Driver of the Year Voting: Thanks to two wins in three IRL starts, Sam Hornish Jr. narrowly edged NASCAR Winston Cup Series leader Sterling Marlin to become the first-quarter winner in Driver of the Year voting. A nationwide panel of 15 racing journalists, and fans voting online, gave Hornish seven first-place votes to six for Marlin. Each panelist selects six drivers in order of preference, and points are awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis. Fan voting also counts for one vote. Hornish finished with 107 points. Marlin, who was inexplicably left off one panelist’s ballot, received 102 points. Matt Kenseth was a distant third with 65 points. Despite winning the Daytona 500, Ward Burton did not receive a single vote.(Arizona Republic)(5-3-2002)
