Jeff Gordon wins 1st qtr Driver of the Year award: While Jeff Gordon was making NASCAR history the four-time Driver of the Year was also was voted 1st quarter Driver of the Year 2007. Only Gordon, who currently leads the Nextel Cup points standings after two straight victories putting him fifth on the all-time winner's list and ahead of the late Dale Earnhardt (also a Driver of the Year), had his mind on a fifth championship and a fifth Driver of the Year title. Although he overtook Earnhardt (with 77 wins) this past weekend in Talladega, voting only considered results through the previous event at Phoenix where he won his 76th Cup race from the pole. Gordon led the points after the first eight events in the series with only two finishes lower than fourth. Driving the #24 DuPont Chevrolet he had four poles, and three second-place finishes in the voting period. The only multiple winner in the series, and runner-up in the voting, was Jimmie Johnson with three victories but, it was an up and down quarter for the 2006 Driver of the Year. In the voting Gordon took nine first-place ballots, and none lower than a third place totaling 111 points. Jimmie Johnson's three wins earned him six first-place votes and a total of 84 points. France's Sebastien Bourdais, the reigning Champ Car World Series Champion, had no first-place votes, but was the only driver to appear all voting panelists ballots and counted a total of 54 points. Bourdais drives for Newman/Haas Racing. Fourth place went to NASCAR's Jeff Burton who won at Texas, and was second in the Nextel Cup Points standings at the end of the first quarter. A total of 21 drivers scored points in the first quarter voting, including fifth place Joey Saldana, in the World of Outlaws, he was the only other driver to earn a first place vote.(DOTY PR)