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HAMPTON, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 24: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 Hooters Chevrolet, (L) and Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, talk on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia.
There’s no debating who the most popular driver is in the NASCAR Cup Series today. Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott has won the Most Popular Driver vote every year since 2018, dating back to the year Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired.
However, despite voting only just opening, we already know for certain that Elliott won’t be winning the award in 2026.
We know that because Elliott opted to remove himself from the voting altogether. And he did so for an extremely thoughtful reason.
Chase Elliott Pulls Out Of Most Popular Driver Vote To Support Kyle Busch
Earlier this season, the NASCAR world experienced an unimaginable tragedy when two-time Cup Series champion and active driver Kyle Busch passed away at just 41 years old.
Busch was determined to have suffered from a bout of “severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.”
Since then, the sport has honored Busch’s legacy in several ways, including car owner Richard Childress opting not to continue to run his No. 8 and a recent memorial service at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Now, Elliott is honoring Busch in his own manner.
“I just think it’s one of those things that Kyle is a guy who really deserves an award like that,” Elliott said Sunday ahead of this weekend’s race at Talladega. “He’s a guy that’s had a lot of fans throughout the course of his career. I know the boos, and it was fun, but a lot of supporters, a lot of really passionate fans. Just feel like he deserves to win the award, truthfully. I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen this year, but I just want to throw my support to make sure that I didn’t get in the way of that.”
Ironically, Busch would probably hate the idea of being handed an award in such a manner. Especially as a driver who relished playing the role of the villain so often.
But it’s still a remarkably thoughtful gesture, and just goes to show Elliott’s immense character.