da Matta beats Elliott: Cristiano da Matta, the runaway points leader in the CART series, was the overwhelming choice for third quarter 2002 Driver of the Year honors. Da Matta, who earned four poles and three victories during the quarter, received 15 of 17 first-place votes and 143 points from a 16-person panel of motorsports writers and broadcasters and a fan vote on ESPN.com. NASCAR’ Bill Elliott, who won two straight races in the third quarter, including the Brickyard 400, was second with one first-place vote and 83 points.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(9-5-2002) (9-4-2002)
