DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As part of NASCAR’s virtual awards show Wednesday night on NBCSN, NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott received the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award, voted on by NASCAR fans across the world.
It’s the third consecutive year that Elliott has topped the Cup Series MPD vote.
Elliott is now a five-time Most Popular Driver across NASCAR’s top three series, including two years in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he earned that honor as well.
“I just want to say thanks,” Elliott said in a video released on his Twitter account Wednesday night. “This award is really about the fans and their support for me and my team and the things we do at [the] track and traveling the country. I’m grateful for the best fans that I could ever ask for over the course of my entire career.
“They show out every week at the track and on the internet every week, so I hope to see everyone, hopefully back at the track soon.”
In addition to the Cup Series Most Popular Driver results, the winners of the Most Popular Driver Awards in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series were revealed also.
Justin Allgaier took the Xfinity Series MPD honors for the second consecutive year, while rookie Zane Smith won the Truck Series award after a two-win, Championship 4 campaign.
Notably, all three of this year’s Most Popular Driver Award winners formerly drove for JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team co-owned by modern-era Most Popular Driver Award king Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt earned the MPD award 15 straight years, from 2003 until his retirement following the 2017 season. Elliott has picked up the mantle from that point on.
Elliott’s father, Bill Elliott, holds the record with 16 Most Popular Driver awards over a 19-year span from 1984 to 2002.