LAS VEGAS -- As the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers 2014 Awards Luncheon came to a close Thursday in Las Vegas, there was one more award to present.

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. could not have been more surprised to hear his name called.

"This doesn't even seem real," Earnhardt said, chuckling.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver earned the 2014 National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock-car racing.

Past recipients include Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon just two years ago, and nearly every current member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Earnhardt was honored for his contributions on the track as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports and an owner for JR Motorsports, but also off the track with the Dale Jr. Foundation.

"The truth is I'm obviously extremely humbled by this award, but I feel like I share it on so many levels -- my sister Kelley along with everyone at JR Motorsports is as deserving as this as anyone," Earnhardt said. "I've got a lot of passions with NASCAR but I wouldn't know how to make them realities without all those folks. They're why we just completed our 14th season building race cars on some level or another. And they're also why the Dale Jr. Foundation exists. I'm just as proud of what we've been able to accomplish there as anything we've ever done on the racetrack."

Earnhardt thanked the National Motorsports Press Association, the Myers family, NASCAR and those that help support the lower tiers of racing, including local track owners.

But he had one final group to thank.

"Lastly, I want to thank the fans. You are what makes NASCAR what it is," he said. "Your contributions to the sport are endless. You do it with your time, your energy, your money, your livelihoods, and all you ask in return is that we go out there and give our very best.

"What an incredible honor this is. I hope you guys have good holidays. Thank you very much."