With three victories in three races, CART’s Paul Tracy was the top vote-getter in the first-quarter balloting for Driver of the Year . Tracy collected nine first-place votes and 112 total points from the 18-member panel of auto-racing writers and broadcasters. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second in the balloting with 79 points, which is presented by the Speed Channel. Earnhardt, who has one Winston Cup victory, two Busch series victories and is second in Winston Cup points, collected three first-place votes. Matt Kenseth, who currently leads the Winston Cup points race, was third. Twenty-three drivers collected points, including funny-car driver Tony Pedregon, NASCAR’s Kurt Busch and Steve Kinser of the World of Outlaws, who were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. The panel holds quarterly votes and then a season-ending vote, the winner of which is awarded Driver of the Year status. Previous winners in the award’s 37-year-old history include Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt and last year’s winner, Cristiano da Matta.( Kansas City Star )(4-20-2003)
