It started as a poll of the drivers and then all NASCAR Cup Series competitors; today, it is voted for by fans across the United States . The race winners medal weighs 4.7 ounces and is covered in 24-karat plated gold. Were extremely excited about continuing our sponsorship of Chandler, Quick Tie CEO Harvel Crumley said. His excitement for the sport is uncanny, especially when NASCAR heads to Bristol. In stepped Logano, a year ahead of when he would want to race in Cup competition, and he would struggle. 11 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series - EuroNASCAR 2 Division drivers. He won 26 times between 1961 and 1967 and never ran a full schedule (although . He won the first Chase by eight points, giving Jack Roush his second of two titles. pic.twitter.com/4PPjDbCy0J. Busch's popularity has taken off in the last three years since he signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing, and he has become a driver that fans simply can't stop talking about. From 1995-98, he claimed three championships, finished second in the points once and won 40 of 127 races (31.5%). I have a deep passion for the sport, and am honored to be in a position to help shepherd the competition team during these exciting times.. Richard Petty Honorable Mentions FAQ Who are the wealthiest NASCAR drivers? Richard Childress was a very successful driver in his time, but his popularity skyrocketed after he decided to step out of the race car. He was popular especially for the commercials he did with UPS. "Mikey" as he's known by many peers will always have a spot in NASCAR with his great fan base. It can be both behind the wheel and behind the scenes. Darrell Waltrip won the award two years in a row in 1989 and 1990, while Dale Earnhardt earned the award posthumously in 2001. Although his first win came thanks to rain in last year's Coca-Cola 600, Reutimann made sure that was forgotten when he outright won at Chicago this summer. Craven would take the win by 0.002 secondsthe closest finish in NASCAR history. Walk through the garage and not one person has anything negative to say about the veteran driver. It also led to praise from fans, and it secured the top spot on SportsCenters list of plays. In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, NASCAR gathered a panel to select the "50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time." The list in no alphabetical order features some expected names. His remark following a run-in with Kevin Harvick at Pocono was the most infamous quote of the season. The 2003 NASCAR Cup champion was always cool on the track, not being aggressive and earned the respect of many drivers. Voting closes for the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at noon ET. Kyle Busch Two-time Cup champion whose 59 wins ranks ninth on the all-time wins list and hes only 36 years old. Don't forget to vote!: https://t.co/jUZfQDZWSa pic.twitter.com/D1v14X8TYG. After Dale Earnhardt's death, Harvick was named the driver to take over the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. A trusted voice in the garage, Scott used his decades of experience to lead our competition team to new heights during a time that saw a new race format, a new playoff format and a new race car. No one could have expected him to be so popular so soon. These days, Lorenzen focuses mainly on the stock market and makes a lot of money using his portfolio. 2 of 20. I am not sure what made Alan Kulwicki more popular. Drivers have a way of earning respect on the track, but that carries over in the garage. There has only been one name in NASCAR with the distinction of going through four generations of drivers. When he wins, he lets everyone know it, not just on the radio but after exiting his car. He was the first NASCAR champion to win back-to-back-to-back championships from 1976-1978. But, who knew that popularity had two different sides. His loyalty to Penske made it easy for fans to recognize his car, his number and his sponsor. No driver will ever reach the popularity of Pettyand that is fact. Im hoping that comes true in this years Daytona 500.. LAS VEGAS - Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's most popular driver for the seventh consecutive year. After a trying relationship at Ganassi, McMurray went to Roush and saw some success but only two victories. David Pearson A three-time champion. After more than 40 years around race cars week after week, its time to step back and look at the next chapter of my life in motorsports, Miller said. These days, Elliott is running a partial schedule with the Wood Brothers, but to his legions of fans, he will always be Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. He chased the championship across 23 full-time seasons in the sport, falling short on several agonizing occasions. 