will be determined by a blue ribbon panel of eighteen motorsports writers, journalists and announcers plus one cumulative fan vote hosted on Speedtv.com . That means that the fans can help decide the winner of the award by casting their vote for the driver they feel most desrves recognition for each quarter of the 2003 season. The award encompasses all racing platforms including NASCAR Champ Car, IRL, NHRA, SCCA, World of Outlaws and Sports Cars. The award vote is based on a 25-point system. Each panelist will select a top-six from the list of nominees and based on those picks points are awarded to the drivers as follows: 9 points for first, 6 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth. The top six vote-getters from the Speedtv.com online voting will also be included on a single final ballot along with the top six overall from the 16 media panel members. The quarterly winner will then be determined based on the results of this final ballot to be voted on by the Expert Media Panel. Finally, at the end of the year the Expert Media Panel will vote on the Quarterly winners to determine the 2003 Driver of the Year. Drivers’ achievements are evaluated using the following criteria: Track Performance – Wins, top five finishes, top ten finishes and pole qualifying; Sportsmanship – Conduct and professionalism; Humanitarianism – Participation in and willingness to support philanthropic causes; Fan Recognition – Popularity among motorsports enthusiasts. First Quarter Nominee’s: Paul Tracy, Michael Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, Danny Lasoski, Kurt Busch, Brandon Bernstein and Tony Kanaan. Fan voting will take place online from Saturday, March 29, until Wednesday, April 16 at 12:00noon/et. More at Speed Channel site .(4-1-2003)
