By Paul Kelly
indy500.com
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Sam Hornish Jr., who in September completed the "double" of winning the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series title this year, was voted as Driver of the Year for the third quarter by a panel of national media.
Hornish earned his first Indianapolis 500 victory in May and then earned his third IndyCar Series title Sept. 10 at Chicagoland Speedway in a Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone.
Both victories came by narrow margins. Hornish edged rookie Marco Andretti at Indy with a breathtaking pass on the final straightaway, winning by .0635 of a second. He was tied with Dan Wheldon atop the IndyCar Series standings with 475 points after the season finale at Chicagoland, but Hornish earned the title because he had four victories this season to Wheldon's two.
Hornish, from Defiance, Ohio, earned nine of the 17 first-place votes from the media panel, totaling 115 points. He is eligible for the year-end Driver of the Year Award.
"I'm excited about it," Hornish said. "One of things I wondered was if I had a chance to win Driver of the Year because of winning Indy and the IndyCar championship in the same year."
2003 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Kevin Harvick, the leader in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, was second with 81 points. Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger was third at 69, with NASCAR star Matt Kenseth fourth at 68.
"I'm really honored by it, knowing how well Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth have run," Hornish said. "Obviously, it's been a great year with a few exceptions. It shows the great teamwork at Marlboro Team Penske."
Hornish will receive a trophy and a wristwatch for winning the award.
***
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