(courtesy National Motorsports Press Association)
LAS VEGAS – Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, successful team owner and equally effective track owner, is this year’s recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award.

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.