Chase Elliott voted NASCAR Cup's Most Popular Driver again

Chase Elliott failed to make the NASCAR Cup playoffs this season but his title as the series’ most popular driver remains intact.

For the sixth consecutive season, Elliott was named the winner Thursday night of the 2023 National Motorsports Press Association’s Most Popular Driver Award.

This is the 33rd consecutive year a member of the Earnhardt or Elliott family has won the award, including Chase’s father, Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who won the award each season from 1984 to 2002.

Darrell Waltrip (1990) was the last driver not named Earnhardt or Elliott to win the award.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award in 15 consecutive seasons, the last in 2017 at the conclusion of his final fulltime NASCAR season.

Elliott's 2023 Cup season was hamstrung by an early-season injury from a snowboarding accident that sidelined him for several weeks and a one-race suspension by NASCAR later in the year for intentionally wrecking driver Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott, 28, failed to qualify for the playoffs, was unable to win a race all season and ended up 17^th in the series standings.

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro

Other awards

Hailie Deegan won the vote for most popular driver in the Truck Series for the third consecutive year while Justin Allgaier won the award in the Xfinity Series for the fourth time.

Also on Thursday, Sherry Pollex was named the winner of the 2023 NMPA Myers Brothers Award. She passed away in September after a lengthy battle with cancer, aged 44. Over the years, she had raised several million dollars in the fight against pediatric and ovarian cancer, most notably through her annual Catwalk for a Cause charity event.

Presented annually since 1958, the award, named in honor of former NASCAR competitors Billy and Bobby Myers, recognizes individuals and/or groups who have provided outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing. Each year, the NMPA Myers Brothers Award winner is selected by a vote of the NMPA membership.