Who is going to be Driver of the Year 2007?

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:56:10 -0500

As the racing season nears the end of the third quarter there’s no clear favorite for Driver of the Year. Looking at NASCAR you might want to name Jeff Gordon who has a commanding lead in Nextel Cup Series.

Gordon, a four-time Driver of Year, isn’t a lock because, after the night race in Richmond on September 8th, under the Chase to the Cup rules the points will be reset. The 349-point lead that he had after the Bristol race will shrink. If Gordon, and teammate, 2006 Driver of the Year, Jimmie Johnson fail to win at California or Richmond they’ll be tied with 5040 points. Ten other drivers will have at least 5000 points with ten races remaining.

Over in the open wheel world Sebastien Bourdais, in Champ Car, is leading in his attempt to become a four-time in-a-row champ. With five races to go, after Zolder, the French-born driver headed to Formula One next year has a 53-point lead over rookie, Robert Doornbos of Holland. The IndyCar series, with two races-to-go after Infineon Raceway is too close to call. New Zealand’s Scott Dixon, looking for his second IRL title has won four of the last six races and holds a slim, four-point lead over Dario Franchitti. The Scottish driver, married to Ashley Judd, holds victories at the classic Indianapolis 500 and two other events.

Journalist Lewis Franck presented with Lifetime Achievement Award

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:41:41 -0500

Lewis Franck was recently honored by the Driver Of The Year Award for his lifetime achievement in motorsports.

Franck, a former attorney from New York City, has covered auto racing for newspapers, magazines and websites from around the world for 30 years, as well as making numerous television and radio appearances. He has been a member of the elite Driver Of The Year voting panel for the past 10 years and has been a major contributor to promoting the prestigious award.

Driver Of The Year principal, Barry Schmoyer presented Franck with a Tissot watch in the Media Center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “This award usually goes to someone who has been on the panel much longer, but Lewis has done a tremendous amount for the Drive Of The Year Award during his tenure and truly deserves this honor,” Schmoyer stated during the presentation.

Franck added, “It’s a real honor to be though of in this way by this elite panel and the team who oversees this award.”