Chase Elliott was once again voted the most popular driver in NASCAR.
It’s the 33rd straight season that a member of the Earnhardt or Elliott family has won the award regulated by the National Motorsports Press Association. Bill Elliott, the 1998 Cup Series champion and Chase’s father, won the award 16 times over 19 years from 1984 to 2002.
Darrell Waltrip won the award in 1989 and 1990. Dale Earnhardt Sr. posthumously won the award in 2001 following his death in the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award every year from 2003 to 2017.
Elliott has won the award every year since.
“This award has always, in my eyes, a reflection and extension of my family’s place in the sport and I recognize my spot in line and recognize what they’ve done,” Elliott said. “The reason that it’s special is because of the fans and how supportive they have been to my entire family, myself included, our team, over the years. I’m grateful for that. I don’t take it lightly, ever. I know you said you weren’t stunned, but I still take it very seriously, and I’m grateful for what they do for us. They’ve been phenomenal. So, I appreciate that.”
There was some curiosity about whether Elliott could lose his stranglehold on the award this season due to the number of races he missed and missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. He missed six races due to a snowboarding incident in March and missed another race in June as a result of a suspension for intentionally crashing Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600.
He failed to win a race this season and finished 17th in the standings but remained as popular as ever. There was some consideration that maybe Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney or previous champions Kyle Larson or Kyle Busch could mount a challenge.
They both finished in the top five in voting alongside Ross Chastain.
Additional Awards
Justin Allgaier claimed his fourth career most popular NASCAR Xfinity Series most popular driver award. Hailie Deegan won her third consecutive Craftsman Truck Series MPD award.
Sherry Pollex won the National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Award. Pollex, 44, died in September after a lengthy battle with cancer and was well admired for raising millions of dollars in the cause of treating pediatric and ovarian cancer.
Her Catwalk for a Cause event is one of the most attended and supported by the NASCAR community.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
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