NASCAR as a sport may have a niche audience based mostly in the US. However, what we fans lack in numbers, they make up for it with our passion for the sport, so much so that it can be a little tough to contain. Just ask one of NASCAR’s most prominent former drivers who recently got to experience the wrath of the fans after rolling out one of his latest controversial opinions.

In case you haven’t guessed by now, the ‘former driver’ or ‘outspoken veteran’ in question here is none other than Kenny Wallace.

Remember when the 60-year-old called Danica Partick “a breath of fresh air,” and compared her to his legendary Cup champion brother, Rusty Wallace? Well… while fans more often than not find reasons to criticize Patrick, Wallace said that she reminded him of “a lot of great racers.”And now, the former reporter for FOX has come out with another opinion that the fans just couldn’t digest.

To everyone’s surprise, Wallace took to his X account and wrote, “The 3 Most Popular drivers in @NASCAR: 1 Hailie Deegan, 2 Bubba Wallace, 3 Denny Hamlin.” While this would have been enough to anger a lot of fans, he ended his tweet by making a bold statement that read, “Without these drivers there is crickets”

Now, if we think about this for a minute, all the drivers mentioned on the list are arguably the most controversial figures in NASCAR. In these past couple of weeks alone, Bubba Wallace has become a part of multiple controversies, with the latest one being his door-slam on Alex Bowman after the HMS driver won at Chicago.As many fans would argue, Deegan is also someone who has a hard time keeping her nose clean to bring consistent results on track. And what can we say about Denny Hamlin, the self-proclaimed ‘villain’ of NASCAR? So yes, this trio may be the most controversial in NASCAR. But, wait. Wasn’t the tweet supposed to be about popularity?

As far as the popularity contest goes, Chase Elliott is by far the most popular NASCAR driver. In case you feel popularity is something that can be up for debate, the guy won the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver award last year, for the 6th consecutive time!

So naturally, when Kenny Wallace shared his list, fans were not happy to see their favorite driver snubbed for some of the most polarising stars. And they wasted no time to flood the comments section, questioning Wallace’s picks.

Fans teach Kenny Wallace the difference between “popular and polarizing”

Aside from the six Most Popular Driver Awards, Elliott’s association with Hendrick Motorsports also tips the scales in his favor. Knowing this, an enraged fan wrote, “Not including Chase Elliott really is something to see”.

None of the three initially mentioned drivers are as popular as the most successful ones. Bubba Wallace is struggling to enter the playoffs. Deegan’s rookie Xfinity season didn’t turn out as planned, as she had to part ways with her team, AM Racing, mid-season. And while Hamlin has multiple wins, he isn’t the most decorated NASCAR driver either, as far as fan opinions go. Highlighting this key insight and taking a jibe at them, this fan added, “There’s a difference between popular and polarizing!! I’d say these are the top 3 most polarizing forsure!”

HMS fans also certainly made the most of this opportunity. They were quick to shed light on the fact that just a few weeks ago, people were rallying behind Kyle Larson as one of the best race car drivers ever while attempting the double. “During Indy 500, everyone was saying Kyle Larson is… This is an odd take… These three may be the most disliked”.

It is hard to take a stance for the likes of Bubba Wallace and Hailie Deegan at the moment. The 23XI Racing driver, as we just discussed, was hit with a $50K penalty for his Chicago antics. Whereas, Deegan seems to be hiding the real reason for her departure from her Xfinity team. However, if you look at some of her recent performances, perhaps the racer wasn’t getting what she was looking for, with the No. 15. So far this season, the 22-year-old has climbed to a Top-15 just twice in 17 races. A Top-5 or a podium finish has eluded her, too. But, to some fans, Wallace and Deegan have had no dearth of dominating headlines every week, mostly for the wrong reasons. Taking this into account, one fan wrote, “1 and 2 definitely get the most social engagement”.

Even non-HMS fans agreed that the list shared by Kenny Wallace was just not right. They argued that the likes of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott should be NASCAR’s most popular drivers. “I’m not a Hendrick guy, but would say Larson & Elliott are the most popular drivers right now”. Well, what can we say about Kyle Larson. Ever since the start of his Cup career, the driver has been one of the better-running cars of the lot. This year, his Double Duty attempt was also one for the books. Stats-wise also, Larson has managed to proved why he’s been one of the most loved drivers. Currently sitting on top of the Cup Series standings with three wins, eight Top-5s and 10 Top-10s, a second championship doesn’t seem too far away for the 31-year-old.

On the other hand, Chase Elliott is Chase Elliott. A (mostly) quiet person off the track, the #9 driver’s Cup trajectory has been commendable. The 28-year-old is currently second on the standings with one win, seven Top-5s and nine Top-10s.

What are your thoughts on this list shared by Kenny Wallace? And which driver, according to you, deserves NASCAR’s most popular driver award this year?