Stevens Is The 2013 RacingSpectator.ca Driver of The Year

The fans have spoken and have voted Mike Stevens as the 2013 RacingSpectator.ca Driver of the Year.

Stevens, a multi-time feature winner on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour who lost his life in August following an accident at Oyster Bed Speedway, edged out 17-year old teen sensation Sarah McKay in final round voting to take the 11th edition of the award.

When the final votes were tallied, the Salisbury, New Brunswick driver captured 29% of the final vote, 23 more votes than McKay when the last ballots were counted. Stevens won the first ballot in a landslide, picking up nearly 200 votes more than second place Emmett Donahue. In total, 24% of the nearly 3000 votes cast over the month had Stevens name on it.

Stevens was the true definition of a racer. A sportsman on and off the track, Stevens would always greet fellow racers, crews, staff, fans and sponsors with a huge smile and would be one of the first to another competitors car should they have needed a hand. On the track, Stevens was one of the toughest drivers in the region, getting everything he could out of the #4 R. Stevens Mechanical Chevrolet every lap. That determination led to three wins on the most prestigious Late Model touring series in Canada, including two of the three at the famed Riverside International Speedway in 2012.

Runner-up McKay lit it up once she joined the Late Model ranks in 2013 after jumping from karts. She won the Martins Home Heating Sportsman Rookie of the Year at Speedway 660, finished 3rd in the Coors Light 125, made her first Pro Stock start at the CENTRE For Speed Atlantic Championships, and, in turn, won over a bunch of Maritime racing fans. McKay stormed to the top five in the late going of Round One to punch her ticket onto the final ballot and even led the final round voting entering the second week before Stevens took the lead for good in the last days of voting.

2013 VOTE RESULTS

SECOND ROUND BALLOT

1st – #4 Mike Stevens – 29%
2nd – #23 Sarah McKay – 26%
3rd – #33 Cole Tanner – 17%
4th – #10 Charles Woolaver – 15%
5th – #28 Emmett Donahue – 13%

Margin of victory – 23 votes

FIRST ROUND BALLOT

1st – #4 Mike Stevens – 21%
2nd – #28 Emmett Donahue – 11%
3rd – #33 Cole Tanner – 10%
4th – #23 Sarah McKay – 10%
5th – #10 Charles Woolaver – 6%
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6th – #32 Ashton Tucker – 6%
Note – Margin of bubble on first round ballot – four votes
7th – #77 Randy Millar – 4%
8th – #52 Shawn Tucker – 4%
9th – #40 Robbie MacEwen – 4%
10th – #5 Matt Palmer – 3%

All others combined for 25% of vote.

Margin of victory – 96 votes.

39 drivers were nominated for the award.

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The RacingSpectator.ca Driver of the Year will be recognized at the 2013 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Moncton, New Brunswick on Saturday, November 23rd. More information on the event, including ticket information, can be found by contacting the Maritime Pro Stock Tour by visiting MaritimeProStockTour.com.

The award was founded in 2003 by RacingSpectator.ca owners Bruce and Bea Langille. When Tim’s Corner Motorsports purchased the site in the summer of 2012, the award continued on as a fan nominated, fan voted honor, in keeping with the traditions the Langilles had set. The recipient gets to keep the trophy for one year before it is handed on to the next winner. Following the 2014 award, when the trophy is full, the hardware will be retired to the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame.

All Stevens photos by Mike McCarthy and McCarthyPhotographic.com.

Past Champions:

2013: Mike Stevens
2012: James Doucette
2011: Darren MacKinnon
2010: Mike Francis
2009: Shawn Waterfield
2008: Fred Broussard
2007: Glyn Nott
2006: Jerome Kehoe
2005: Jonathan Hicken
2004: Todd Tufts
2003: Sandy Livingston Jr

About Tim’s Corner:

Tim’s Corner began as a weekly stock car racing column appearing on ScotiaSpeedworld.ca and MaritimeProStockTour.com, penned by track and series announcer Tim Terry. It has now grown to include basic media services for motorsport teams big and small. TimsCorner.ca, the official website of Tim’s Corner, also features Tim’s Corner Unplugged, a podcast hosted by Terry which focuses on the motorsports scene. For more information on Tim’s Corner and services offered, visit TimsCorner.ca!