By alley - Dec 6, 2016, 5:00 PM ET

INDYCAR: Randy Lewis finally reaches No. 1

Former CART IndyCar driver Randy Lewis made an unexpected return to the headlines when his Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 was named as the No. 1 wine for 2016 by Wine Spectator.

The journeyman racer spent most of the 1980s competing in CART with smaller teams, and despite his lack of success behind the wheel, the California-based Lewis stood out among his peers for finding sponsorship in the emerging technology sector.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lewis was among the first to attract corporate backing from leading Silicon Valley software businesses like Oracle and emerging computer companies like Toshiba to support his IndyCar programs. His final CART season came in 1991 with Dale Coyne Racing, where he also earned a career-best 14th at the Indy 500 before turning his attention to forming Lewis Cellars in Napa Valley.

According to Wine Spectator

, the products of Randy and Debbie Lewis have made the magazine's top 100 on eight occasions – three have been voted inside the top 10 – and the husband and wife duo "share a passion for rich, powerful New World wines, an opulent style that suits the profile of Napa Valley-grown grapes. They have a tidy division of labor, and their winery is recognized as among the region's quality elite. Their biggest triumph comes this year, with the release of the thrilling Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013, a hedonistic wine experience from a spectacular vintage. Claiming its place as Wine Spectator's 2016 Wine of the Year, it becomes the seventh Napa Cabernet to earn our top honor since the award's inception in 1988."

Lewis Cellars is one of many Napa Valley vineyards started by former IndyCar drivers. The region, located within minutes of Sonoma Raceway, also plays home to orchards owned by Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Scott Pruett and Jimmy Vasser.