NASCAR: Harvick takes the stage at Sprint Cup Awards

Kevin Harvick, with wife DeLana and 2-year-old son Keelan, joined his Stewart-Haas Racing team to take center stage Friday night at the Sprint Cup Awards at the Wynn Las Vegas, as Harvick was officially recognized for his victory in this year's Chase.

"It's pictures like this that show you what NASCAR is all about," host Jay Mohr said as Harvick's family was shown on the auditorium's video screen "And we all know in this room, it's about family. This is a family, and Kevin Harvick, my friend, what better way to celebrate your first Sprint Cup Series championship than here tonight being honored by your NASCAR family."

"From a kid in Bakersfield who just wanted to race," Harvick said, "just wanted to live out his dream, just for fun, did it as a hobby, this season has been a dream come true."

Mohr gently teased all of the Chase contenders as they were presented, with the oldest among them, Jeff Gordon, leading Mohr to list his season statistics as "four wins, 23 top-10s and five cases of Ensure." Gordon seemed to take it all in fun.

"If they were making fun of me and I wasn't here, maybe it would bother me," Gordon said. "The fact that we made it here, you have to be very appreciative of the efforts that got you here and the fact that it is a very competitive series. I am the oldest guy in the Chase, and I'm proud of that. I don't look at it so much as age -- I've been around a long time. I started at a young age, been doing this a long time, and to still be doing it at the level that I'm doing it, yeah, I don't mind being made fun of."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award for the 12th straight year, thanking his nation of fans for their votes and engagement with him on Twitter.

Daniel Noltemeyer of Louisville was awarded the fourth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, winning a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation and a 2015 Camry from award sponsor Toyota on behalf of Best Buddies Kentucky, a group that organizes social programs and awareness for people with developmental disabilities.