As Chase Elliott Makes the Cut, Fans Question Hendrick Motorsports & Joe Gibbs Racing Driver’s State in NASCAR’s Prestigious Shortlist

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson did not have the closure to the season they may have imagined. Both drivers exited the playoffs at different stages. Now that the most popular driver votes are piling up, NASCAR revealed the top 10 drivers ranking in the votes as per alphabetical order. The surprise inclusion of Kyle Larson and the omission of Denny Hamlin left fans in disbelief.

NASCAR posted a tweet sharing who the top 10 drivers in the votes were and the list included drivers such as Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, etc. NASCAR’s tweet said, “Here is the top 10 in voting for the 2022 @Hooters Most Popular Driver Award in alphabetical order!“

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It was weird to not have Hamlin included in the list, considering he would have made it to the championship four had Ross Chastain not pulled off his wall-riding move at Martinsville this season.

Fans react to Denny Hamlin being left out, but Kyle Larson included

Fans were, of course, not happy that Hamlin did not make it even to the top 10. They were even more flabbergasted after they learned drivers like Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Christopher Bell had made the cut, but not Hamlin.

One fan stated that the community hated Kyle Busch and yet he made it up there. Another asked how Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. made it in and not Denny Hamlin.

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Hamlin deserved to have more votes for him. He has been a veteran of the sport, where countless times a competing driver has edged him out for the prestigious title win. If anyone, Hamlin surely deserves some attention and respect for all that he has given to the sport. What do you think? Does Hamlin deserve more votes? Let us know who you voted for and why? Also, if you haven’t voted, would you consider Hamlin or someone else instead? Let us know in the comments.