NASCAR wraps 2016 season by honoring Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart

Honoring the legacy of one of its all-time great drivers who’s retiring, while celebrating the accomplishments of another all-time great who continues to add to an impressive résumé, NASCAR officially closed out the 2016 season with its annual year-end Sprint Cup Awards banquet Friday night at the Wynn Las Vegas.

With videos and speeches throughout the black-tie gala -- including a surprise appearance by Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder -- the NASCAR industry paid tribute to Tony Stewart, who is retiring from NASCAR after an 18-year career that saw him win three premier series championships and 49 races.

Stewart isn’t retiring from racing entirely, just NASCAR. He will continue competing in various sprint car races around the country and maintain his role as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, a four-car Sprint Cup team that won the championship in 2011 (Stewart) and 2014 (Kevin Harvick).

The highlight occurred when it was announced NASCAR had donated $1.8 million on Stewart’s behalf to the EB Research Partnership, a nonprofit organization founded by Vedder trying to find a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, a devastating skin disorder that can be fatal.

Caught off guard by the magnanimous gesture, Vedder dropped an f-bomb, which NBCSN censors edited before it was heard by a national viewing audience, as he accepted the donation.

“Are we on TV?” Vedder said. “That’s un(expletive)believable.”

Then as the ballroom laughed uproariously, Vedder said, “I’ll pay that fine.”

“Finally, somebody else is going to pay my fine,” Stewart said referencing the numerous fines NASCAR has levied against him over the years.

Also honored was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who for the 14th consecutive year won the Most Popular Driver Award. Afterward, Earnhardt told reporters he is “100 percent” and close to returning from a concussion that caused him to miss the final 18 races of the season.

But ultimately the night was about 2016 Sprint Cup titlist Jimmie Johnson, whose seventh championship tied the record held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

During the proceedings, driver after driver lauded Johnson’s status as perhaps NASCAR’s greatest driver, a fair statement considering neither Petty nor Earnhardt faced the same level of competition as Johnson, the only driver to win five consecutive championships (2006-2010) in the sport’s history.

After being introduced by 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, Johnson characteristically downplayed his place in the NASCAR record book. He did so with a fitting close to his six-minute speech by harkening back to a Dale Earnhardt Sr. quote when he tied Petty’s mark in 1994 saying that Petty “will always be the King.

“I completely agree and must say, I might have won as many championships as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but I will never be the King or the Intimidator,” Johnson said. “I’m just a guy from California who always wanted to race. Thank you, all, and have a great night.”