LAS VEGAS -- Brad Keselowski met Jim Hunter only two or three times. He didn't know much about the longtime NASCAR executive when he died of cancer in October 2010, leaving a void in the sport that still hasn't been filled.

So when Tony Stewart said during Friday night's Sprint Cup banquet that Hunter would be proud of Keselowski, that he would like his style, the 28-year-old from Michigan may not have known exactly what he meant.

Those of us who knew Hunter did.

It was perhaps the highest praise the three-time champion or anybody in the sport could have given NASCAR's newest champion.

Here's what he meant:

"I don't think Brad's learned to be cautious yet,'' Stewart said backstage during the nationally televised event from the Las Vegas Wynn. "Hopefully, that won't bite him like it has a lot of drivers in the past.

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John Gurzinski/Getty ImagesTony Stewart on 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, above: "It's nice to see somebody who speaks form the heart and isn't guarded when he speaks. That's the way all of us should be."

"It's refreshing. It's nice to see somebody who speaks form the heart and isn't guarded when he speaks. That's the way all of us should be.''

That's the way Hunter wanted drivers in the sport to be. He worked behind the scenes in ways many never will know to make sure the competitors didn't lose sight of who they were amid the politics of rules and sponsors that often tainted their views.

That made them change.

He didn't always succeed, but he fought relentlessly for the personalities who made the sport what it is today.

"Jim was always so good at putting into perspective and taking back to NASCAR and explaining to them that you really weren't a complete jackass,'' Kevin Harvick said. "He was 'always be yourself, express yourself.' ''

Stewart and Harvick knew Hunter about as well as any driver. They admittedly wouldn't be in the sport if it weren't for his guidance and support at times when they appeared on the path of self-destruction.

So when Stewart brought up his name in the midst of the mandatory thanks to sponsors and congratulations to the new champion, it struck a chord.

Hunter understood better than most that what took NASCAR to the national level wasn't necessarily the competition on the track. He understood it was the personalities of the drivers.

He also understood corporate America and intense attention from the media sometimes makes the competitors guarded, afraid to be themselves for fear of offending a sponsor paying millions to put them on the track.

Keselowski personifies what Hunter wanted. His 12-minute, unscripted speech captured everything many of us have been telling you about him for several years.

It was honest.

It was humble.

It was spoken in a way that made everyone in the room of about 1,500 industry people realize everyone is responsible for the future of the sport.

And it came at the ideal time with the sport at a turning point with the introduction of the new car that has raised expectations for the future.

"As we look into '13, I hope as a sport we can continue to find common ground to unify," Keselowski said as though he were speaking to a room full of Republicans and Democrats in Congress. "We have some of the smartest people that can solve any problem. As a champion, I want to be your leader, and I want to help you make it happen."

It was a serious moment, but not an unexpected moment for one who has entertained us all year through Twitter and other social media outlets. Amid the pranks of drivers running up a huge tab on his hotel suite, of filling him up with shots of liquor while they unknowingly to him drank soft drinks, this week has been about unification and representation for Keselowski.

Although his voice was almost gone from all the parties and late nights, that he wants what's best for the sport could be heard loud and clear.

"I know he's enjoying the heck out of himself, and I'm proud of him for how he's handled himself,'' four-time champion Jeff Gordon said. "We've thrown everything at him, let me tell you. And some have thrown more than that at him, and he's stepped up like a pro.

"He's going to make a great champion. It's great to see a young guy like him enjoying the moment the way he is. He's got a great appreciation for the sport to be able to respect where he is as well."

Stewart's message said it all:

Don't change.

Stewart has scars from feeling he was burned by things he's done and said over the years. They are scars Hunter helped heal before he passed. They are scars he hopes Keselowski doesn't have to deal with, because he understands -- as he believes Hunter would -- that this new champion is good for the sport.

"To be perfectly honest, I hope you guys continue to treat him the way you are now,'' Stewart told reporters in an almost sermon-like tone. "That gives him that opportunity to be that way.

"I'm so scared that at some point somebody is going to turn on him and it goes downhill from there. But I'm proud to see you guys give him the chance to be open like he is.''

