NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart and SIRIUS Satellite Radio Announce Winners of Inaugural...

NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart and SIRIUS Satellite Radio Announce Winners ofInaugural 'Stewie Awards'"The Stewies" presented live tonight at SIRIUS' New York City studios

NEW YORK, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Winners of the inaugural'Stewie Awards' were announced tonight by two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup SeriesChampion and SIRIUS Radio host Tony Stewart at the SIRIUS Satellite Radio

(Nasdaq: SIRI) Studios in New York City. The 2007 'Stewie Award' winners weredecided by fans around the country who logged on to www.SIRIUS.com to vote forthe best, boldest and funniest moments of the 2007 NASCAR season.

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The 'Stewies' were awarded during a special broadcast of Tony StewartLive, the weekly talk show hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum on SIRIUS NASCARRadio channel 128, in the midst of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series ChampionsWeek.

Winners in 12 categories including "Best Duet," honoring outstandingteamwork by a driver and crew chief, "Best Original Drama," honoring theyear's most exciting race moment, "Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange," "BestStunt Sequence" and others were honored.

Among the evening's highlights was the presentation of the "StewieLifetime Achievement Award" to two legends of NASCAR - former NASCAR Chairmanand CEO Bill France, Jr. and Hall of Fame driver/broadcaster Benny Parsons,both of whom passed away in 2007.Bill France, Jr. became NASCAR's president in January 1972, replacing hisfather and NASCAR's founder, William H.G. France. Bill France, Jr. grew up inthe formative years of stock car racing, living and learning every detail ofthe sport from his own experiences - flagging events, scoring, conducting,promoting and even racing himself in the 1950s. Under his watch, NASCAR wasushered into the modern era and has grown into one of the most popular sportsin the United States.Benny Parsons, the 1973 NASCAR Cup champion and 1975 Daytona 500 winner,was respected by drivers and loved by fans throughout his racing career. Afterretiring from competition, Parsons endeared himself to television audiences asa straightforward, unassuming and insightful broadcaster. Parsons was inductedinto the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

The winners of the 2007 'Stewie Awards' are:

-- Stewie Lifetime Achievement Award

-- Bill France, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of NASCAR

-- Benny Parsons, Hall of Fame driver/broadcaster

-- Golden Stewie Award - Honoring a legendary driver from the Golden Era

of racing (1960-85)

-- A.J. Foyt

-- Best Duet - For outstanding teamwork by a driver and crew chief

-- Clint Bowyer & Gil Martin: Martin keeps Bowyer calm and team