Sun, 16 Nov 2003, 07:55 PM Bernstein, Anderson Nominated for Fourth Quarter Driver of the Year

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo by:Auto Imagery, Inc.

GLENDORA, Calif. --

Kenny Bernstein

NHRA drivers Kenny Bernstein (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) have been nominated for the fourth quarter Driver of the Year.

Anderson, the newly crowned NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion, earned five wins in the fourth quarter - the last seven events of the season. He was a stout 25-2 in elimination rounds en route to an NHRA record 67-11 performance for the season. Anderson set several records, including the most victories in a Pro Stock season, with 12 wins.

Bernstein came out of retirement in May to replace his injured son Brandon, who was sidelined for the season after an accident during the Englishtown, N.J. race. Bernstein finished the season strong, earning four wins in the fourth quarter and recording a 19-3 record during eliminations. Bernstein finished in the POWERade Top 10 despite missing the first eight races of the season.

"Our team has been so consistent all season long and it's great to be nominated for something so special," Anderson said.

Greg Anderson

The other nominees are Sam Hornish (IRL), Scott Pruett (Trans-Am), Steve Kinser (World of Outlaws), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR), Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) and Ryan Newman (NASCAR).

John Force ('96) is the only drag racer to win the Driver of the Year Award.

The Driver of the Year program, in its 37th year, is administered by the Driver of the Year Foundation, located in Sarasota, Fla. The Driver of the Year is picked by a select panel of motorsports journalists, including Chris Economacki, National Speed Sport News; Shav Glick, LA Times; Steve Ballard, Indianapolis Star; Mike Harris, Associated Press; Mark Armijo, Arizona Republic; John Sturbin, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and Chris Jenkins, USA Today, among others.

SPEEDTV.com also participates, through an online poll, allowing fans to cast a vote. The winner will receive a trophy and a Maurice Lacroix Swiss watch.

The Driver of the Year is based on a 25-point system. Each panelist ranks the nominees from 1-6, and points are awarded to the drivers as follows: 9 points for first, 6 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth.

In addition to Force, other drivers to win the award include Jeff Gordon, Mario Andretti, Cale Yarborough, Al Unser, Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte, among others.

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