Kevin Harvick roasted then lauded in Vegas

Kevin Harvick laughs as Jay Mohr roasts him

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The spot at the head table at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards was all Kevin Harvick's, with wife DeLana and 2-year-old son Keelan joining the Stewart-Haas Racing group in the celebration. The only problem was that host Jay Mohr had become accustomed to finding six-time champion Jimmie Johnson and Co. to his right, jokingly mistaking the Harvicks' identity.

The jokes came fast and heavy in Friday night's awards gala at the Wynn Las Vegas with first-time champion Harvick not immune from Mohr's skewering. But there were also moments of sincerity among the levity as a family photo of father, mother and young son cherishing their victory moment was shown on the screen.

"It's pictures like this that show you what NASCAR is all about," Mohr said. "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."

Harvick's closing kick to the season, with wins in the final two races of 2014, captivated fans and the industry in the first year of the new playoff format, but so did the season-long show of speed that made his No. 4 Chevrolet the car to watch nearly every single weekend. Friday night, he gave his words of thanks after a well-earned first title.

Recording artist Flo Rida

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"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."

With this season's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field expanded under the new format, all 16 qualifiers walked the red carpet and were honored on stage at the black-tie event. Almost all took some good-natured ribbing from the comedian/host.

Mohr initially opened up with the promise of a "kindler, gentler" monologue after last season's stint as presenter got him on Danica Patrick's bad side. This year, the targets were wide-ranging — everything from NASCAR's winner stickers, Joey Logano's pit-crew misstep in the championship race and Michael Waltrip's tenure on "Dancing with the Stars" made the joke list.

Brad Keselowski, who netted the most victories in the 2014 season (six) but also made the most waves in the Chase with a handful of well-publicized run-ins late in the year, saw his turn into NASCAR's pre-eminent villain among fans make him an easy target.

"In Kentucky, Brad Keselowski cut his hand in Victory Lane opening a bottle of champagne," Mohr said. "Even booze hates Brad Keselowski. "

Keselowski took the joke well.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]"I think he's just great. He puts us all back down," Keselowski said. "Sometimes we get stuck in — it kind of reminds me of 'Talladega Nights' — we kind of get stuck in this place where we put ourselves. Jay does a good job of knocking us back down and putting it in perspective that we're race car drivers, right?"

Gordon, the four-time champion at age 43, was the oldest driver in the Chase, leading Mohr to list his season statistics as "four wins, 23 top-10s and five cases of Ensure." The age jokes were a continuation of the barbs from the previous night's NASCAR After the Lap tell-all, but Gordon didn't seem to mind.

The Harvicks with son Keelan

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"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. And 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, tipping his cap to his nation of fans for their votes and engagement with him on Twitter.

Daniel Noltemeyer of Louisville secured 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.