As funny as banquet host Howie Mandel was with cracks about Gordon taking him out in the hotel's massive corridors, as much as we all agreed with Clint Bowyer that our job is done for this season and "my a-- is clocking out,'' that is what we should take away from the banquet.

That is what we should take from the season that appropriately began with its champion-to-be tweeting from the track during a red-flag situation.

Yes, Hunter would love Keselowski's style.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Had Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon or practically any other driver in the Sprint Cup garage been caught on video grabbing the rear end of a fellow driver's wife during prerace festivities, we would be jaw-dropping shocked.

Tony Stewart does it and it's defended as normal.

Expected.

Accepted.

"It's good for me, at least," Stewart joked on Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Stewart's two-handed goose of DeLana Harvick before Sunday's Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway has been huge in terms of Internet traffic. The video went viral, appearing on "CNN Headline News" among other major news outlets. It was all over Twitter with the hashtag #sneakyassgrabber.

Stewart spent more time Tuesday answering questions about the video than the Wounded Warrior Project that he was at CMS to promote for the October race. He reminded us he'd been goosing DeLana for years for good luck and it wasn't intended to be offensive at all.

As far as I know, there hasn't been any outcry from women's rights organizations.

Told the video got more attention than Brad Keselowski winning Sunday's Chase opener, the three-time champion said, "That's pathetic."

It speaks volumes about the society we live in.

It also speaks volumes about Stewart. Whether he's winning a race, knocking a tape recorder out of a reporter's hand or goosing a good friend's wife, he gets attention.

"Anything I do gets that attention, which still amazes me," Stewart said. "I guess it's a compliment."

It's why Stewart is one of the most marketable drivers in NASCAR behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., why he really shouldn't be all that worried about losing primary sponsor Office Depot for 22 races in 2013.

Like Earnhardt, who revealed this past weekend he has more demand than he can supply for spots on his car despite Diet Mountain Dew reducing its involvement next year, sponsors come to Stewart.

The three-time champion doesn't spend his down time cold-calling companies to see if they want to be on the side of his No. 14 Chevrolet. He has a marketing team that handles that. He usually doesn't get involved until the end to close the deal.

When it comes to sponsors, Stewart's personality is charming and appealing. They come to him because they know people will pay attention when he pushes their product just like they pay attention when he grabs a rear end.

And he wins.

It's why Bass Pro Shop reportedly will jump from Jamie McMurray's Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car to Stewart's in 2013 even though the sponsor appeared headed back to EGR before inventory on the 14 became available.

"Smoke" draws attention, and sponsors love that. It's why Gene Haas in 2008 basically gave Stewart half of his organization to drive for him.

Stewart immediately brought on Office Depot and Mobil 1.

"That's the whole point in having us a part of the team ownership," Stewart said. "There's nobody going to give half their team away just for the heck of it. That's part of the draw of us being a car owner is hopefully helping draw sponsorship."

Stewart would much rather be known for grabbing up sponsors, wins and championships than the rear end of a driver's wife.

But if there is one driver that can get away with the latter, it's Stewart.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Here's what was learned at Tony Stewart's news conference Tuesday to promote the eighth annual Prelude to the Dream charity race on June 6 at Eldora Speedway:

•  Stewart wants to keep Ryan Newman, whose contract is up at Stewart-Haas Racing after this season, in 2013. It all hinges on sponsorship, but if that can be found SHR will have Stewart, Newman and Danica Patrick next season.

This came on the heels of a report that Newman was given permission to look for options if sponsorship isn't found.

"Obviously, we're working on the sponsorship to make sure we have the funding to keep that going," Stewart said of Newman's No. 39 team. "I have every intention of keeping him for next year. I like him as a teammate. He's been somebody from day one that believes in what we're doing.

"He can still win a lot of races. I think he can still win a championship with us. I have every intention of hiring him back for next year."

•  Stewart and Darrell Waltrip called Danica Patrick's 31st-place showing in the Sprint Cup race and 12th-place finish in the Nationwide race one of the best first-time attempts they've seen at Darlington Raceway.

"She showed maturity that a lot of drivers don't show the first time at Darlington," Stewart said. "It's hard to not make a mistake at Darlington. She ran about 600 laps and only had a couple of places where she got herself in trouble. I thought she showed her worth there, and I think she showed her talent level."

