The ‘Stewies,’ which features Stewart’s entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the 2011 NASCAR season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 1 (9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT).  The live broadcast will air nationwide on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”).  The broadcast will be open to the public for fans in Las Vegas.

Stewart won his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title after a remarkable postseason run that saw him win five of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  His down-to-the-wire battle with Carl Edwards created one of the most exciting finishes in NASCAR history, as Stewart overcame early-race troubles and held off Edwards to win the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and claim the crown.  In just his third year as a driver/owner with Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart becomes the first driver/owner to win a championship since Alan Kulwicki did it in 1992.  He was the last driver to win the championship before Jimmie Johnson went on his historic five year title run.

The ‘Stewie Awards’ event will feature live interviews with several of Stewart’s competitors in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, plus other special guests.

“Hosting the ‘Stewies’ is always one of the highlights of Champions Week for me and this year’s show will be incredibly special,” said Stewart.  “This has been an amazing season for me and the team and it’ll be great to share the excitement of Champions Week with the fans in Las Vegas and those listening around the country on SiriusXM.”

Fans can vote for the ‘Stewie Award’ winners online at www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards.

The 2011 ‘Stewies’ nominees are:

Best Original Drama – For the year’s most dramatic moment or sequence.

• Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick battle Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin to end of Aaron’s 499 at Talladega only to be bested by Jimmie Johnson, who tied a record for slimmest margin of victory at .002 secs thanks to a late push by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Brad Keselowski drives to victory in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono with a broken ankle. During a red flag for rain, Kez had fluid drained from his ankle, which had swollen to the size of a softball.
• Kyle Busch wins 18 combined series races and passes Mark Martin on all-time NASCAR Nationwide Series win list, yet makes headlines for a series of “less attractive” reasons.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans thought his 104-race winless drought was over, but on final turn of green-white-checker finish, Junior runs out of gas and Kevin Harvick wins Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
• Tony Stewart overcomes pit road issues, debris damage, a lengthy red flag and down-to-the-wire challenge from Carl Edwards to win season finale Ford 400 at Homestead.  Smoke has to climb his way to the front of the field twice and he and Edwards trade lead several times.  The 1-2 finish leaves them tied in points but tie-breaker, and championship, goes to Stewart.

Bonehead Move of the Year Award

• Leading the Daytona 500 with two laps to go, David Ragan changes lanes before reaching start/finish line during a restart and is black-flagged to end of lead lap.  He finishes 14th.
• Carl Edwards destroys his car’s front end during post-race celebration after winning $1 million NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte.
• Kyle Busch’s win at the Quaker State 400, NASCAR’s inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky, gets overshadowed by reports of 15-mile traffic jams on I-71.
• Perhaps unaware of in-car cameras, Chad Knaus is heard telling Jimmie Johnson before Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega, “If we win this race, you have to crack the back end of the car.”
• JJ Yeley pushes Matt Kenseth when #17 runs out of gas at Geico 400 at Chicagoland but, since it is illegal to receive assistance on final lap, Kenseth is dropped from 8th to 21st place finish.

“Feels Like The First Time” Award – For the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season.

• On the day after his 20th birthday, Trevor Bayne wins Daytona 500 in his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start.
• After 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series attempts, Regan Smith finds Victory Lane in the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington while driving for a single car team.
• Avoiding a wreck-fest in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, David Ragan redeems himself from five months earlier (Daytona) by getting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win.
• Coming from a family with deep racing roots, Paul Menard becomes first in his family to kiss bricks at Indy after getting his first win in Brickyard 400.
• Australian champion Marcos Ambrose gets his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.

Best Vocal Performance – For the year’s most memorable quote. (Visit www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees.)

• Clint Bowyer once exclaimed during a 2008 race that, “Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in NASCAR, period.”  Skip ahead to this year, at press conference announcing Bowyer as the newest driver at Michael Waltrip Racing, the two discuss Waltrip’s driving prowess.
• Kenny Wallace delivers a memorable command to fire engines in the UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky.
• After some “you dumped me, so I’ll dump you” talk between Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, Smoke waxes poetic with the media about being blocked.
• After winning the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol, Brad Keselowski celebrates in Victory Lane with help from his sponsor.
• Pastor Joe Nelms of Family Baptist Church in Lebanon, TN, channels his inner “Ricky Bobby” during the pre-race invocation for the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville.

Best “Driver2Crew Chatter” – (Visit www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees.)

