NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award is awarded to the most popularNASCAR driver in theCup Series,O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, andCraftsman Truck Series every year since 1956. It started as a poll of the drivers and then all NASCAR Cup Series competitors; today, it is voted for by fans across theUnited States.
The award is presented by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA). Sponsored byHamburger Helper in 2010, it was also sponsored byWheaties in 2011. The ceremony presenting the award is called the NASCAR Awards Banquet, and it is held inNashville, Tennessee in November of each year.
The winner of the most awards isBill Elliott with 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series.Justin Allgaier has the most with 6 awards in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series , andJohnny Benson Jr. &Hailie Deegan have the most awards at three in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the second-most awards (15) and holds the longest streak, winning the award in 2003 and every year until his retirement in 2017.[1][2]
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| Driver | Cup | Xfinity | Truck | Mexico | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Elliott | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Chase Elliott* | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Richard Petty | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Bobby Allison | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Justin Allgaier* | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Elliott Sadler | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Lee Petty | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Brad Keselowski* | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jimmy Hensley | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ron Hornaday Jr. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Johnny Benson Jr. | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Kenny Wallace | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hailie Deegan | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Fred Lorenzen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sam Ard | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Joe Nemechek | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Curtis Turner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Greg Biffle | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Noah Gragson* | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Rajah Caruth* | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| * – still active as of 2025[update] | |||||