Home / NASCAR / 9 Who Might Be Ready To Dethrone Chase Elliott As NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver

9 Who Might Be Ready To Dethrone Chase Elliott As NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Updated –
We may use AI tools to support content creation and editing. While we aim for accuracy via strict editorial standards, readers should independently verify important information. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
Chase Elliott

With fan voting well underway for the National Motorsports Press Association’s 2025 Most Popular Driver Award, it’s hard not to wonder: Is this the year that someone finally unseats Chase Elliott?

Every year since 2018 — the year after 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from full-time racing — Elliott has received this honor.

But as the adage goes: “All good things must come to an end.”

Whether Elliott’s lengthy reign as the sport’s Most Popular Driver is ending will be revealed in the very near future.

Chase Elliott Remains Mr. Popularity, For Now

Like his retired NASCAR Hall of Fame father, Bill Elliott, who captured the Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times, Chase Elliott holds a special place in the hearts of untold millions of NASCAR fans.

It’s been that way since Chase’s rookie Cup Series season of 2016. And it continues today.

But could Elliott, who’s won just three races since the start of the 2023 Cup Series season, finally be losing his grip on the Most Popular Driver Award?

While it’s impossible to say for sure, this much is certain: Elliott isn’t the only one doing well in the current fan voting. As of Wednesday, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano joined Elliott as a top-10 vote-getter.

Keep in mind, though: NASCAR didn’t indicate which driver has the most votes. Rather, the sanctioning body only revealed the top 10.

So, Elliott could be on his way to being named the NASCAR Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver for an eighth consecutive year. Or he could be in jeopardy of another driver unseating him.

The truth will reveal itself soon enough.

Denny Hamlin Is Not Backing Down In Most Popular Driver Race

One leading vote-getter who clearly wants to knock Chase Elliott off his perch is Denny Hamlin. Noted for his unpopularity with a large segment of the NASCAR fan base, Hamlin is doing surprising well in the voting. So well that he’s lobbying fans to get on board and make him the new Most Popular Driver.

Check out this lighthearted message that Hamlin left his followers earlier this week on X.

While Hamlin or anyone else toppling Elliott might be merely wishful thinking, at least Hamlin isn’t conceding defeat to the second-generation NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Maybe the ongoing fan vote is one reason why Hamlin went out of his way to be extra gracious to the fans in attendance after he won this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Or maybe Hamlin just got caught up in the moment.

Either way, Elliott continuing his Most Popular Driver streak isn’t a given. No matter your favorite driver, you can cast a vote for them at NASCAR’s official website. And you can even vote up to five times per day.

Voting continues until Noon Eastern on November 3. The next day, NASCAR will reveal the 2025 Most Popular Driver for the Cup, Xfinity and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

So, go vote. And stay tuned.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
All posts by Jared Turner
Other News