a big asset to the sport.”
Former winners of the Myers Brothers Award include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. Earnhardt’s father won in 2001.
Off the track, Earnhardt raised nearly $1 million for various charities in 2014 through his Dale Earnhardt Jr. Foundation. And with 235 appearances on behalf of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Earnhardt ranks in the top five among professional athletes.
“I’m just as proud of what we’ve accomplished there as anything we’ve ever done on the race track,” Earnhardt said, speaking about his charitable efforts.
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