18 car and got his first win. And, much like his fellow driver Alan Kulwicki, he was taken away from the sport way too quickly. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Chase Elliott has been named NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for the 2022 season, earning the honor during the NASCAR Awards ceremony at the Music City Center in. Kyle, Richard and the entire Petty family were devastated when such talent and such charm was robbed from NASCAR. Johnsons seven titles came in 11 seasons, a remarkable feat in what at that point was arguably the most competitive era of NASCAR. He will excel in this role, and we look forward to watching him continue to grow the competition team during this crucial era in our sports history. It's quite different to see the driver of the No. Most recently, he held the role of NASCAR vice president, technical inspection and officiating, a role he assumed in 2016. pic.twitter.com/iM7jihS3VZ, RELATED: NASCAR COO Steve ODonnell Appears To Signal They Will Outlaw Moves Like Ross Chastains Hail Melon Martinsville Move. Burton admits that after he is done driving, he would like to get into politics. Petty has since gotten out of the car but has always remained loyal to his racing roots as he is part of SPEED's NASCAR Raceday and NASCAR Victory Lane. NASCAR Wednesday named former driver and long-time official Elton Sawyer its senior vice president of competition, replacing Scott Miller, who will assume the newly formed role of competition strategist. Sponsorships drive my business, and my sponsors over the last two years have been through a lot. 1955 - Tim Flock. But, it was his death the following year that really showed how well he was liked. 3. Voting for the Most Popular Driver continues until 12:00 PM ET on November 30, 2022. "Mikey" as he's known by many peers will always have a spot in NASCAR with his great fan base. The commercials featuring the UPS team trying to get Dale to drive their "big brown truck" are among some of the most creative ever seen for NASCAR. But, Rudd would not be denied and a few weeks later, would go on to win. It wasn't the collision on the backstretch, nor was it the wreck entering Turn 3. When he won the season finale at Homestead, Hamlin made the point to say that his team would win a championship in the next few years. Junior Johnson Johnson was the opposite of a points racer. Whether it was at the wheel of the Home Depot car, the Office Depot Chevrolet or his own late model, Tony Stewart is one of the most talked about and popular drivers to come into NASCAR in the last decade. Kyle was third in line in the family to drive and had a very successful career in NASCAR. Much like his father, Davey was a great driver and knew his way around the race car. For over 40 years, "The King" has been a fixture in the sport. But if you saw that smile beneath the huge mustache, Earnhardt was the kindest man you could ever meet. 1. Smith joins a group of Daytona 500 entries, including Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana, who will be battling for one of four non-charter spots in the starting field. 8. He loved to party, was boisterous and at the same time could drive a race car. Most of the garage area will agree that if he does go that route, he will be just as successful as he has been in NASCAR. But, when he announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006, everyone was wondering how long Parsons would be around to provide insight to the drivers. 1957 - Fireball Roberts. Tim Richmond Richmond had a short but brilliant career, winning 13 times across seven seasons. You can vote for the Most Popular Driver here. Danica Patrick 10. He. Carl Edwards Edwards was solidly consistent throughout a career that produced 28 victories and earned him a shot at the title in 2011, when he tied Tony Stewart but lost the championship on a tiebreaker. It took just two races to cement Jamie McMurray's popularity in NASCAR. NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (as of February 1998), List of all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners, List of members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, The Inside Groove.com Historical NASCAR Image Gallery, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NASCAR%27s_50_Greatest_Drivers&oldid=1130570646, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, * = Deceased before February 1998 ceremony, ** = Deceased after February 1998 ceremony, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 21:21. Now, his own "Junior Nation" follows him loyally but has been frustrated. The race winner will receive a gold medal, the runner-up will receive a silver medal, and the third-place finisher will be given the bronze medal in the exhibition race. Johnson is without question the champ these days in NASCAR. Another member of the Alabama Gang, Bobby Allison's career is one that is among the finest in NASCAR. 