2018 Autoweek Awards

DETROIT, Dec. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Welcome to the Third Annual Autoweek Awards! These are the awards we give to one person who has had a positive impact on car culture and a bunch of other people who did good things in racing. If you're a halfway decent person and haven't skipped ahead, you're probably dying to know who won these awards.

Here they are, the winners:

Car Culture – Kazunori Yamauchi Kazunori Yamauchi is the detail-obsessed mind behind Playstation's Gran Turismo videogame franchise. For a decade, the game has offered players an increasingly realistic and compelling simulation of the motorsports experience and helped create untold millions of new car fans. 

Driver – Martin Truex Jr. Martin Truex Jr, racing for the Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing won the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup with 8 victories and 26 top-ten finishes.

Team – Furniture Row Racing Furniture Row provided the blueprint for going from back-marker to championship winner in 2017, bringing the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup back home to Denver with 8 victories and 26 top-ten finishes.

Moment – Fernando Alonso at Indy The world was buzzing about the 2017 Indianapolis 500, in large part because two-time Formula 1 Champion Fernando Alonso skipped the Monaco GP for a chance at Indy glory. Ultimately, his car let him down, but he ran competitively and made the latest 500 one we will never forget. 

Rising Star – William Byron Coming off a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship season, the 20 year-old William Byron with only five years of racing experience is headed to the big leagues in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet next season. The racing prodigy has large shoes to fill, succeeding the likes of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

Constructor – Chevrolet Picking out Chevrolet in the world of motorsports in 2017 was easy. Typically all you had to do was look at the podium, because Chevrolet won manufacturers' championships in all five series it competes in. From its sixth straight IndyCar manufacturers' title, to NHRA drag racing championships, Chevrolet was on top of its game in 2017.

Autoweek Achievement – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throughout his career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was authentic, successful and deserving of everyone's respect on and off the track. He's a no doubter when it comes to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for both his racing ability and guiding voice in difficult times. 

About Autoweek:
Autoweek tells the stories from every corner of a vibrant car culture. From the historic to the cutting edge, from the glitzy to the grassroots, Autoweek documents the people, events and machines that interest car people all over the world. For 59 years, Autoweek has been trackside covering every form of motorsports. Today we deliver news, features and analysis online, in social media and in print.
Follow Autoweek (@AutoweekUSA) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Autoweek is owned by Crain Communications Inc, publisher of leading industry trade publications Advertising Age and Automotive News, among others. It is the only automotive media brand based in Detroit.

SOURCE Autoweek