#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. got 11 of 19 first-place votes in the first-quarter balloting for the 2004 Driver of the Year award, which is presented by Speed Channel. Earnhardt Jr., who won the Daytona 500 and the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta and is currently the Nextel Cup points leader, got 135 points in the balloting by a panel of media covering motorsports and an online fan vote. Sprint car driver Steve Kinser was second with four first-place votes and 97 points.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-24-2004)