10.2 Part-time drivers. He debuted on the NASCAR national series scene in 1983, racing in what is now the Xfinity Series. Chase Briscoe, #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Matt DiBenedetto, #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Erik Jones, #43 Richard Petty. The 1979 Daytona 500 put not only him, but NASCAR on the map. Elliott earned Most Popular Driver honors through a fan vote. Elliott cruised to the regular season championship and made it all the way to the Championship 4 by winning five times and earning 12 top fives, 20 top 10s and three poles with a Cup Series-leading 857 laps led. But, he didn't celebrate as Earnhardt died on the last lap. He was second five times and was in the top five in eight other years. Plus, Labonte soon had to battle a broken hand he suffered in a crash during practice one weekend. That's five consecutive years Elliott has earned the honor. Jacuzzi, who manages aerodynamic engineering for NASCAR, joined the sanctioning body after working as a computational aerodynamicist for Corvid Technologies. NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM will provide coverage of this year's program. He was at his best in the big races. The interesting thing about Lorenzen was that he never ran a full schedule. Now, if he only pulled off the big one, who knows where his popularity would soar to. But then got asked to drive the No. 1 greatest moment in the sport. These names all make sense for a variety of reasons, including their. In fact, it causes a lot of arguments. There is no easy path for any of the other Cup Series drivers to take the trophy away from him. Any driver willing to tape his eyes open in order to race is beyond tough. Among Lee Pettys win was the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. These will be tremendous prizes for our drivers who are competing inside a venue thats hosted two Olympic Games and is preparing for a third, said Ben Kennedy, NASCARs senior vice president for racing development and strategy. Since joining NASCAR in 2014, Jacuzzi has led the team tasked to design the aerodynamic elements of the race vehicles for all three national series including the Next Gen car as well as the Garage 56 car scheduled to run in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bill Elliot Hall of Famer Bill Elliot was voted the sport's most popular driver 16 times throughout his 37 years of racing. With his fourth consecutive title in 2009, and now his fifth consecutive title this year, more fans are beginning to appreciate what Johnson has done. He was popular especially for the commercials he did with UPS. It was his unique celebration that earned him the popularity with the fans, and it is surely to only go up with each season. The "Candyman" himself has finally been taken down the list of the most hated active NASCAR drivers. When you have championship seasons that saw him win seven, 10 and 13 races in a matter of three years, haters will be there. NASCAR Drivers; No. Petty is the first driver to achieve the seven NASCAR Cup championships, making him an undisputed champion in the NASCAR world. 3 in this case cause those numbers are Dale Earnhardt's birthday. Less than a month later, Parsons succumbed to the complications. Who knows where Reutimann's popularity will go, but you can bet he's living his own dream in NASCAR. Bill Elliott, Chase's father, won the award a record 16 times between 1984 and 2002, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award 15 years in a row from 2003 to 2017. Here's a list of the 10 Coolest Cars NASCAR drivers drive at home. Bill Elliott holds the record for the most awards with 16 followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 15. Fred Lorenzen Fearless Freddy, smart, fast and handsome, was a runaway star in Cup racing in the 1960s. He finished first or second in the points 10 times in his career. It can be both behind the wheel and behind the scenes. As long as the fans buy the products, his popularity is secure. Before retiring in 2016, Carl Edwards was one of NASCAR's most popular and likable figures, with his signature backflip off the top of his car being arguably the best post-race celebration in history. In other weeks, however, Chastain had far fewer supporters. He is a massive Washington Capitals fan, lover of history, and can be found at Dominion Raceway most Saturday nights. Well, chances are that it could be all of them because Kulwicki was one of the most popular guys in the garage because he was one of the few drivers in the early days to work on the cars himself. But, one tragic afternoon took that all away. 3 to the track, and we still see a hauler bearing his number in the souvenir areas. This list includes Justin. Honoring them in this way, at the beginning of the NASCAR 50th Anniversary celebration, is one way of showing our true appreciation for them and the invaluable contribution they have given over the past 50 years. Burton also is one that doesn't sugar coat what he feels and will speak his mind. That will lead him to much success down the road. Still, the seven-time most popular driver is still the hottest-selling driver in NASCAR. Only question among everyone in the sport that keeps coming up is "Could he continue this dominance?". Hes a Cup Series champion, he has a sizable fanbase, and hes the son of Bill Elliott. It has been a great experience over the years seeing him grow and become a very talented driver.. First, the current top 10, alphabetically, as voted by fans at Nascar.com/mostpopulardriver/ Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick,. He also went as far as challenging the pit crews on the air, saying that if a team performed a four-tire pit stop in under 13 seconds, each member would be given $100 cash from his own account. In a series first, NASCAR will award medals to the top three finishers in a Cup race. Elliott continued his career with his own team in the mid-1990s but got a resurgence in 2001 when he signed with Evernham Motorsports to bring Dodge back to NASCAR and also bring back the No. 43, they know who drove it. section: | slug: chase-elliott-wins-nascar-most-popular-driver-award-for-a-fifth-straight-year | sport: nascar | route: article_single.us | Kenny is still competing in the Nationwide Series, but it's his antics on the pre-race and post-race shows that put him on this list. 6-keys: media/spln/nascar/reg/free/stories, at Richard Petty When it comes to the racetrack, Richard Petty tops every list of greatest