Usually, merit in NASCAR is decided based on one’s race victories. Wheeling heavy stock cars at 200 mph around challenging circuits is no mean feat. Yet at one point in a NASCAR season, drivers are acknowledged for the level of their popularity. The Most Popular Driver Award exists for that reason and has been won 70 times since 1949. Yet notably, that elite group includes just 20 drivers, one of whom is Chase Elliott.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver had mostly a very quiet season. He snapped a 42-race winless streak in April at Texas Motor Speedway, after recovering from a disastrous 2023 season. For the rest of the season, he picked up top-tens and top-fives without appearing for interviews much. Yet, the No. 9 driver again finds himself among the top lot for the 2024 MPD awards. And a few unfair means are involved, as fans claim.

Chase Elliott’s overstretched legacy?

Ever since Curtis Turner seized the inaugural honors in 1949, NASCAR started this trend of biased choices. Fans voted for whichever driver appealed to them the most for whatever reason. For instance, Fred Lorenzen had the looks of a movie star and won two Most Popular Driver awards in 1963 and 1965. Then Darrell Waltrip knew his 1989 MPD award was ensured after Rusty Wallace dumped him in the All-Star Race. However, the most dominant winners left heavy legacies in the sport. That includes Chase Elliott’s father, Bill Elliott.

The ‘Awesome Man from Dawsonville’ claimed the title 16 times – from 1984-88, ’91-2000, and again in ’02. He won the premier series championship in ’88, one year after he set a NASCAR qualifying record, turning a lap of 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway. On the flip side, Chase Elliott has done little over the past two years. In 2023, he missed five races after breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident and another due to a NASCAR penalty. Then during the off-season he underwent shoulder surgery – and yet he won the MPD for the 6th consecutive time. He received his award wearing a sling on his right arm.

Now again, Chase Elliott’s name is on the cards for a 7th-time Most Popular Driver award. Voting officially opened for the 2024 National Motorsports Press Association MPD award on October 28, with an option to vote as much as 5 times. Elliott is accompanied by Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr. in the top five. Although Kyle Busch had a disastrous season and snapped his 19-year winning streak, fans are adamant about electing him as the MPD in place of Elliott. However, the voting system appears rigged, according to alarming reports.

NASCAR community claims foul intentions

Well, Bill Elliott won the MPD award 16 times. But that was a time when we lacked any online voting system. In Chase Elliott’s time, reports of a rigged system arose. A NASCAR fan claimed that the ballot number is capped and they “can’t vote more than 4 times per day in each series.” This Reddit post unearthed similar claims among other racing fans. Somebody let out a deep sigh and gave up on NASCAR’s newest antic. “Ah yes. The Elliott award. Pretty much a joke.” Another fan could not vote for another driver even though they tried to: “It was crazy, it only let me vote for Jones once, but I switched it to Elliott and was able to vote ♾️amount of times! /s but seriously, I don’t even waste my time- except to get the fan rewards for the first vote or whatever it was they offered.”

These sinister circumstances resonated with other people as well. Chase Elliott’s favoritism has surfaced a few times this year. His car was towed to the garage for repairs while a flurry of cars sat idle after the biggest wreck in Talladega. So one fan concurred that NASCAR will go for Elliott here also. “Unless you’re voting for Chase Elliot, this is pretty much a lost cause either way.” Despite the option to vote five times, one fan intentionally did not. “Lol I voted once and don’t care to sling votes out for something so stupid that Chase Elliott will win by a landslide.” Somebody else harped on NASCAR’s determination to place the crown on Elliott’s head. “Have to ensure chase wins again.”

Evidently, the Most Popular Driver award itself is losing traction among fans. Let us see if Chase Elliott retains his crown during the NASCAR Awards banquet on November 22.