Driver of the Year: Matt Kenseth.(NASCAR Awards 2003)(Brief Article)

NASCAR couldn't ask for a better champion than Matt Kenseth. He's intelligent. He's consistent. He's humble. He's also well-respected by his competitors on and off the track.

That respect is one reason Kenseth was a runaway winner of TSN's Driver of the Year award. He was chosen on 16 of 24 ballots in voting by drivers. Ryan Newman was second with six votes, and Jimmie Johnson had two.

"Whenever you're accepted by your peers or by the people you race against or race with or the people in the garage area give you a compliment or vote for you, it's always extra special," Kenseth says. "It's one thing to be able to accomplish something, but it's another thing to know that the people you race against are happy for you or think you did a great job or think that your team did a good job. That means more to you than anything."

Kenseth won only one race, but he won the points title by 90 over Johnson, who won three races. Kenseth won the title with consistency, finishing with more top 10 finishes (25) than any other driver. Newman had the most victories ...