Dale Earnhardt Jr. announcing that he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season and subsequently announcing he would be racing for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 was voted the sport’s top story for 2007 by members of the media. Members of the media ranked the top highlights of the 2007 NASCAR season on NASCARMedia.com. A total of 141 votes were cast online between Nov. 26 and Dec. 4. Each highlight received 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, eight points for a third-place vote, etc. down to one point for 10th. Earnhardt’s announcements garnered 64 first-place votes and finished with 1,243 points. Jimmie Johnson winning his second consecutive Nextel Cup Series championship earned 16 first-place votes and finished second with 1,028 points. The rest of the top 10: • Gordon passing Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list; • The close finishes at Daytona; • The introduction of the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol • Juan Pablo Montoya becoming the first Hispanic driver to win a race in NASCAR’s top two series • Clint Bowyer winning his first career race as the #12 seed in the Chase for the Nextel Cup • Johnson outdueling Matt Kenseth for the win in the closing laps of the Dickies 500 at Texas • The thrilling finish in NASCAR’s first-ever national series race in Canada, and • Ron Hornaday Jr. becoming the second driver in Craftsman Truck Series history to win three championships.(NASCAR PR)(12-6-2007)
