MLive.com Driver of the Year

Portland's Dustin Daggett voted MLive.com Driver of the Year
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press
October 28, 2009, 9:00AM

Dustin Daggett Dustin Daggett often left the competition in the dust during the spring and summer months, winning 11 of the SOD Sprints on Dirt races.

The open wheel driver from Portland had the field covered in the polls, too.

Daggett was the big winner of the MLive.com Driver of the Year contest, which gave fans an opportunity to vote for the top Michigan driver in 2009.

The contest was divided into two weeks, with the first week offering a list of 10 drivers. The top five vote-getters advanced to round two, with the overall winner earning MLive.com's Driver of the Year honors. Daggett led the way in both polls, earning 25 percent in the first and 42 percent in the second.

Daggett swept all three races at Crystal Raceway and I-96 Speedway. He also won one race each at Waynesfield, Ohio, Mount Pleasant, Merritt, Hartford and Merlin, Ontario. He has 64 career Sprints on Dirt wins over the past seven seasons.

Thanks for your participation, the first poll drew 2,294 votes, with the second earning 7,358.

I have received e-mails from readers asking if The Finish Line plans to return with the weekly driver rankings in 2010, and the answer is yes. The first rankings should come out in mid-April just after the state's tracks have thawed out.

Do me one favor, though.

E-mail me or post nominations when the new season gets rolling. More than 40 tracks statewide run each weekend and I can get to only one or two a weekend. Your help is much appreciated.