Chase Elliott has been named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for the seventh consecutive year, a title he received at NASCAR's annual season-ending awards ceremony on Friday. This prestigious honor is the only major NASCAR award decided solely by the votes of race fans. Elliott garnered 266,363 votes, surpassing his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, according to the National Motorsports Press Association.
Legacy of Awards
The Elliott family has long been a dominant force in this award’s history. Chase’s father, Bill Elliott, affectionately known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville," holds the record for winning the title 16 times before he removed himself from the ballot. Together, the Elliott and Earnhardt families have claimed the Most Popular Driver award for 34 consecutive years.
Chase Elliott reflected on the honor, sharing his gratitude: "I don't think it ever gets old. I'm thankful for all of the folks around the country who pull for me and my team and genuinely want to see us do well. That to me is the part that doesn't get old—whether you're in Darlington, South Carolina, or Talladega, or somewhere out in California, it's just crazy to me that we have been fortunate enough to be in this situation and have the kind of support we have. I don't take that for granted."
Ryan Blaney, one of the drivers who finished behind Elliott, humorously remarked that he doesn’t see anyone unseating Elliott from the top spot until he decides to retire.
"Obviously, he has a great fan base that he has built on his own, and fans who loved watching Bill as well, I don’t know what it would take to beat him," Blaney said
Blaney added that he looks forward to seeing who will take the title once Elliott steps away from the sport, joking,
"Someday I will have to peek my head back in the door and say, ‘Who won most popular driver?’ I will probably be retired by then, too. So I don’t know what it would take to beat him. It would be tough to knock him off that spot. He has a lot of people who really love him," Blaney added.
Reddick reaction
Tyler Reddick also believes that Elliott is unlikely to lose the title anytime soon. "When you're at the racetrack, you think it has a chance to change, I think if anyone is ever going to have a shot at it, it's Ryan or Kyle.
Tyler Reddick also believes that Elliott is unlikely to lose the title anytime soon. "When you're at the racetrack, you think it has a chance to change, I think if anyone is ever going to have a shot at it, it's Ryan or Kyle. But it always seems like it is Chase's award to lose," Reddick said.
This award carries significant meaning for NASCAR fans, as loyalty to drivers runs deep. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was awarded the title of Most Popular Driver in 2001, the year he tragically passed away in the Daytona 500. Following his death, his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., claimed the title for the next 15 years, making it a tradition for either an Elliott or an Earnhardt to win the award for 34 consecutive years.
Chase reflected on the legacy his family has built and how it influences his own career:
"You always want to try to carry your family name in the proper manner or at least in the manner that they would expect. I’ve always tried to do that, and I hope I’ve done that successfully in my time. But for sure, it is an extension of a lot of hard work from my dad and his brothers and my grandfather. It was a huge team effort and a huge family effort to have the careers that they had, which led to me being here and having the opportunity to carry that forward," he said
This year’s awards ceremony was held in Charlotte, NASCAR's hub, marking a significant shift from previous locations like Las Vegas, New York, and Nashville.