• The #88 crew helps Dale Earnhardt Jr. mark his pit stall in the STP 400 at Kansas.
• Comedian Larry the Cable Guy, honorary pace car driver for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, details the biggest challenge of driving at NASCAR’s highest level.
• In the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas, Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson pay their “respects” to one of the year’s biggest success stories.
• Kurt Busch expresses his “displeasure” with how things are progressing in the Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond.
• Greg Biffle and then crew chief Greg Erwin discuss their “winning plan” during Coca-Cola 600.

Best Original Comedy – For the year’s most entertaining “incident.”

• With three regular season races remaining, Tony Stewart questions his team’s “Chase” abilities during a post-race ESPN interview at Michigan.  Smoke goes on to win five postseason races and win his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
• On the final green-white-checker attempt, Justin Allgaier begins thanking his team for win at Bucyrus 200 at Road America but runs out of fuel and fails to maintain caution speed.  Ron Fellows and Reed Sorenson advance, but after Fellows also fails to maintain caution speed, Sorenson is declared winner.
• When Kyle Busch pits during the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, crew chief Dave Rogers reminds team to “tighten the lugs,” but as Kyle pulls away his front left wheel detaches and rolls down the track.
• Thinking Greg Biffle was racing dirty in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen, Boris Said requests a “meeting” with “The Biff” after the race.  In the ensuing encounter, Biffle takes a swing at Said and Said answers back with verbal TKO.
• Battling teammate Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blows an engine on last lap of US Cellular 250 at Iowa.  The combination of oil on the track and blinding smoke on Edwards’ windshield causes Carl to slam into Stenhouse and push him to win.

Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) – For the year’s most remarkable crash.

• At the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen, Denny Hamlin hits the tire wall at 76 mph.  Hamlin emerges from his car under his own power – sore, but safe.
• At the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen, David Ragan hits wall at 100 mph.  Ragan then hits David Reutimann who cartwheels into Turn 2 fence.  Everyone emerges safely.
• Battling Carl Edwards during the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover, Joey Logano gets loose, bounces off wall and collects Clint Bowyer, who flips on his side as both cars are destroyed and several other cars get caught in the mess.  The drivers are uninjured.
• In Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, Martin Truex Jr.’s throttle sticks entering Turn 3 causing him to crash into the SAFER barrier at high speed.  Grateful for NASCAR’s safety improvements Truex says afterward, “Ten years ago I wouldn’t be here.”
• At Aaron’s 312 at Talladega, Mike Wallace hits Jason Leffler and goes airborne, flipping completely over before landing back on his wheels.  Wallace finishes the race in 18th place.

‘Boys, Have At It” Award – For the year’s most memorable on- or off-track bumping and/or dumping.

• Robby Gordon gets put on indefinite NASCAR suspension after an incident with Kevin Conway in the Las Vegas garage.  Few people witness the altercation but the two drivers have an unpleasant history following their 2010 partnership.
• After an on-track battle at the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington, Kevin Harvick throws a punch at Kyle Busch on pit road.  Busch rams Harvick’s car into pit road wall and fight breaks out between the two race teams.
• Steve Wallace spins Patrick Carpentier during NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Montreal to prematurely end the final race of Carpentier’s career.  Carpentier’s crew chief, Jerry Baxter, reaches into car to pull Wallace’s hair.  Wallace states later, “Only girls pull hair.”
• After multiple incidents, Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya visit the NASCAR hauler.  It is rumored Newman throws a punch during the meeting but “Rocket Man” will only say, “What happens in the trailer stays in the trailer.”
• Nearing the checkered flag in the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega, Jeff Gordon gets dumped by his tandem draft partner, Trevor Bayne, for another Ford driver.  Gordon goes from being a contender to win to finishing 27th, 12 spots behind Bayne.

The Social Stewie Award – For the year’s best social media quote.

• Matt Kenseth via Twitter after his wife’s “Better Half Dash” practice injury. @matt_kenseth17: “Katie is feeling pretty good today, and I got to learn something new…how to put a bra ON!”
• Would-be-father Scott Speed via Twitter. @scottspeed: “At the obgyn to find out if @Amanda_Speed has bad eggs or if my swimmers are just turning left n going in circles lol”
• Comedian Jim Gaffigan opines via Twitter about “horse power.” @jimgaffigan: “Horse racing is just NASCAR for gamblers, right?”
• Kevin Harvick weighs in via Twitter about Ron Hornaday being dumped.  @kevinharvick: “Great night for the 2 truck!! Just watched the race replay and saw what I already knew @kylebusch is a b****…”
• Jimmie Johnson pleads with “NASCAR Nation” via Twitter.  @jimmiejohnson: “I’m amazed how many of you admit to owning a shake weight.  Please stop buying them so it goes away. #publicservice.”

