TULSA, Okla. – For the first time in his career, Brad Sweet has been voted the Driver of the Year by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers.
The announcement was made Friday during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.
The reigning World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion earned 20 of the 23 first-place ballots cast in the year-end poll. David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel and Donny Schatz all received one first-place ballot.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are fourteen-time Driver of the Year Award recipient Donny Schatz of North Dakota, Knoxville Nationals champion Gravel, All Star champion and Tuscarora 50 winner Reutzel, and Logan Schuchart. Rounding out the top-10 for the season, respectively, are Daryn Pittman, Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Sheldon Haudenschild and Lance Dewease.
For the third time, Kasey Kahne Racing will receive the Team of the Year Award. It will be the first for the No. 49 team, who among their wins, claimed Eldora’s King’s Royal in July.
Californians Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Gio Scelzi will share the Wild Card Award for their exciting 410 sprint car performances. California’s Mason Daniel is the Rookie of the Year Award recipient, following up his winning of the same award in the 360 class in 2018.
Steve O’Neal of Port Royal Speedway earned Promoter of the Year” honors for the fourth time in a row. Dan Musselman of Maxim Racing will receive Builder/Manufacturer of the Year honors for the ‘410’ poll. This is the first such award for Musselman (Chuck Merrill was honored nine times with Maxim). The Media Member of the Year award will go to SPEED SPORT’s Mike Kerchner for the first time.
Bill Simpson of Simpson Performance Products has been posthumously honored with the Thomas J. Schmeh Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Sport. Simpson was a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company, Simpson Performance Products. He started Impact! Racing in 2002. Simpson started with safety chutes for drag racers, and would also develop gloves, helmets, restraints, shoes and the first fire suits used in racing.
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