DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Legendary racer Mario Andretti awarded two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson his second-consecutive Mario Andretti Trophy as the 2007 Speed Performer of the Year. The award was part of Thursday night’s second annual Speed Performance Awards, hosted by Danica Patrick and Tommy Kendall.
Johnson earned six first-place votes from the 15-member panel after winning 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2007, including four in a row during the Chase.
“I've said it before, but Jimmie Johnson’s only flaw might be that he makes it look too easy,” said racer and Speed Performer of the Year panelist Tommy Kendall.  “While he does have the best team in the business behind him, there is no one better right now at setting himself up for when it counts and then driving the wheels off it when they back the Brinks truck up to winners circle.  He is a standout in a series full of standouts.”
Two-time defending World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champ Donny Schatz (two first-place votes) earned runner-up honors after a season that saw the North Dakota native win 19 events, including the four highest-paying on the circuit — the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal, the Williams Grove National Open and the Don Martin Memorial.
Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen (one first-place vote) finished third in the voting, followed by MotoGP rookie phenom Casey Stoner (one first-place vote), F-1’s Lewis Hamilton (three first-place votes) and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (one first-place vote). Champ Car titlist Sebastien Bourdais also received one first-place vote.
With 100,000 fans casting votes on Speedtv.com, Hamilton also earned Racer Magazine Rookie of the Year Honors as part of the fan-voting portion of the Speed Performance Awards. Other fan-vote winners included: Biggest Hit, John Force; Oops Award, Jeff Hammond; Temper, Temper, Sam Hornish; Biggest Upset, Kimi Raikkonen; Heart “Brake,” Mark Martin; Best Rivarly, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso; Best Finish, Jamie McMurray; Tell It Like It Is, David Hobbs.