Legendary racer Mario Andretti awarded two-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson his second consecutive Mario Andretti Trophy as the 2007 SPEED Performer of the Year, as part of the second annual SPEED Performance Awards, hosted by Danica Patrick and Tommy Kendall. Johnson earned six first-place votes from the 15-member panel after winning 10 Sprint Cup Series races in 2007, including four in a row during the Chase. Two-time defending World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champ Donny Schatz (two first-place votes) earned runner-up honors. Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen (one first-place vote) finished third in the voting, followed by MotoGP rookie phenom Casey Stoner (one first-place vote), F1’s Lewis Hamilton (three first-place votes) and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (one first-place vote). Champ Car titlist Sebastien Bourdais also received one first-place vote. With 100,000 fans casting votes on SPEEDtv.com. Hamilton also earned Racer Magazine Rookie of the Year Honors as part of the fan-voting portion of the SPEED Performance Awards. The SPEED Performance Awards will re-air Feb. 15 at 3pm/et. The Mario Andretti Trophy is a three-foot sculpture by renowned bronze artist Elie Hazak.(SPEED PR)(2-12-2008)
