[4] Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.
[n 1][5] The inaugural winner of the award was British driver Nigel Mansell who finished the 1992 season with a then record-breaking nine wins and fourteen pole positions en route to winning his sole Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
[6][7] Mansell moved to the Championship Auto Racing Teams the following year, and won the series title at the first attempt,[8] earning him a second ESPY Award in 1994.
As of 2022[update], multiple NASCAR Cup Series champions Jeff Gordon (1996, 1998, 1999, 2007) and his teammate Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) have won the most awards with four each.
NASCAR drivers have won more awards than any other motorsports series, with nineteen victories, followed by Formula One with five wins.