Chase Elliott has done it again. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won the Most Popular Driver Award for the seventh year in a row, a rare positive in what has otherwise been a lackluster season. The No. 9 Chevy driver finished the year seventh in the driver standings, with just one victory at Texas Motor Speedway during the regular season. However, that hasn’t affected his popularity in any way, as fans selected the 28-year-old for the prestigious award.
However, Chase Elliott still has big shoes to fill. Despite being just behind Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, who have eight awards each, his father, Bill Elliott, holds the record with 16 victories. While it may seem inconsequential to some, the MPD Award is an important one for the 28-year-old and his family, who have a legacy to maintain given their history with this particular accolade.
Chase Elliott was in attendance at the 2024 NASCAR Awards with Ashley Anderson. According to unconfirmed reports, the pair made their first public appearance after parting ways earlier this year, sparking speculation on social media about their romance being rekindled once again. Rumors suggest that the duo first started dating after Elliott split with his ex-girlfriend Kaylie Greene, even though the pair were friends long before being in a relationship, having grown up in the same area.
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NASCAR fans unimpressed by Chase Elliott’s MPD triumph
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Fans were livid at the fact that Chase Elliott won the award yet again, claiming his contributions to the sport are nowhere near what they should be. “This guy does nothing to promote the sport in the slightest and has the personality of drywall. how does he keep winning these things?” Lamenting his personality as well, another fan added, “Should be ‘And the award for best monotone driver while watching paint dry is!’”
Elliott’s popularity was at an all-time high when he won the 2020 Cup Series Championship, but since then, fans feel there are more deserving winners of this award. The 2021 and 2023 Champions (Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney) were mentioned as deserving recipients of the award by one fan who said, “Literally the last person I think of when I hear nascar. Blaney or larson should of got it. At the least”
Being popular is often associated with being in the public eye more often than not. Chase Elliott is just about the opposite of that, with one fan claiming he is virtually hidden amongst NASCAR circles, saying, “What’s funny is that NASCAR’s “most popular driver” is a virtual recluse.”
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With Elliott’s father having the most awards of all time in this category, it is no surprise some fans feel the award is pre-decided in the HMS #9’s favor, saying, “Yeah it’s rigged”