Photo Credit: Chris Jones/IndyCar
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, July 23, 2014) – Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner and recent ESPY Best Driver award winner Ryan Hunter-Reay has been voted winner of the second quarter Driver of the Year Award 2014.
Hunter-Reay, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on May 25, won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama for the second consecutive year and was runner-up in the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis during the second quarter. He kicked off the third quarter with a victory in the Iowa Corn Indy 300 presented by DEKALB on July 12.
“Seems like the good news keeps rolling in after winning the Indy 500,” Hunter-Reay said. “It is a tremendous honor to be named the second quarter Driver Of The Year. I want to thank the panel members made up of the top journalists in motorsports who voted for me. I believe this is a testament to INDYCAR’s continued growth and momentum. This also speaks volumes as to what a phenomenal race this year’s Indy 500 really was. It is being called one of the best finishes in history, and from the driver’s seat, I couldn’t agree more.”
Hunter-Reay, who started 19th in the 33-car field for the 98th Indy 500 in the No. 28 DHL entry for Andretti Autosport, beat three-time 500 Mile Race champion Helio Castroneves to the finish line by .0600 of a second in an exciting late-race duel.
“Ryan’s story of a driver who never gives up is a the prototypical American success story. Watching his career and his triumphs makes him a great role model,” said Barry Schmoyer, president of the Driver of the Year Foundation.
Team owner Michael Andretti won the overall Driver of the Year Award in 1991, while his father, Mario, was the inaugural Driver of the Year in 1967 (and also in 1978 and 1984).
Hunter-Reay is third in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings heading into the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 3.
