SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) , the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR, and Tony Stewart, two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio host and one of the sport's most exciting and outspoken drivers, announced today the creation of the first annual 'Stewie Awards,' honoring the best, boldest and funniest moments of the 2007 NASCAR season.
The 'Stewies' will be awarded during a special live broadcast of Tony Stewart Live, Stewart's weekly talk show on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio channel 128, at SIRIUS' New York City studios on Thursday, November 29 (6:00 - 8:00 pm ET) during 2007 NASCAR Champions Week. Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum will announce the nominees in the 12 award categories on a future edition of Tony Stewart Live. Following the announcement of the nominees, fans around the country can decide the winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/nascar.
"After almost a year of doing Tony Stewart Live, we've been able to view the sport from a different perspective," Stewart said. "And after being able to dissect all the events that have happened on and off the track, we've seen some pretty cool things and have come to appreciate all that goes into a race weekend. Some are serious and some are funny, and we thought the best way to wrap up our first year on SIRIUS was to showcase these memorable events with 'The Stewies.' I'm sure the folks who have to organize the Oscars and the Emmys will now be looking over their shoulders."
"Each week the radio show gives us some great interaction with fans, and that got us thinking about ways to not only thank them, but include them in Champions Week," Yocum said. "We came up with our own unique post-season awards. It's a NASCAR version of Beavis and Butthead meets the Oscars. There isn't a better way to cap off our rookie season on SIRIUS than to do what we do every week, and that's have fun with the fans by hosting 'The Stewie Awards' live from SIRIUS' headquarters in New York City."
"SIRIUS NASCAR Radio has become a channel where fans go to be well- informed, to interact with true NASCAR insiders, and often to have a good laugh," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS' President, Entertainment and Sports. "Tony and Matt have been entertaining listeners all year long on Tony Stewart Live and 'The Stewies' are a perfectly fitting way to involve those fans as they take a lighthearted look back at an extraordinary 2007 NASCAR season."
The critically-acclaimed Tony Stewart Live debuted January 2, 2007 and airs weekly throughout the year exclusively on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128. The two-hour show features Stewart and Yocum taking calls from listeners, talking with prominent guests and covering the spectrum of motorsports - from NASCAR to open-wheel racing and beyond.
Stewart is a two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion (2002, 2005), one of only 14 drivers in the history of NASCAR to win multiple Cup Series titles. In addition to his achievements on the NASCAR circuit, Stewart is the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and in USAC's Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown divisions. In 1997, Stewart joined Joe Gibbs Racing, running five Busch Series races before a 22-race Busch Series slate in 1998. In 1999, Stewart moved to the pinnacle of motorsports - the Nextel Cup Series. During an extraordinary rookie campaign, Stewart won three races, was crowned Rookie of the Year and became the first driver to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Currently, Stewart has 32 Nextel Cup wins, 10 poles, 118 top-fives and 190 top-10s in 315 career starts.
While Stewart is passionate about racing, he is equally passionate about philanthropy. In 2003, he formed "The Tony Stewart Foundation," through which he raises funds that are distributed to organizations that actively support children's organizations, animal rescue groups and injured race car drivers.
