Driver of the year vote goes to new NASCAR champion
Thursday, Dec. 06, 2012
Getty Images
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, makes the number one sign with his finger after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Getty Images for NASCAR
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, drives in front of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Keselowski was voted 2012 Driver of the Year and fourth quarter winner, respectively, by a panel of broadcasters and journalists.
Keselowski was almost a unanimous choice in the annual award, earning 18 of the 19 votes cast. Ryan Hunter Reay, the 2012 IndyCar champion, received the remaining vote.
Keselowski, 28, won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship and the first for Penske Racing.
"To be honored with the 2012 Driver of the Year is a great way to cap off our championship season,” said Keselowski. “The (drivers’) list is definitely a 'Who's Who' in the history of racing. It gives me great pride to see my name there with the likes of Mark Donohue and Mario Andretti, drivers who have transcended one particular discipline or series, and are considered some of the best to ever sit in a race car."
In the quarterly voting, Keselowski beat the NHRA’s Antron Brown and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
In its 46th year, the Driver of the Year title is unique because it encompasses all of the racing series and all of the drivers in the United States. A panel of 19 journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. are eligible to vote.
More racing news, blogs, photos and more at www.ThatsRacin.com.
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