Dale Jr. voted 1st Quarter winner of Driver of the Year Award
Earnhardt netted seven first-place votes and 88 points under the DOTY points system from a panel of American broadcasters and journalists.
Fellow Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick and Verizon IndyCar Series championship leader Will Power tied for second with 80 points, but Harvick had more first-place votes (five) than Power (three).
Nationwide Series star Chase Elliott – who drives for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports squad – earned one first-place vote and finished fourth with 37 points.
“I’m pretty blown away that we’ve won the First Quarter 2014 Driver of the Year Award," Earnhardt said in a statement. “It’s an honor and really humbling to be chosen.
“The members that vote on this award are a credible group, and it’s an award that’s meant a lot to different drivers. It’s one that I’m proud to have been voted for."
Junior could become the third winner’s son to claim the annual DOTY award. His father, seven-time Sprint Cup champ Dale Earnhardt Sr., claimed the annual DOTY in 1987 and 1994.
Other father-son DOTY winners include Al Unser Sr. (1970) and Al Unser Jr. (1990), as well as Mario Andretti (1967, 1978, 1984) and Michael Andretti (1991).
“Dale and his crew chief, Steve Letarte, are in the groove," said DOTY president Barry Schmoyer. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see them at the Sprint Cup Championship table later this year."