Chase Elliott has won the Most Popular Driver of the Year award once again in 2024, celebrating his seventh consecutive win. The fan-driven accolade was presented during the NASCAR Awards Banquet held at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, this year.
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Reflecting on his streak of wins, Elliott attributed his success to his family’s legacy rather than his efforts alone. He shared, “Those guys had such a.. him and his brothers and my grandfather, I mean they had just such a neat story… They were an easy group of guys to like because I think they were extremely relatable with a lot of America and beyond. And I think that’s really cool.”
Although he doesn’t see his NASCAR journey mirroring that of his father or grandfather, Elliott views his racing heritage with respect. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver regards the award primarily as a way to honor his family’s legacy. When discussing how he stays genuine, much like his predecessors, he shared:
“When you’re not walking in somebody’s shoes, odds are you probably don’t understand. And I think that it’s important to remember that as time goes and as you grow up and you hopefully mature, look at things a little differently.”
“But I think that for me it’s similar from the mindset I think, but just the modern day of how things work now probably is just a little bit of a different reflection of it.”
I think this conversation w @chaseelliott says a lot! His family heritage is about being real & the Elliott group despite popularity & desire for their time stayed true to themselves…people forget that….reigning most popular driver Chase (The 2024 MPD will be named tonight!) pic.twitter.com/MDOLpSvPbI
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) November 22, 2024
Additionally, Elliott emphasized his authenticity, insisting that he never pretends to be someone he’s not, and prioritizes what truly matters to him. If something doesn’t seem productive, he simply moves on and does things his way. Summing up his approach, Elliott stated, “Everybody has their own way of doing things, I have mine.”
History of NASCAR’s most beloved accolade
Since its inception in 1956, the award has been bestowed annually upon drivers from the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series. Initially a ballot among drivers, it evolved to include all NASCAR Cup Series competitors, and today, it hinges on the votes of die-hard NASCAR fans.
Although the 2024 recipient of this accolade is the #9 driver from Hendrick Motorsports, the record for the most wins still belongs to his father, Bill Elliott, who clinched it 16 times in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. trails closely behind, securing the second-most wins- 15- of the Most Popular Driver award and holding the record for the longest consecutive streak — from 2003 until his retirement in 2017.
Over in the Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier leads with five wins. Elliott even snagged the honor as an Xfinity driver in 2014 and 2015. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Johnny Benson Jr. and Hailie Deegan have won the most wins.
