Gurney, Moss Join SPEED Performer Of The Year Panel

Formula 1

Gurney, Moss Join SPEED Performer Of The Year Panel

Motor sports icons Dan Gurney and Sir Stirling Moss have been named voting members of the SPEED Performer of the Year panel...

Erik Arneson | Posted November 29, 2010 Charlotte, NC

The SPEED Performance Awards are now open for video voting at www.speedperformanceawards.com

SPEED™ ADDS RACING LEGENDS GURNEY, MOSS TO SPEED PERFORMER OF THE YEAR PANEL

MARIO ANDRETTI TROPHY TO BE AWARDED AS PART OF ONE-HOUR TELEVSION SPECIAL IN FEBRUARY

Motor sports icons Dan Gurney and Sir Stirling Moss have agreed to become voting members of the SPEED Performer of the Year panel, joining Mario Andretti in helping select the annual recipient of the Mario Andretti Trophy as the top racer of the year.

“If this award was in place when these gentlemen were driving, they would have been locks to win the trophy,” said Andretti, who personally asked both men to join the panel. “They are both great examples of what this award represents and I am honored to have their support moving forward.”

“The names Andretti, Gurney and Moss are synonymous with greatness in racing,” said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. “And more importantly that that, all three carry themselves with the class of a champion … we are truly honored to have them associated with the SPEED Performer of the Year program.”

Gurney, 79, a driver, team owner and manufacturer, who has raced nearly everything from Bonneville to Monaco, was the first driver to win races in Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963) and IndyCar (1968) and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. He remains the only U.S. citizen to win a Grand Prix in a car of his own construction in the history of Formula One.

Moss, 81, won 16 Formula One races and piloted more than 80 different types of cars across all classes of motor sport in his storied career. In 2000, Moss was made Knight Bachelor for services to Motor Racing, knighted by Prince Charles 10 years after being elected into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

The SPEED Performer of the Year is the top honor presented as part of the annual SPEED Performance Awards, which debuted in 2006. Voting is done in November and the Andretti Trophy, a 100-pound bronze sculpture created by artist Elie Hazak, is presented as part of a one-hour television special in February. Past winners of the award include five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2007, 2008) and NHRA Top Fuel pilot Tony Schumacher (2009).

Other members of the SPEED voting panel include Dave Despain, Bob Varsha, Tommy Kendall, Dorsey Schroeder, Robin Miller, Ralph Sheheen Tom Jensen and a team of SPEED motor sports producers.

Dan Gurney bio - http://www.allamericanracers.com/bio.html

Stirling Moss bio - http://www.stirlingmoss.com/career/biography

About SPEED™ - SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 80 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group - FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching over 20 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.