Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Pontiac, easily cruised to fourth quarter DRIVER OF THE YEAR Honors today. For Stewart, 29, winner of three races during the quarter, it was de ja vu, since he repeated the honor he won last year with a like number of wins. In winning quarterly honors for the most prestigious award in motorsports, Stewart gathered nine first place votes and 109 points in a vote of a 16-member motorsports panel and viewers of ESPN. That out-distanced second-place Bobby Labonte, Stewart’s teammate and new NASCAR/Winston Cup champion. Labonte had four first-place votes and 86 points after winning two races in his #18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac. Third place in the final quarter voting went to CART Champion Gil de Ferran, who scored 49 points. Quarterly voting for the DRIVER OF THE YEAR awards points on a basis of 9-6-4-3-2-1 for the top six drivers. Later this month a secret ballot will be taken to determine the overall DRIVER OF THE YEAR, who will be feted at a luncheon at the Le Cirque restaurant following the Winston Cup Awards. Dale Jarrett is the defending DRIVER OF THE YEAR, while Mark Martin(1st), Juan Montoya(2nd) and Rusty Wallace(3rd) won previous quarterly votes this season. The DRIVER OF THE YEAR will be formally honored during the International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductions at Talladega in April. NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Gary Scelzi finished fourth with one first-place vote and 40 points, while NHRA Funny Car competitor John Force, the 1996 DRIVER OF THE YEAR, gained two first-place nods and 36 points. World of Outlaws Steve Kinser rounded out the top six, getting the other first place vote and 23 points(PR)(11-27-2000)