Golden Stewie Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary figure from the Golden Era of racing, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event.

“Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event.

Here’s part of last years show:

NASCAR drivers (from left) Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson have a good time during Thursday’s Stewies inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — Winners of the fourth annual “Stewie Awards” were announced Thursday night by two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart on SIRIUS XM Radio in front of a live audience at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The 2010 Stewie Award winners were decided by fans who voted for the best, boldest and funniest moments of the NASCAR season.

Winners in 10 categories, including Best Original Drama, Best Driver2Crew Chatter and Best Vocal Performance, were honored.

The winners of the 2010 Stewie Awards:

Golden Stewie Award -Selected by Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum and honoring a legendary figure from the Golden Era of racing

• Former NASCAR owner, stuntman and film producer/director Hal Needham.

“Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award

• The late Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s former VP of corporate communications who passed away in October. The award was accepted during the event by Hunter’s son, Scott.

Best Original Drama – Honoring the year’s most dramatic moment or sequence

• Clint Bowyer wins the Sylvania 300 at Loudon on Sep. 19 but later loses win after failing an inspection for being 1/16th of an inch too high on left rear. The loss costs the No. 33 team a shot at the Cup title.

Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) -For the year’s most spectacular crash

• During Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, Elliott Sadler plows head-first into SAFER barrier wall in one of the hardest impacts ever recorded by NASCAR. As a result of numerous safety improvements made in the sport, Sadler was not injured.

Best Original Comedy – Honoring the year’s most entertaining “incident”

• Joey Logano rips Kevin Harvick to reporters at Pocono saying, “His wife wears the firesuit in the family and tells him what to do.” (In Logano’s absence, this award was presented to DeLana Harvick)

Bonehead Move of the Year Award

• Denny Hamlin puts a proven, three-win car into the wall during his victory burnout at Pocono on Jun. 6.

“Feels Like The First Time” Award – For the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season

• Chip Ganassi becomes the first owner to win the trifecta — Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 — in the same year.

“Boys, Have At It” Award

• At Atlanta on March 3, Carl Edwards “pays back” Brad Keselowski and ends up flipping Keselowski’s car onto its roof.

Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange – Acknowledging the year’s most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Kyle Busch expresses his displeasure at Jimmie Johnson not letting him pass at Martinsville on Oct. 24.

Best Vocal Performance – Honoring the year’s most memorable quote (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Kevin Harvick shares his post-race thoughts on the No. 48 team’s luck at Fontana on Feb. 21.

Guests on Thursday’s program included: Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who captured the title for an unprecedented fifth consecutive year, Chase drivers Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, owners Chip Ganassi and DeLana Harvick, Ford Martin and celebrity Robin Leach.

The ‘Stewies,’ the acclaimed awards show that features Stewart’s entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the 2010 NASCAR season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 2 (9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT). The live broadcast will air nationwide on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128 for SIRIUS subscribers and XM subscribers with the “Best of SIRIUS.” The broadcast will be open to the public for fans in attendance in Las Vegas.

The two-hour event will feature live interviews with five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson and other drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Las Vegas, plus other special guests.

Fans can determine the ‘Stewie Award’ winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/stewieawards.

The 2010 ‘Stewies’ nominees are:

Best Original Drama – Honoring the year’s most dramatic moment or sequence.

• Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson: Gordon expresses post-race frustrations about Johnson to the media at Talladega.
• Clint Bowyer wins the Sylvania 300 at Loudon on Sep. 19 but later loses win after failing an inspection for being 1/16th of an inch too high on left rear. The loss costs the #33 team a shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives a throwback #3 Wrangler Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona – the same track where his iconic father lost his life.
• Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton: After Burton collects Gordon during a caution at Texas, both drivers exit their cars and Gordon shoves Burton. Burton later apologizes. Gordon says he has lost respect for Burton.
• Denny Hamlin goes from first to ninth to first in the final 15 laps of a wild overtime finish at Martinsville on Mar. 29. Off a late pit stop, the Virginia native bullies his was to his first win of the season.

Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) – For the year’s most spectacular crash

• In overtime of Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, Jamie McMurray causes a wreck that takes out much of the field including Mark Martin. Asked if he likes the new “green/white/checker” rule post-race, Martin quips, “It’s good for the fans.”
• At Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas, Jeff Gordon taps Tony Stewart, who gets bumped by Carl Edwards. Stewart turns into Gordon and the ensuing wreck claims nearly 10 cars.
• During Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, Elliott Sadler plows head first into SAFER barrier wall in one of the hardest impacts ever recorded by NASCAR. As a result of numerous safety improvements made in the sport, Sadler was not injured.
• At Talladega on October 30, Ron Hornaday’s truck ends up on its roof after flipping four times. Hornaday crawls out of the truck on his own, grabs hat and steering wheel and laughs as crowd cheers him on.

Best Original Comedy – Honoring the year’s most entertaining “incident.”

• After missing his pit box at Darlington on May 8, Tony Stewart suggests his crew get a bigger pit sign.
• At Atlanta race, Stewart’s father, Nelson, shows some creativity by suggesting a new method to signal his son into the pits. Smoke’s dad’s idea: Shine a flashlight for Tony to see!
• Joey Logano rips Kevin Harvick to reporters at Pocono saying, “His wife wears the firesuit in the family and tells him what to do.”
• After the Michigan race on Aug. 15, Joey Logano confronts Ryan Newman and pokes him in the stomach. Newman appears ready to fight, but Logano tells reporters later he only asked Newman why he races him so hard.

Bonehead Move of the Year Award

• Clint Bowyer pulls away from his pit with the jack still under the car at Dover on May 16.
• Denny Hamlin puts a proven, three-win car into the wall during his victory burnout at Pocono on Jun. 6.
• At Sonoma on Jun. 20 Marcos Ambrose, while leading the race, shuts off his engine to coast downhill then can’t re-fire it. NASCAR penalizes him for being “off the pace” and he ends up finishing sixth.
• Kasey Kahne pulls out of his pit at Phoenix with gas can still attached on Nov. 14.

“Feels Like The First Time” Award – For the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season.

• NASCAR Hall of Fame opens and inaugural class is enshrined – Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Junior Johnson.
• Chip Ganassi becomes the first owner to win the “Trifecta” – Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 – in the same year.
• At Bristol, Kyle Busch becomes the first driver in history to win all three of NASCAR’s top racing series events (NSCS, NNS, NCTS) in the same weekend.
• Open wheel star Danica Patrick makes her much-anticipated NASCAR debut.
• Brad Keselowski gives Roger Penske his first NASCAR Championship by winning NASCAR Nationwide Series title.

‘Boys, Have At It” Award

• At Atlanta on March 3, Carl Edwards “pays back” Brad Keselowski and ends up flipping Keselowski’s car onto its roof. Edwards, though unapologetic, says he didn’t mean to flip Keselowski. Keselowski calls for a response from NASCAR.
• After being bumped by Kyle Busch at Bristol on Aug. 20, Brad Keselowski says he is “gonna go to work on beating [Busch’s] ass.”
• After contact by Jeff Gordon at Martinsville on Oct. 24, Kyle Busch retaliates by putting Gordon into the wall and ending his day.
• After several poor performances, Chad Knaus replaces Jimmie Johnson’s #48 team pit crew with the #24 crew in mid-race at Phoenix. Change remains in place for remainder of the season and Johnson ends up winning his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange – Acknowledging the year’s most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Lance McGrew exchange colorful words about “laying down” at Bristol on Mar. 21.
• After a series of incidents, David Reutimann’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, suggests a way to end the scuffling between his driver and Kyle Busch at Kansas on Oct. 3.
• “The Best of” Kevin Harvick and the #29 team (montage)
• Kyle Busch expresses his displeasure at Jimmie Johnson not letting him pass at Martinsville on Oct. 24.

Best Vocal Performance – Honoring the year’s most memorable quote (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Kevin Harvick shares his post-race thoughts on the #48 team’s luck at Fontana on Feb. 21.
• Juan Pablo Montoya vents about teammate Jamie McMurray at Las Vegas on Feb. 28.
• Kurt Busch comments on losing to Jimmie Johnson at Bristol on Mar. 21.
• Actors/Comedians Adam Sandler and Kevin James deliver a memorable “Start Your Engines” command at Michigan on June 13.
• Greg Biffle jokes with media about what it takes to win at NASCAR’s highest level at Bristol on Sep. 24.

Golden Stewie Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary figure from the Golden Era of racing, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event

“Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event

Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion (2002, 2005) and one of only 14 drivers in the history of NASCAR to win multiple Cup Series titles, has 39 Sprint Cup wins, 12 poles, 153 top-fives and 247 top-10s in 428 career starts. Since 2009, Stewart has been an owner and driver at Stewart-Haas Racing and has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in both of his seasons with the team.

