Jeff Gordon, off to a fast start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, has won the first-quarter voting in the 2009 Driver of the Year balloting.
The four-time Cup champion, who is the only four-time winner of the Driver of the Year award, ended a 47-race winless string earlier this month at Texas and led the series points last week when the panel of motorsports writers and broadcasters cast their votes.
Gordon, who slipped to second in the standings after crashing and finishing 37th last Sunday at Talladega, narrowly beat fellow NASCAR star Kyle Busch, 111-107, in the first-quarter balloting.
"We've had a strong start to the season and it was nice to get that win in Texas," Gordon said. "While it's the Driver of the Year Award, the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team gets a lot of the credit. They have given me strong cars every weekend and the pit crew has been solid."
Gordon received eight of 18 first-place ballots and was on every ballot, while Busch, who has won races in Cup, Nationwide and trucks this season, got seven first-place vote.
Ron Capps, driving for Don Schumacher in the NHRA drag racing series, had one first-place vote and was third in the voting with 66 points, while sprint car racer Donnie Schatz and longtime Cup star Mark Martin each had the other two first-place votes.
A total of 17 drivers scored points in the first-quarter voting.
A top driver is picked for each quarter of the racing season and the panel then picks an overall winner.
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BIFFLE LOSES: NASCAR star Greg Biffle lost by more than three car lengths to teenager Tyler Shoff in a soap box derby race Wednesday.
Biffle and the 15-year-old girl went head-to-head in the Goodyear Fuel Max Challenge, a quarter-mile soap box derby race held at Derby Downs raceway in Akron, Ohio. Both had identical soap box racers.
Shoff, known as the "Derby Diva," led from the start and never trailed in the 90-second coast to the finish.
"Tyler definitely had the home-track advantage here and has more Soap Box Derby car seat-time than me," Biffle said, noting that Shoff was using a new Goodyear model.
"As a NASCAR driver, I understand the critical role tires play in my ability to perform on the racetrack."
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DRIVER DEVELOPMENT: Ten drivers from ages 16 to 22 have been selected to take part in a new development program designed by H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, the longtime president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Called "Humpy's Heroes," the program will begin May 3 and culminate with the introduction of the top driver to the racing world.
"The program is a comprehensive educational experience preparing young drivers to make the transition from local short-track racing to NASCAR's big three series," said Wheeler, who retired last fall from his position at the Charlotte track. "The participants will be given instruction, counseled, engage in dialogue then be judged on their driving ability, interviewing skills, public speaking and marketability."
Also taking part in the program will be Sprint Cup and Nationwide driver David Ragan, former NASCAR competition director Gary Nelson, former NASCAR star Buddy Baker and Andy Hillenburg, former racer and now owner of Rockingham Speedway.
"This is not a ride-along program," Wheeler said. "Each young driver's ability has been recognized by motorsports insiders and they are being offered this opportunity because of the skill and tenacity demonstrated behind the wheel."
The drivers will vie for a grand prize that includes an open test session with a top Sprint Cup Series team, as well as an interview on a nationally televised program.
The first group taking part in the program includes John Freeman, Concord, N.C.; Adam Gay, Dublin, Ga.; Kyle Grissom, Concord, N.C.; Taylor Hull, Winston, Ga.; Zac Kittle, Watkinsville, Ga.; Will Prance, Canton, Ga.; Andrew Smith, Pooler, Ga.; Justin Swilling, Cohutta, Ga.; Brandon Thomson, St. Cloud, Fla., and Josh Williams, Port Charlotte, Fla.
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OUT FRONT: Kurt Busch is leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings for the first time since April 2005.
Busch, then driving for Jack Roush, came to Las Vegas that month leading Jimmie Johnson by five points, but Hendrick Motorsports driver Johnson won that race and Busch finished third, apparently giving Johnson the points lead. However, postrace inspections found Johnson's car to be too low and NASCAR penalized Johnson 25 points, putting Busch back on top by 10.
Johnson then finished second at Atlanta in the next race, regaining the top spot from Busch, who was 32nd.
Busch, now racing for Penske Racing, moved ahead of Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon by five points with a sixth-place finish last Sunday at Talladega.
"We're coming into Richmond on a pretty big roll after finishing eighth at Texas, third at Phoenix and sixth at Talladega," said Busch, the 2004 Cup champion. "Getting those solid finishes on an intermediate track, a one-mile flat layout and then a big superspeedway, three such diverse tracks, certainly has our spirits high.
"Being in the points lead is great and is something to be proud of, but we know we have to keep all that pride and emotion in check. We're only nine races into the season ... We can't let any of the early success we've enjoyed so far go to our heads."