LAS VEGAS (AP) - Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon was nearly brought to tears Thursday when he was honored with the prestigious Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR.

The recipient of the award given annually since 1958 is not typically given advance notice. It is given by the National Motorsports Press Association in honor of former NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers.

Gordon has 87 career wins and four titles, but his off-track contributions include the Jeff Gordon Foundation that has been helping children battling cancer since 1999. The foundation supports the Jeff Gordon's Children's Hospital in Concord, N.C., and has committed to help children fight cancer in Africa.

He also has teamed with sponsor AARP's Drive to End Hunger program, which brings awareness to hunger among Americans 50 and older.