SIRIUS XM is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR, broadcasting every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race live on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128, the only radio channel dedicated to NASCAR 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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The ‘Stewies,’ which first debuted in 2007, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum in Las Vegas on Dec. 3 (10:00 p.m. ET). The live broadcast will air on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, available to listeners nationwide on SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package.

The two-hour event will feature live interviews with the 2009 champion and other drivers in the Chase, plus other special guests. Celebrity Robin Leach will serve as the show announcer.

Fans can determine the 2009 ‘Stewie Award’ winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/stewieawards.

The 2009 ‘Stewies’ nominees are:

“Feels Like The First Time” Award — Recognizing the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season.

• Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500 for owner Jack Roush. (Feb. 15)
• Brad Keselowski wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega. (Apr. 26)
• David Reutimann wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte. (May 25)
• Joey Logano wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Loudon. (Jun. 28)
• Kevin Harvick gets first win in his own Nationwide Series car. (Mar. 21)
• Tony Stewart gets his first owner/driver win in Sprint All-Star Race. (May 16)

Best Original Drama — Honoring the year’s most dramatic moment or sequence.

• Stewart-Haas Racing’s exemplary inaugural season.
• 50-year-old Mark Martin makes the Chase in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports.
• Kyle Busch dominates the Dickies 500 at Texas (Nov. 8) by leading a race-high 232 laps but runs out of gas with three laps to go and finishes 11th.
• Jimmie Johnson runs out of gas on the final lap at Michigan (Aug. 16), handing the win to Brian Vickers.
• Danica Patrick’s on-again, off-again relationship with NASCAR.

Best Original Comedy — Honoring the year’s most entertaining “incident.”

• Denny Hamlin vs. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski spins Hamlin into the wall late in Nationwide Series race at Dover (Sep. 26). After the race, crews from both teams get into a pit road skirmish.
• Tom Logano vs. Greg Biffle: Angry that Greg Biffle forced his son, Joey, into the wall at Fontana (Oct. 10), Tom Logano flips off Biffle as he heads to Victory Lane.
• Humpy Wheeler vs. Bruton Smith: Angry that he didn’t get a personal invitation to attend the Charlotte races from former boss Bruton Smith, Humpy Wheeler attends the Indianapolis 500 instead and made his feelings known about Smith. The two continue to exchange words in the media for days over the circumstances of Wheeler’s departure from Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
• Carl Edwards vs. a frisbee: Edwards breaks his foot playing frisbee two races into the Chase and uses the injury to plug his sponsor, Aflac, in a press release.

Best Vocal Performance — Honoring the year’s most memorable quote.(Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Kyle Busch tells Junior Nation that he’d rather win races than sell the most t-shirts at Bristol. (Mar 22)
• Michael Waltrip tackles 5th Grade U.S. History on FOX’s Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Oct. 27)
• Tony Stewart “in awe” of Jeff Gordon post-race at Kansas. (Oct. 4)
• President Barack Obama welcomes NASCAR to the White House. (Aug. 19)
• Inaugural Class of NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees announced by CEO Brian France. (Oct. 14)

Smokey Yunick Award (Best Engineering and Special Effects) — Acknowledging the year’s most creative modifications to a race car.

• Carl Long gets penalized for oversized engine during Sprint All-Star weekend. (May 16)
• Robby Gordon’s rear axle housing exceeds the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree at Coca-Cola 600. (May 24)
• After finishing 5th in the Sylvania 300 (Sep. 20), Kyle Busch gets penalized after the left front of the No. 18 Toyota is too low in post-race inspection.
• Martin Truex, Jr. finishes 16th in the LifeLock 400 (Jul. 11) but fails post-race inspection when right rear quarter panel is too high. Four months later, in the Dickies 500 at Texas (Nov. 8), Truex finishes 14th but fails post-race again for being too low.
• Honorable Mention: Mark Martin’s No. 5 and Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 cars for not being illegal, yet causing a media frenzy in September of 2009 after being warned by NASCAR that they were “getting too close to the tolerance limits” set forth by NASCAR.

Bonehead Move of the Year Award

• Jimmy Watts, gasman for Marcos Ambrose, gets suspended for four races after running onto the infield grass to retrieve a loose tire during the Kobalt Tools 500. (Mar. 8)
• Juan Montoya, despite holding a commanding lead all day, commits a speeding penalty during pit a stop in the Allstate 400 causing him to lose the race. (Jul. 26)
• Kyle Busch destroys his Nationwide Series guitar/trophy at Nashville in true “rock star fashion.” (Jun. 6)
• Jeremy Mayfield’s entire 2009 season (on and off the track).

