IRL: Indy Racing League Crew Most Popular Driver Award

6 May 1998

Speedway, IN- Voting for the Indy Racing League Crew's 1998 Most Popular Driver Award resumes on Sunday, May 10th when the Indy Racing League Crew rolls into Indianapolis for the 82nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Voting will take place at the Indy Racing League Crew booth located in the Pepsi Indy FanFest attraction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Voting will continue every day until Sunday, May 24th.

The Indy Racing League Crew's Most Popular Driver Award gives the fans of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League a chance to select who their favorite driver is. Voting for the award began in January at the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World and will continue through the October 11th Pep Boys Indy Racing League season finale Las Vegas 500K in Las Vegas. The winner of the Most Popular Driver Award will be announced at the Pep Boys Indy Racing League awards banquet at the conclusion of the season.

Arie Luyendyk

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk won the 1997 Indy Racing League Crew Most Popular Driver Award. Luyendyk was presented the award at the championship awards ceremony last November, where he was honored with a blown glass trophy designed and manufactured by the Blenko Glass Company of Milton, West Virginia.

The Blenko Glass Company is the oldest blown glass company in the United States. In addition to the Most Popular Driver Award created for the Indy Racing League Crew, the Blenko Glass Company has also created pieces for the White House, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Country Music Awards. The Blenko Glass Company will once again be producing the Most Popular Driver Award trophy to be presented to the winning driver.

Heading into the 1998 Indianapolis 500, Arie Luyendyk is currently leading the pack in the Most Popular Driver Award voting. Luyendyk, who won the award in 1997, drives the Sprint PCS/Radio Shack/Qualcomm entry for Treadway Racing. Following closely behind are Tony Stewart in the Glidden entry for Team Menard and Billy Boat driving the Conseco machine for A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

Scott Goodyear in the Pennzoil entry and Buddy Lazier in the Delta Faucet machine round out the top five. Pep Boys Indy Racing League drivers Eddie Cheever, Jimmy Kite, Roberto Guerrero, Jim Guthrie, and Buzz Calkins finish out the top ten.

Editors Note: The images displayed in this article (plus many more) can be viewed in The Racing Image Galleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.