INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, June 24, 2014) – Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and recently-crowned Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay are nominees in the “Best Driver” category for the annual ESPY Awards.
Andretti Autosport’s Hunter-Reay earned the Best Driver ESPY in 2013 after claiming his first Verizon IndyCar Series title in a dramatic 2012 season finale at Auto Club Speedway. He won the 98th Indianapolis 500 in May – the first by an American since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006 – in a dramatic late-race duel with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.
“It’s such an honor to be nominated again,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is more exciting news following what was one of the most intense finishes in the history of the Indy 500. The list of ESPY nominees includes top athletes from around the world and in so many forms of sport. The ESPY we won following our Verizon IndyCar Series championship sits amongst the awards of my most significant accomplishments.”
Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, earned his third series title with a late-season run that saw him rally from a nearly 80-point deficit win by 27 points over Castroneves.
“It was an incredible year for the No. 9 car and the whole Target team last year,” Dixon said. “The fields are so tight in the Verizon IndyCar Series right now, with the best drivers competing every weekend. 2013 marked a great final run by our team to come back and win the championship, and I’m honored to represent Target Chip Ganassi Racing as a nominee for the ESPY Award for Best Driver.”
Voting is open until 9 p.m. on July 16 at http://espn.go.com/espys/2014/
Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist Drake hosts the ESPY Awards, which will be broadcast on ESPN at 9 p.m. (ET) July 16 from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
