NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award is awarded to the most popular NASCAR driver in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series every year since 1956. It started as a poll of the drivers and then all NASCAR Cup Series competitors; today, it is voted for by fans across the United States.
The award is presented by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA). Sponsored by Hamburger Helper in 2010, it was also sponsored by Wheaties in 2011. The ceremony presenting the award is called the NASCAR Awards Banquet, and it is held in Nashville, Tennessee in November of each year.
The winner of the most awards is Bill Elliott with 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier have the most with four awards in the Xfinity Series, and Johnny Benson Jr. & Hailie Deegan have the most awards at three in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the second-most awards (15) and holds the longest streak, winning the award in 2003 and every year until his retirement in 2017.[1][2]
Recipients
Cup Series
Xfinity Series
Craftsman Truck Series
Mexico Series
| Year | Driver | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Jorge Arteaga | FCV Racing | |
| 2010 | |||
| 2011 | |||
| 2012 | Pepe Montaño | ||
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | Rodrigo Marbán | Patricia Marbán | |
| 2015 |
Multiple winners
| Driver | Cup | Xfinity | Truck | Mexico | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Elliott | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Richard Petty | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Chase Elliott* | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Bobby Allison | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Elliott Sadler | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Justin Allgaier* | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Lee Petty | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Brad Keselowski* | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jimmy Hensley | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ron Hornaday Jr. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Johnny Benson Jr. | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Jorge Arteaga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Kenny Wallace | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hailie Deegan* | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Fred Lorenzen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sam Ard | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Joe Nemechek | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Curtis Turner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Martin Truex Jr.* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Greg Biffle | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Pepe Montano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Noah Gragson* | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| * – still active as of 2022. | |||||
References
- ↑ Wilhelm, Chase (December 2, 2016). "Dale Jr. wins NASCAR's Most Popular Driver, reveals wedding date". Foxsports.com. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins NASCAR Most Popular Driver award for 15th time". USA Today. Associated Press. November 30, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
External links
- Sprint Cup Series
- Xfinity Series Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Camping World Truck Series Archived 2017-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Wheaties Fuel Most Popular Driver