While the championship didn’t go his way, Ryan Blaney didn’t have too bad of a year. With wins and strong finishes, the Penske driver proved his 2023 title wasn’t any fluke. Yet, there remains one title he hasn’t won, and he doesn’t think he’ll get to it anytime soon.

But even as Blaney remains a fan favorite, there’s one accolade he doubts he’ll ever capture: NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. Since 2018, Chase Elliott has been the undisputed king of fan affection, a streak Blaney believes is untouchable until Elliott decides to step away from the sport for good.

Blaney gives up on trying to oust Chase Elliott from his NASCAR crown

For the past seven years, Chase Elliott has dominated the Most Popular Driver Award, following in the footsteps of his father, NASCAR legend Bill Elliott. Bill, known as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville,” won the award a record 16 times during his career, and Chase has carried that legacy seamlessly into the modern NASCAR era. Ryan Blaney, who finished the season as one of the most prominent drivers on the grid, recently addressed Elliott’s stranglehold on the award. While Blaney has a devoted fanbase of his own, he doesn’t see a path to dethroning Chase anytime soon.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take, and I don’t know that it’s going to happen,” Blaney admitted. “When he retires, I’ll probably be retired too. It’s going to be tough to take him off the top spot.” And Blaney’s not wrong. The deep connection Elliott has with fans is a bond built not just on his family’s storied history in NASCAR but also on Chase’s own success and humble demeanor. Elliott himself has remained humble about the streak, crediting fans for their loyalty and dedication.

“I’ve never been surprised by their dedication or support,” Elliott shared during the NASCAR Awards. “That’s something I saw firsthand with my dad’s career and now experienced it myself. I don’t take it for granted.” Chase Elliott’s rise to stardom was inevitable, given his racing pedigree. His father, Bill, is not only a NASCAR Hall of Famer but also one of the most beloved drivers in the sport’s history. Chase has built on that foundation with a stellar career of his own, including his 2020 Cup Series Championship and a string of consistent performances for Hendrick Motorsports.

However, Elliott believes his connection with fans goes beyond his last name. “Fans have stuck with us because we’ve given them a reason to,” Elliott explained. “It’s about what you do on the track and how you represent yourself off it.” This philosophy reflects lessons passed down from his father. “Dad was always big on, ‘If I could make one fan’s day today, then I did a good job,’” Elliott said. “He made me realize how important it is to leave a positive impact. It’s not about the number of times I win this award, but about the way I treat people.”

Blaney, Larson, and Reddick have all acknowledged the enormity of Elliott’s fanbase, but they also share admiration for the way he has earned it. For Blaney, the question of who might succeed Elliott as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver remains an intriguing one. “I’ll be really excited to see who that next guy is,” Blaney said. “I’ll have to peek my head back in to see what that is. It’ll be a huge accomplishment.”

What the rest of the grid thinks of Elliott’s popularity?

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As for how anyone might catch up to Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson offered a wry suggestion. “I don’t know… get more votes, I guess,” Larson quipped. “He definitely has a large fanbase in NASCAR, for sure. My fanbase has grown a lot with everything I’ve done over the last couple of years, but he usually wins by quite a bit, as I understand it. You never know, though.”

Tyler Reddick echoed Larson’s sentiments, admitting that Elliott’s popularity is simply on another level. “Sometimes, when you’re at the race track, I think, ‘Hey, maybe there’s a chance,’” Reddick said. “But then, the reality sets in. Right now, it’s Chase’s award to lose.”

While Elliott’s reign continues, it’s hard to ignore the massive shoes any successor will have to fill. NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award has historically been dominated by two families: the Elliotts and the Earnhardts. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award every year from 2003 until his retirement in 2017, and before that, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott alternated the honor for decades.

For now, NASCAR fans can expect to see Chase Elliott at the top of the Most Popular Driver charts for years to come. As Tyler Reddick put it, “If anyone has a chance, it’s Kyle [Larson] and Ryan [Blaney], but right now, it’s Chase’s award to lose.” And lose it he likely won’t—at least not until he decides to step away from the track.