144 race victories and the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series title – this marked the golden resume of a legendary racer. Bill Elliott is respected as one of the greatest motorsport legends for not only his trophies but also his affable demeanor. “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” was so incredible that his legacy persists to this day and his son Chase Elliott carries it forward. Yet some fans believe Chase may be carrying too much of it.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver has a stunning reputation as well. In 2024, Chase Elliott clinched the Most Popular Driver award for the 7th time in a row. He is ensuring that the award stays in the Earnhardt-Elliott families. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver has plenty of credit to his name. Having accumulated 19 race victories and the 2020 Cup Series title, Chase Elliott has proved his mettle several times. However, how popular is he compared to bygone predecessors?

Does Chase Elliott hold a candle to the past?

The past two years were exceptionally eventful – in 2023, Chase Elliot was involved in a snowboarding accident and missed six races. He also missed a 7th one due to a race suspension. However, Elliott made a thunderous comeback when he won the 2024 Texas race, snapping a 42-race winless streak. Then he cracked the playoffs and persisted till the Round of 8. Overjoyed fans celebrated his return to glory.

Among them, even the children of his Cup Series rivals were involved. Kyle Busch’s daughter Lennix declared Chase Elliott is her ‘boyfriend’, while Tyler Reddick’s son Beau continued his fanboy feelings for Elliott. The HMS driver accordingly won the Most Popular Driver award again – however, a few reservations arose among people. Firstly, fishy claims arose that the voting link for MPD was jammed, and only Elliott’s option was allowed. Then people demanded a change of flavor, as handing over the award to Elliott again seemed a little drab and monotonous.

Well, that was certainly not the feeling when his father Bill Elliott won the award a whopping 16 times. His most prestigious accomplishment was in 1988 when he clinched 6 wins, 15 top fives, and 22 top 10s in 29 races. Dale Earnhardt Sr. became the Most Popular Driver in 2001, the year he was tragically killed in the Daytona 500 crash. Following that, his son Dale Jr. was the MPD for 15 years until he stepped away in 2018. When Elliott won the award for the first time that year, he said what appealed to him the most. “When you go to the track and you see people and you see how fired up they are and when you have success or have a bad day, that support system that you have there from people means a lot to me.”

However, that support system may be breaking apart.

NASCAR fans dissect Elliott’s fame

Being a successful driver in a premier Cup Series team is an achievement in itself. But when you have legends like Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott to hold a candle to, it becomes much more difficult. That is what NASCAR fans believe Chase Elliott is facing, claiming that he may have hogged a lot of undue spotlight. A Reddit user wrote that Elliott is cashing his fame from three of his MPD predecessors. “Chase Elliott. Had he not inherited three fanbases, I doubt many fans would even notice him.” 1988 champ Bill Elliott, 4-time champ Jeff Gordon, and racing icon Dale Jr. are the past drivers, and one fan believes the HMS driver brings little to rival them. “He inherited 3 fanbases of 3 of the most popular drivers ever- his dad, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jr. He didn’t have to do anything to earn any fans.”

Some people dissected the elephant in the room – that Elliott may be feeding off his father’s legacy. ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ remains a phenomenon in NASCAR history. One fan wrote, claiming this was the reason for Chase’s popularity, despite his career success. “Chase Elliott is an objectively pretty good driver but let’s not pretend as if 75% of his hype doesn’t come from Bill.” What surprised people more about Elliott’s 7th MPD win was his lack of public appearance. While rivals like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson keep interviewing, Elliott stays away from the limelight. So another fan wrote, “Chase Elliott. People who weren’t even around for his dad root for the guy. He seems milquetoast and dull. shrugs I have nothing against him, I just don’t get it.” Somebody else agreed with the sentiment: “Chase Elliott…..dude is boring.”

Evidently, the HMS driver is receiving hefty criticism for his fame. Despite this, we are eager to see Chase Elliott run it back in 2025.