SPECIAL EVENT (HOLLYWOOD) - Jeff Gordon, Talladega Nights; Win ESPY Awards

Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship but sports fans still recognized Jeff Gordon for his skillful driving.

Via on-line voting by sports fans, Gordon won the “Best Driver” Award Wednesday night at the 15th Annual ESPY Awards held in the Kodak Theatre. Gordon bested his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr., Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti and NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher.

“Winning an ESPY is an honor,” Gordon said. “It’s one of the most prestigious awards in sports. It’s a credit to how the No. 24 DuPont team performed over the last year.

“Hopefully we can continue to have success through the end of this season and be in contention for next year’s award as well.”

In addition, “Talladega Nights,” the popular comedy starring Will Farrell, gave NASCAR its second victory of the night by winning in the “Best Sports Movie” category. Other films in the category were “We Are Marshall,” “Pride,” and “Invincible.”

"Clearly, the movie was terrific because of the unbelievable talents of Will Farrell, director Adam McKay and their team," said Dick Glover, NASCAR Vice President for Broadcasting and New Media. "Talladega Nights was a fun experience for both NASCAR fans and non-fans. It was a mixture of realistic racing action and hilarious comedy.

“But what's really exciting about this ESPY is the fact that fans decided the category winner. This is the best form of fan feedback you can have. In this case we know that we provided something they truly enjoyed."

Johnson was also nominated in the “Best Championship Performance” category. That award went to Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

Harvick was also part of another nomination for NASCAR, as this year’s Daytona 500 – in which Harvick edged Mark Martin by 0.02-seconds – was nominated in the “Best Finish” category. That award was won by last September’s 11-10 Los Angeles Dodgers victory over the San Diego Padres; the Dodgers had four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning to tie the game 9-9, then had another homer in the 10th inning to win.

Wednesday night’s ceremonies were hosted by comedian/talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and NBA star LeBron James. The show will be broadcast on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, on ESPN.