It is that time of the year again. Voting for the 2024 National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular NASCAR Cup Series Driver Award began at 12:00 PM Eastern Time on October 28.
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Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has won the title every year since 2018. Will this finally be the season in which he is trumped? Let’s break down further details about the award to speculate.
To be eligible for the vote, a driver must have declared Cup Series points and must have been eligible to contend for the 2024 Cup Series championship, as per NASCAR’s rules.
The National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) reserves the right to make the final call on driver eligibility. Fans can vote for their favorite driver by visiting the official website of the Cup Series.
A fan can vote for one driver in each ballot submission, and the maximum limit is five submissions per person per email address in a day. Automated votes are prohibited and will be deemed void. Using multiple email addresses or name variations to bypass the system is not allowed either. Doing so can disqualify the vote, again at the discretion of the NMPA.
Voting ends at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on November 21 and the winner will be declared the next day. Chase Elliott’s victory cannot be guaranteed this season when his teammate Kyle Larson has made up for most of the headlines with multiple sensational victories. There are others like Tyler Reddick who have been spectacular as well. It is bound to be a tough contest.
Past winners of the Most Popular Driver Award
Richard Petty was the first driver in history to be an overwhelming fan favorite. He won this prestigious award eight times between 1962 and 1978. This is one more than the number of NASCAR championships he hauled. Bobby Allison was another such driver. He won the award six times between 1971 and 1983 and then came Bill Elliott.
Chase’s fandom is largely owed to the legacy of his father, Bill. His fame knew no bounds and the fans hated his competitors for the sake of the love they had for him. He won the award a staggering 16 times between 1984 and 2002. No driver has picked the prize up more than him.
A driver who came close to doing so was Dale Earnhardt Jr. The icon was voted to be the Most Popular Driver 15 times. The fandom loved him for multiple reasons but the prime among them was that he was the son of Dale Earnhardt. He carried the honor of his father’s name with extreme care and took it to great heights.
Dale Jr. handed the baton to Chase when he retired. The 2020 Cup Series champion has been going steady so far with virtually no competition as far as popularity goes. Will this remain the case in 2024? The votes will be decided soon.