NASCAR drivers of all time because to date, no other race car driver has ever tallied as many wins as him. John Probst has been promoted to chief racing development officer; Dr. Eric Jacuzzi has been promoted to vice president of vehicle performance; Dr. John Patalak has been promoted to vice president of safety engineering; and Brandon Thomas has been promoted to vice president of vehicle design. A win in the Daytona 500, then at Indianapolis and again at Charlotte was by far the best season of his entire career. Their accomplishments are the benchmark that much of our history is identified by. As one of the originators of the speedway era in NASCAR in the early 1960s, Fireball Roberts was a name everyone recognized in the sport. Winning the title was noteworthy prior to the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. joining NASCAR as its primary sponsor, but the stacks of money provided by the Winston cigarette brand increased the importance of the championship exponentially. If there was ever a driver that seemed to be made to be popular, it is David Reutimann. Allison only has 10 wins to his credit, but that includes wins at some of NASCAR's famed tracks, including both Charlotte and Bristol. 2/2 During this period, Ill be training and preparing for the opportunity to win. He has many vocal supporters, as well as many vocal critics. These days, Lorenzen focuses mainly on the stock market and makes a lot of money using his portfolio. Not in competition, but he did drive one. And what a career he's had driving the blue deuce. From 1970-79, he won five of his championships and 89 of 326 races meaning he won more than a quarter of the races run in the 1970s. Patalak, who has worked at the NASCAR R&D Center since 2005, oversees NASCARs safety team, researching, developing and approving driver and vehicle safety systems. He has also previously held competition roles at Red Bull Racing and Evernham Motorsports. Everyone knows the green flag has waved when they hear DW's famous words. He heads into his final year tied for ninth on NASCAR's all-time wins list with 60 career victories and 13 consecutive playoff appearances. But, he would not get his first career victory until 2001. But, he will let you know when he is. Not only do the medals honor the rich tradition of this stadium, but they also provide a special element unique to NASCARs 75th anniversary.. Now NASCAR has revealed the top 10 Cup Series drivers getting votes each day from the fans. Paige Rogers, Eloy Sebastin Lpez Falcn, Caleb Johnson and Nathan Lyons will make their debut this year. 8:09 pm ET, NASCAR requiring fire-resistant underwear for drivers, Report: Travis Pastrana to enter Daytona 500 for 23XI, Kyle Larson to race 2024 Indy 500 for Arrow McLaren, Kevin Harvick to retire at end of 2023 season, Frankie Muniz to race full-time in ARCA in 2023, Dale Jr. and other NASCAR stars purchase CARS Tour, Chase Elliott named 2022 NASCAR Most Popular Driver, Additional cities interested in NASCAR street races, NASCAR reveals format for 2023 Clash at the Coliseum, Biggest questions for final NFL teams left standing. Sawyer began his racing career competing at Langley Speedway in his home state of Virginia. It was simply because he gave the champ a run for his money. Bobby Allison Finished second in the points five times before winning the 1983 championship. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart Kevin Harvick In his new role, Sawyer will oversee all aspects of on-track competition, inspection, rule development and officiating, focusing specifically on NASCARs three national series Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series. The following year, Busch found himself on the wrong end of the lawliterally. He barely lost the title in 1992 but seemed on track to compete for numerous championships down the road. After a trying relationship at Ganassi, McMurray went to Roush and saw some success but only two victories. Denny Hamlin 8. Rudd would win the race, pull into victory lane and have to be pulled from the car in order to get some fresh air. Besides that, Elliott is a perennial winner of the NASCAR Most Popular Driver award, winning it four times and will likely collect his fifth at the end of the 2022 season. At the same time, then-Joe Gibbs Racing driver Tony Stewart announced he would leave the organization to start his own team. In the mid-1990s, Geoff Bodine was having a lot of success as a driver, winning races and earning a lot of respect from his fellow drivers. Popularity among drivers doesn't limit one to just being behind the wheel. Probst joined NASCAR in 2016, providing senior oversight of an engineering group that develops and incorporates new technology into all aspects of NASCAR competition. Chandler Smith will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in a third Chevrolet entered by Kaulig Racing. It's not the track promoters that spend the money in commercials, and it is certainly not the sponsors getting their product exposure every weekend. . In 1995, he signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing to race the No. In 2004 at Rockingham, Long made the lineup, but he and some other drivers on the starting grid had the unfortunate term of "field fillers." One alleged that Elliott eats his chicken wings with a fork and knife. In those days, NASCAR was running upwards of 50 races a year, making the modern 36-race schedule seem rather mundane. 