Social media has emerged as a key platform for drivers to showcase their personalities and connect with their audience. While drivers like Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott are among the popular ones in NASCAR currently, their social numbers pale in comparison to their female counterparts. Female drivers have cracked the code. 

The 7-time Most Popular driver Chase Elliott was expected to dominate the social media charts, but it seems like popularity doesn’t equate to social media following. This could be because drivers who are already famous for their on-track pursuits don’t put effort into social media marketing. In comparison, drivers who have relatively less fame on the tracks showcase themselves frequently on social media. However, the numbers are still mind-boggling. Here’s a look at some of them.

Does social media following equate to popularity?

It has now become a difficult task in NASCAR to maintain the dichotomy between off-track popularity and on-track fame. Three drivers who have crossed the one million mark on social media are Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Denny Hamlin. Busch and Elliott have 1.5 million + followers across X, TikTok, and Instagram, while Hamlin has a little over a million. All these three drivers have been at the center of NASCAR for years now. Busch holds the record for a total of 19 consecutive seasons with a win in each season, a feat that no other driver has achieved till now. Hamlin has the most wins without a championship and Elliott has been winning championships in NASCAR since his teenage years. However, all these stats go out of the window for dominating on social media, and the female drivers lead that race.

Adam Stern shared a tweet, linking an article by BlackBook Motorsport, revealing the social media trends for the NASCAR grid. Not only Kyle Busch or Elliott, but Hamlin also can not crack the code and he falls way short of NASCAR’s girl power. Two names that have taken center stage with their exceptional digital engagement are Toni Breidinger and Hailie Deegan. While Hailie Deegan is set to transition to IndyNXT, Toni Breidinger will make her mark in the 2025 season, driving the #5 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage.

Echoing this sentiment, the article read, “Perhaps most notable is that no Cup Series driver can compare to Nascar’s biggest social stars. Nascar Truck Series’ Toni Breidinger and Hailie Deegan, who is moving from Nascar to Indy NXT in 2025, both boast 4.8 million followers alone across Instagram and TikTok”.

Deegan’s influence extends beyond the racetrack, with her YouTube channel providing fans with regular updates on her daily life and preparations for her racing journey. Her channel has amassed over 500k followers, while her Instagram boasts an impressive 1.6 million followers. Deegan’s stint with NASCAR wasn’t very favorable where she could manage only four top 20 finishes across 17 races for AM Racing in the Xfinity Series. 

Equally remarkable is Toni Breidinger, who commands a total following of 2.5 million across her social platforms, solidifying her status as one of NASCAR’s most engaging and visible figures. Breidinger also secured lucrative collaborations with brands such as Victoria’s Secret and Celsius. What is more startling is that neither Breidinger nor Deegan have been Cup drivers. They do not have as many years of experience as the mentioned Cup Series drivers either, and yet the popularity they have amassed is unmatched. 

To add to that, Kyle Busch is ranked first with the most number of victories across all three divisions of NASCAR with 231 wins. Still, Busch hasn’t been able to garner social media fame. To be fair to Kyle, he is more of an old-school guy and uses social media to showcase his family, his son’s racing, or any of his on-track ventures. However, his fame surely warrants some votes as the Most Popular Driver, right? The stats say no, as Busch was not even in the top three among voters for MPD in 2024. Chase Elliott has been awarded the status of the most popular driver in the last seven seasons consistently. However, despite the same, his followers list on Instagram is less than a third of Hailee Deegan’s alone.

The article continued, “What’s more, Elliott, Larson and Ross Chastain were the top drivers for merchandise sales last season, with all three ranking ahead of Busch”. As popular as Kyle Busch is for his antics on and off the racetrack, this doesn’t seem to translate to online popularity or merchandise sales. However, maybe this is just a way of differentiating between the drivers who are more known for their social media presence and the ones who are known for winning races. The ones who have made it to victory lane regularly don’t use social media to spread their name. It’s the ones who spend less time on the podium spending more time online.

One thing that popularity does determine is sponsorship deals, and NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver just got a new one for his car.

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Chase Elliott has a new sponsor for select races

While Chase Elliott might not get the kind of followers that newer drivers like Hailie Deegan and Toni Breidinger have garnered, he surely knows how to make his sponsorships count. For the upcoming season, Elliott has now got hold of a brand new sponsor. Hendrick Motorsports revealed that Amazon’s Prime Video will serve as a primary sponsor for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team for three races each season from 2025 to 2027. 

Announcing the same, Stacey Rosenson, Amazon’s Director and Head of U.S. Sports Marketing, mentioned, “We’re thrilled to work with Hendrick Motorsports and Chase as we begin our NASCAR coverage in 2025. It represents an exciting extension of our new NASCAR relationship. Chase is a wildly popular, championship-winning driver, and we can’t wait to see the No. 9 Prime Video team in action as we approach our streaming debut”. 

The races that Elliott will be featured with the Amazon Prime livery are Talladega in April, followed by Kansas and the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May. Prime Video’s three primary sponsorship races with Chase Elliott will align with the streaming platform’s five-race NASCAR Cup Series broadcast schedule, beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.

Securing a sponsor like Amazon Prime is no small feat, as such partnerships reflect a driver’s proven success and marketability rather than just their social media following. Seasoned drivers like Chase Elliott leverage their championship credentials and enduring popularity to attract top-tier sponsors, showcasing the value of experience in the sport.