•  As successful at Stewart's charity event has been -- this year it benefits the Feed the Children program -- the three-time Cup champion would do anything to have Dale Earnhardt Jr. participate.

"If he called in the next 30 minutes, I'd have him a car in the next 35," Stewart said.

Earnhardt's standing reason for not participating is he doesn't like to compete on dirt. But if Patrick can give it a whirl, you'd think NASCAR's most popular driver could.

"The Prelude has always been an example of showing people why these drivers got to the level they are, because they really do pick it up real quick," Stewart said.

•  Remember when Stewart went on his sarcastic tirade about not wrecking enough cars at Talladega? Well, he really doesn't like wrecking cars, particularly at Eldora.

Apparently, there is a $2,000 crash clause he has to pay to cover the expenses of each car damaged. That could reach more than $50,000 if the entire field crashed.

"You can't expect guys to bring nice race cars like that and not do something," said Stewart, who had to pay $10,000 one year. "I don't usually think about it until after the race. Then I cringe."

•  Drivers scheduled to compete in the Prelude include Stewart, Patrick, Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and Tony Kanaan.

In case you aren't aware, Feed the Children is a U.S.-based charity that has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan.

LAS VEGAS -- If you missed the start of Friday night's Sprint Cup banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas, you missed one of the funnier moments of the week, one of the funnier moments of any celebration involving NASCAR's champion.

If you missed the start, you missed one of the best examples of why Tony Stewart is great for the sport.

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Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesFive-time champ Jimmie Johnson, left, caused an uproar when he walked onstage and to the head table when the Sprint Cup champion was introduced.

On a night that was supposed to be all about him, a night of pomp and ceremony, Stewart convinced Jimmie Johnson to walk out on the stage and go to the head table when the champion was introduced -- just like Johnson had the past five years when he actually won the title.

The look of confusion on Johnson's face was priceless.

The reaction of the crowd was priceless.

It happened because Stewart was more interested in entertaining and collecting a good laugh than he was wrapped up in himself like you might see others be. Had NASCAR not called the three-time champion to the Vegas "hauler" before the event, it would have been funnier.

It would have been funnier than Jeff Gordon break-dancing a day earlier at the After The Lap event.

"I had an Elvis suit I was going to throw on and come out with," Stewart said afterward. "[NASCAR chairman] Brian [France] thought that might be a little too risky for an awards ceremony."

Stewart is all about risk. He took a huge risk when he left the comforts of Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2008 season to become the owner/driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. He took huge risks all race in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, going three- and four-wide to make passes to get to the front for the win he would need to steal the title from Carl Edwards.

Had NASCAR's chairman not vetoed the Elvis costume, who knows how many more risks we would have seen at the banquet?

"He told me he only got to do about half of what he wanted to do," Johnson said.

It was a fun ending to a fun championship run, one that began at the onset of the Chase with a struggling Stewart saying he would be a "total bumbling idiot" if he took home the title.

During his speech Friday night, Stewart reminded us that he wasn't married like many champions, but that he had a hot date in the elderly mother of SHR co-owner Gene Haas, adding, "I like cougars."

He took several shots at the length of Edwards' second-place acceptance speech -- just shy of 10 minutes -- in which the runner-up thanked everyone but the banquet room help.

"I fight hard in the race car every week," said Stewart, who had to fight for five wins in the 10 Chase races to beat Edwards in a tiebreaker. "We like to have a good time. I'm looking forward to finally going home and have fun with my friends."

Which will include?

"A lot of pool. A lot of Schlitz. I'm sure there is a deer that is going to be pretty upset over the next few days, too," Stewart said as he anticipated his return to Columbus, Ind.

Naturally.

Stewart as champion will be great for the sport. That he doesn't take himself too seriously as we saw on Friday will endear him to many fans.

"This year, I've never seen a more laid-back and happy Tony Stewart in the Chase," said Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate. "Before that, he was an emotional wreck. He was struggling."

The only thing Stewart struggled with on Friday was convincing NASCAR to let him have more fun with his wild ideas.

"Getting called to the [NASCAR] trailer after the season for doing something stupid didn't seem right," Stewart said. "I thought I'd better end this all on a good note."

He did.