29, and Harvick was at the wheel. The medal ceremony will take place on a podium in Victory Lane, which will be located beneath the Olympic cauldron at the Coliseum. He debuted on the NASCAR national series scene in 1983, racing in what is now the Xfinity Series. The cooling system in his car failed, but he was in the lead at Martinsville despite the temperatures beyond miserable. He won the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 three times each. Any driver that earns the respect of the Intimidator is certainly popular among everyone in the garage. Unfortunately, the career of Weatherly was cut short in 1964 after a very scary and tragic accident. Wait until 2011 to find out. He likely would have been in more championship races in future years but decided to retire early. After just two races, McMurray put his name on the map as he won at Charlotte. In the race for the championship, however, he has finished second, third three times, fourth twice and fifth twice. In his racing career, Allison won 84 races and has the 1983 championship to his credit. It was one of the greatest races NASCAR had ever run, but it was one that Bobby never remembers. 10 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series - EuroNASCAR PRO Division drivers. The winner of the most awards is Bill Elliott with 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series. A year earlier, Bobby was involved in a horrific crash at Talladega that saw his car destroyed and part of the safety fencing torn down on the front straightaway, which eventually led to the restrictor plates used at Daytona and Talladega. The two sit 1-2 in all time victories, but the two were most famously known for their duel in the 1976 Daytona 500. As a kid, you always have the goal of one day racing in the Cup Series. We are thrilled that Scott Miller has chosen to remain a key part of the NASCAR competition team. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2009, and it's almost like his career was resurrected. Maybe next year that success and popularity will return, thanks to JTG Daugherty Racing. Unfortunately, he also had to see his long-time friend, Dale Earnhardt, pass away in the final corner. Weatherly started stock car racing in 1952, winning 49 of the 83 races he entered, a staggering winning percentage. Dale Earnhardt Jr has been NASCAR's most popular driver for 14 straight years. It also meant that when he did get angry, it was something to talk about. Earnhardt and co-host Mike Davis raise the bar with unparalleled perspective, candid commentary, and fascinating, first-person insight into the life of a broadcaster, celebrated racer. Petty just took a different path and saw the sport grow to what it is today. Those 17 victories account for 18.3% of his win total. 9 NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series drivers. Petty slid to the infield but stopped just short of the finish line. The image of Bodine being carted off to the ambulance, all the while trying to take off his oxygen mask, earned the respect of everyone. The list also includes Christopher Bell, reigning champion Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award for 15 consecutive. His battle with Donnie Allison was shaping up to be one of the best the sport had seen to that point. He still remains a fixture in NASCAR to this day, and his legacy will never be forgotten. The result was typically a win, a wreck or an exploding engine. Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for third with eight awards. After Earnhardt won the Most Popular Driver Award for 15 consecutive seasons to close out his career, it was Chase Elliott, the son of 1988 champion and 16-time Most Popular Driver Award winner Bill Elliott, who won it for the first time in his third season of full-time competition in 2018. The 2021 NMPA Most Popular Driver will be announced during the NASCAR Cup Series Awards program on Thursday, Dec. 2. His crazy antics in the garage are well known just as much as his ability to drive the race car. I admit, he would be if it was not for the frustration that his fans have seen the last few years. View Fullscreen. One timetwo timethree timefour timeFIVE-TIME CHAMPION. Sponsored by Hamburger Helper in 2010, it was also sponsored by Wheaties in 2011. 10 car to five top-five finishes, including a second place at Martinsville Speedway, last year. He chased the championship across 23 full-time seasons in the sport, falling short on several agonizing occasions. It will come, but the question is when. His ability to run fast and maintain control on the unique track got him four wins in the late 50s and early 60s. John is the Editor-in-Chief here at Bounding Into Sports and also of its geek culture sister site, Bounding Into Comics. I see the hats and the t-shirts and all that stuff is noticed. But, he was the first name read for the 2011 class of inductees, as his statistics and demeanor were more than enough to get the respect of his peers and the fans. Once the checkered flag waves and all is said and done, there is a custom rat rod GMC pickup with Joey Lagano's name on it waiting in his driveway. Latest NASCAR News. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nascar | pageType: stories | Craven would take the win by 0.002 secondsthe closest finish in NASCAR history. Most Popular Driver Award Winners. The race winners medal weighs 4.7 ounces and is covered in 24-karat plated gold. David Pearson A three-time champion. "His wife wears the firesuit in the family," he said, referring to Harvick's wife, Delana. But, Carl Long does have a place on this list because it was one incident that sparked his popularity among the fans. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Just a huge thank you, he concluded. Waltrip is still popular today with the fans even though he is no longer a driver. We can surely look up to the sky and see those huge sunglasses looking down, probably smiling and happy we are continuing to enjoy the sport he loved.