‘I Got Dumped’ Award — Acknowledging the year’s most memorable on or off-track bumping

• Marcos Ambrose loses NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series race in Montreal on last lap to Carl Edwards by misjudging final turn. (Aug. 30)
• Tony George leaves Hulman-George Companies (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) after 20 years as President & CEO.
• After Dale Earnhardt, Jr. goes winless since June 15, 2008, Tony Eury, Jr. is released as crew chief for the No.88 and is replaced by Lance McGrew.
• Kyle Busch ends up in the wall on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400 (July 4) after slight contact with Tony Stewart. Stewart gets his 2nd points win of the year but says, “that’s not the way I wanted to do it.”
• Despite 12 of Kyle Busch’s 16 Cup Series wins coming in the last two years, Steve Addington is ousted as crew chief for the No.18 and replaced by Dave Rogers.

Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) — Acknowledging the year’s most spectacular crash

• Carl Edwards wrecks on the final lap at Talladega in the spring (Apr. 26) and sends the car flipping into the catch fence. Edwards gets out of car and runs across finish line to complete the race.
• Ryan Newman wrecks at Talladega in the fall (Nov. 1) and the car lands on Kevin Harvick’s hood. After being freed from the car Newman walks away.
• Joey Logano flips seven-and-a-half times on Lap 32 at Dover (Sep. 27). Post-race, an unharmed Logano says, “It was the wildest ride I’ve ever been on.”
• Lap 61 coming out of Turn 9 at Watkins Glen (Aug. 10), Kasey Kahne and Sam Hornish Jr. tangle causing a multi-car crash.

Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange — Acknowledging the year’s most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication. (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)

• Roger Penske puts Kurt Busch in line at Martinsville. (Mar. 29)
• Spotter Jeff Dickerson to Kyle Busch at Las Vegas: “Say goodnight, Gracie.” (Mar. 1)
• Juan Pablo Montoya penalized by NASCAR at Indy for speeding on pit lane. (Jul. 26)
• Kurt Busch’s love/hate relationship with his team in 2009. (Montage from 2009 season)

Golden Stewie Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary driver from the Golden Era of racing.

• The winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event

“Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum,

• The winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event

The ‘Stewies,’ which first debuted in 2007 and features Stewart’s entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the recently concluded season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 3. The live broadcast will air on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, available to listeners nationwide on SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package.

The two-hour event will feature live interviews with the 2009 champion and other drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Las Vegas, plus other special guests.

“We had so much fun doing this show the last two years that we decided the season just wouldn’t be complete without handing out a few more Stewies,” said Stewart. “Matt and I are thrilled to team up with SIRIUS XM for another event and to be able to do it in one of the most exciting cities in the world will be awesome. They say, ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’ Not in this case. SIRIUS and XM listeners around the country can tune in live to check it all out.”

Stewart and Yocum will announce the nominees in the award categories in the coming weeks. Following the announcement of the nominees, fans around the country can determine the winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/stewieawards.

The 2009 ‘Stewies’ categories will include:

• Feels Like The First Time” Award – Recognizing the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season
• Best Original Drama – Honoring the year’s most exciting race moment
• Best Original Comedy – Honoring the year’s most entertaining “incident”
• Best Vocal Performance – Honoring the year’s most memorable quote
• Smokey Yunick Award (Best Engineering and Special Effects) – Acknowledging the year’s most creative – and illegal – modifications to a race car
• Bonehead Move of the Year Award
• ‘I Got Dumped’ Award – Acknowledging the year’s most memorable on-track bumping
• Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) – Acknowledging the year’s most spectacular crash
• Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange – Acknowledging the year’s most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication
• Golden Stewie Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary driver from the Golden Era of racing
• “Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award

Stewart and Yocum hosted their critically-acclaimed show, Tony Stewart Live, on SIRIUS XM Radio from 2007 through 2008. Prior to the 2009 NASCAR season, Stewart announced he would be partnering with Haas Automation to form a new Sprint Cup team, Stewart-Haas Racing, where he would be an owner and driver.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s inaugural season on the track has been a tremendous success, with Stewart earning four wins and 15 top-five finishes. He and  teammate Ryan Newman both qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, where Stewart is currently fourth in the standings.