Copyright RACER
Chase Elliott has been voted NASCAR’s most popular driver in the Cup Series for the eighth consecutive season. The results were announced Tuesday night during the NASCAR Awards celebration in Scottsdale, Arizona. Elliott received 56 percent of the total votes cast. The other top five drivers in the voting, in alphabetical order, were Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson. NASCAR fans vote on the Most Popular Driver Award, which the National Motorsports Press Association presents. “Thank you for the votes,” Elliott said by way of a video. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day to do that and support us in that way and support me in that way. But it’s so much more than the votes. I tell a lot of people this, that I talk to about it, that it’s really about the people and the support that I get to see firsthand. I know not everybody has that vantage point or that perspective, but it truly is incredible, and every year it blows me away to travel to parts of the country that you would never think that people are that passionate about what we’re doing. “I just want to make sure everyone understands that I’m forever grateful for that, whether we win the award or don’t win the award. I think I have some of the best fans in the world and really appreciate you guys supporting me and pushing us and wanting the best for our team and being there on the good days and the bad.” Elliott, who drives the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, has been voted the most popular driver in all but two of his Cup Series seasons. The first two seasons of Elliott’s career, 2016 and 2017, saw the award go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt retired after the 2017 season. In all, Elliott has been voted the most popular driver by NASCAR fans 10 times. He also won the award in both of his full seasons in the Xfinity Series (2014, 2015). Bill Elliott is the all-time wins leader of the award with 16 nods. Earnhardt Jr. won the award 15 times.
