updated 5:27 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2012

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has been selected as the Hickok Belt Award winner for the month of November 2012. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA). Keselowski was selected after locking up his first Sprint Cup title in the year's final race, becoming only the third driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup title within his first three seasons.

Other finalists for the month of October in order of how the NSSA voters ranked them were: Tom Brady (football), Peyton Manning (football), Arian Foster (football), Carmelo Anthony (basketball), Matt Ryan (football), LeBron James (basketball), Chad Kackert (football), Rory McIlroy (golf), Robert Guerrero (boxing).

Keselowski's selection as the Hickok Belt Award winner for November not only recognizes him as "the best of the best" in professional sports for the month, it also marks another milestone in the return of the award given to the top professional athlete across all sports. As a monthly recipient, Keselowski becomes the eleventh of twelve finalists for the overall annual award, joining previous monthly award winners including Eli Manning, Jeremy Lin, Lindsey Vonn, Bubba Watson, Josh Hamilton, LeBron James, Usain Bolt, Pablo Sandoval and two time monthly winner Serena Williams. Winners as selected by the NSSA will be announced each month throughout 2012. The overall winner will then be announced in 2013, as the Hickok Belt Award, the crown jewel of sports, will be presented for the first time in over 36 years.

The Hickok Belt Award was originally presented annually from 1950 - 1976. Past recipients include a list of the 20th century's elite athletes including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jim Brown and others that defined their sports. To learn more about the rich history of the Hickok Belt Award and keep up with all the news surrounding the award in 2012, please visit www.HickokBelt.com.