What Chase Elliott Really Thinks About Being the Most Popular Driver in NASCAR

Even in his worst Cup Series season ever, 2020 champion Chase Elliott won over the hearts of fans and got elected to the Most Popular Driver award. As the Hendrick Motorsports prodigy and son of racing legend Bill Elliott continues his 6-year streak of receiving the honor, how much does it mean to him to have the support of countless fans regardless of his highs and lows?

He said to Fox Sports in a recent interview, “I attest the award to my family’s history in the sport.” The Elliott family, including Bill and his brothers (Ernie and Dan), is beloved throughout the racing fandom for their simple beginnings and rise-to-the-top story. Chase explained, “They were just a small-town group of guys who set out with a big dream. They were a super easy group to pull forward because a lot of people could relate to them.”

Not surprisingly, Bill won the Most Popular Driver award a record 16 times. Such was his fame that he had to withdraw his name from the ballot to give others a chance after winning it in 2002.

Continuing the legacy of keeping popularity in the family, Elliott could not be more grateful to his fans. He quipped, “I have been super fortunate that a lot of folks have been supportive of mine over the years.” His streak of winning the award began in 2018 and has been kept alive thus far. Going into 2024, he will be hoping to find his form behind the wheel after a lackluster 2023 season and provide a worthy spectacle to those who support him.

Chase Elliott’s take on the criticisms that surround him and how he approaches it

Despite the love that he receives from fans, Elliott has been hit with complaints of impulsiveness several times over his career. He has been entangled in situations with drivers including Denny Hamlin and his teammate Kyle Larson which have drawn a negative light. However, he is in the clear about how much of all that affects him.

“To be totally honest, as you ride that roller coaster and you see the top of the mountain and you see the bottom of it too, it teaches you what really matters,” he says. For him, what that is is the expectation that he sets of himself and that his close friends and family set. “The rest of it doesn’t matter,” he concluded.

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• Bill Elliott
• Chase Elliott
• Denny Hamlin
• Kyle Larson