Chase Elliott is undoubtedly the most well-known driver in NASCAR today. He has six Most Popular Driver Awards to prove the same. He has consistently been portrayed by the media and the sport as a driver whom the masses love and want to see win all the time. But would that outlook be the same if people met him in person?
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A recent thread on Reddit asking who the rudest NASCAR driver has left the respect that Elliott had for his fans in question. Some of the admissions were startling enough to warrant a reaction from the man himself. One user wrote how he’d dropped a little fangirl’s t-shirt on the ground at Watkins Glen as soon as his PR representative told him the signing session was over.
“He just dropped the shirt on the ground mid-signing and left without a word,” they said. Another added, “Chase Elliott was a huge d*** at dega in 22. Bro said ‘I’m good’ when I asked him for autograph at the fan walk red carpet thing.” These words come off as a big surprise since Elliott is known to have a strong fan base across the country and such incidents don’t exactly align with his image.
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Another fan said, “Chase Elliot sent his PR guy over to me, a whopping 10 feet away, to say he wasn’t going to sign anything. I was just standing there waiting for the national anthem and command.” All these revelations led others to the opinion that anyone who met him in person wouldn’t be voting for him to be the most popular driver.
Perhaps, Elliott can take a page from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s book. Before the 2020 champion arrived on the scene, Junior was the most loved stock car racing personality. He won the Most Popular Driver award 15 times and remains, to this day, an icon loved by all.
One element of Dale Jr. that cannot be brought under question ever is his off-track contribution to the sport. Both as a driver and as a team owner, he is still the face of NASCAR in many avenues.
This is something that Elliott sorely lacks. He has never truly been involved much in NASCAR’s marketing and promotional aspects to help its overall development. Considering the backlash from fans who’ve had a bad experience with him, he might do well to take a few steps on these lines.
