Melanie Troxel became the first woman, in the 40-year history of the Driver of the Year award, to win the quarterly title in voting by a panel of leading journalists and broadcasters. The 33-year-old driver of the Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster impressed the voters as well as her rivals as she made all-five final-round appearances in the quarter and took victories in Pomona and Las Vegas in her first full season. Troxel took six first-place votes and tallied 82 points. Second in the voting was the effervescent “Spiderman”, Helio Castroneves, who notched two victories in the IndyCar Series. Castroneves got one first-place tally and totaled 68 points. Jimmie Johnson, who won both the prestigious Daytona 500 and Las Vegas races in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, was third in the vote with a total of 51 points and one first-place vote. NASCAR’s, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, Driver of the Year 2005, also garnered first-place ballots. A total of 14 drivers scored points in the first quarter voting. In its’ 40th year Driver of the Year is unique because it is the oldest award that encompasses all of the racing series in the United States. A panel of 17 leading journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. determine the winner. In quarterly voting, points are awarded on a declining 9,6,4,3,2,1 basis. A separate one-driver vote will determine the 2006 Driver of the Year. Troxel will receive a trophy and a Maurice Lacroix wristwatch. The trophy presentation is set for Sunday May 7th at the Summit Nationals in Atlanta, GA.(DOTY PR)(5-4-2006)
