CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Following in his father's footsteps, Chase Elliott continues to draw a huge fanbase.
Those fans helped select Elliott as the recipient of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award. The award was announced at the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Nashville on Thursday. It's the fifth year in a row the honor has been bestowed on Elliott.
During the 2022 season, Elliott gave his fans much to be happy about. He won five races and scored 12 top 5s and 20 top 10s on his way to winning the regular season championship and being a major player in the NASCAR playoffs.
Elliott was a favorite heading into the playoffs and performed well enough to compete for the season title during the final race at Phoenix. However, Elliott wrecked midway through the race and was prevented from winning his second Cup Series title.
The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver has been a fan favorite since he entered the series as a rookie in 2016 and has scored the most popular driver award every year since he won his first race in 2018. Elliott's five-year reign over the award follows Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 15-year streak of receiving the award, which only ended when Earnhardt retired in 2017.
Earnhardt and Elliott both fall behind the all-time winner of the award, though; Bill Elliott.
Bill won the award 16 times during his Hall of Fame career. The Elliott patriarch won the award five consecutive times from 1984 to 1988 and then 10 more times from 1991 to 2000 before winning it one last time in 2002.
Chase is now fifth all-time for the popularity award, behind only his dad, Earnhardt, Richard Petty (8), and Bobby Allison (8).
The 2022 award, however, is the seventh time that Chase has won a NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, including all series. Chase won the Xfinity Series award in this category in 2014 and 2015.
Winning this year's Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver award was Noah Gragson. With eight wins in 2022, Gragson was one of the most dominant drivers of the Xfinity season and finished second in the final standings. Gragson fans are likely excited that he is making a full-time move to the Cup Series in 2023 driving for Petty GMS Racing.
In the Truck Series, Hailie Deegan won the Most Popular Driver Award for the second year in a row. Deegan finished the season with two top 10s. Her plans for 2023 are still unknown at this time.