9 NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series drivers. The 2021 NMPA Most Popular Driver will be announced during the NASCAR Cup Series Awards program on Thursday, Dec. 2. NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of NASCAR drivers. Were extremely excited about continuing our sponsorship of Chandler, Quick Tie CEO Harvel Crumley said. 6. His most popular and signature win came at Talladega that same year when Waltrip popped out the roof of his Chevrolet, thanks to the new escape hatch. 8. Patalak, who has worked at the NASCAR R&D Center since 2005, oversees NASCARs safety team, researching, developing and approving driver and vehicle safety systems. But, it's also his rambunctious side that has become popular with many fans. He also had a Daytona 500 win and a Southern 500 victory among his 84 career wins. He finished first or second in the points 10 times in his career. That was a little extreme, but when someone has that much success, anything could be fair game. 9.1 Full-time drivers. When Jimmie Johnson came to Cup competition in 2002, he made an immediate impact with the fans and drivers by winning the pole in the Daytona 500. Most of the garage area will agree that if he does go that route, he will be just as successful as he has been in NASCAR. X Most Recent @nascarcasm At-Track Driver Wins eNascar Fantasy Fastlane Garage 56 Lineup Gallery Memorable Moments Most Popular Driver NASCAR 75 NASCAR Competition NASCAR Roots Paint Scheme . Popular because he was tough, something many of today's drivers have taken to heart. Would love your thoughts, please comment. But, after the race, he pulled to the start/finish line with his crew. 2/2 During this period, Ill be training and preparing for the opportunity to win. As the youngest of the Wallace brothers, Kenny has earned the popularity of his peers and the fans for being one of the more humorous figures in the garage. One of the nicest guys in the garage in the early years of NASCAR, Jarrett won titles in 1961 and 1965. NASCAR fans are the ones that purchase their favorite t-shirts, hats and die-casts of the driver they root for each week. 3 wasn't on the door panel. Getty It has earned him a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the second class of inductees. By Staff Report | Thursday, December 1, 2022. At the same time, popularity in the garage has another way of defining the sport. The second video alleged that the reigning Most Popular Driver thinks that Parmesan Garlic wings are too spicy.. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Elton Sawyer named to NASCARs top competition position, Chandler Smith to attempt Daytona 500 for Kaulig Racing, Landon Cassill wont return to Kaulig Racing Xfinity car full-time, NASCAR to award medals to top three finishers of Busch Clash, MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. to run Xfinity race at Bristol, MORE: Stewart-Haas sets crew chief lineup, MORE: Chandler Smith to attempt Daytona 500, MORE: NASCAR to award medals to top three finishes in Clash. His trademark bow to the fans has become a staple at the end of a race just like a burnout. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the award for 15 consecutive. John is the Editor-in-Chief here at Bounding Into Sports and also of its geek culture sister site, Bounding Into Comics. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Elton Sawyer named to NASCARs top competition position, Chandler Smith to attempt Daytona 500 for Kaulig Racing, Landon Cassill wont return to Kaulig Racing Xfinity car full-time, NASCAR to award medals to top three finishers of Busch Clash, MORE: Chandler Smith to attempt Daytona 500, MORE: NASCAR to award medals to top three finishes in Clash. Landon Cassill wont be returning to the Kaulig Racing No. Smith joins a group of Daytona 500 entries, including Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana, who will be battling for one of four non-charter spots in the starting field. He wasn't always this giving, as his early years in the sport saw him have an attitude and eventually take anger management classes. Four-time winner Chase Elliott is obviously on the list as he aims to keep his streak alive. After Sterling Marlin had to step out of the car in 2002 following an accident, McMurray was tabbed to run the car for the remainder of the season. 10.1 Full-time drivers. Whether it was at the wheel of the Home Depot car, the Office Depot Chevrolet or his own late model, Tony Stewart is one of the most talked about and popular drivers to come into NASCAR in the last decade. It's appropriate that this year Jarrett is being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as he rightfully earned the spot. He won 37 of his 76 career victories during that time period. Twenty-seven cars will compete in the 150-lap feature on the quarter-mile track built inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. While Elliott took home Most Popular Driver honors for the Cup Series, the award was also given to two star drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. The list also includes championship runner-up Ross Chastain and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. But, this year it was a season of living a dream for McMurray. Rebuilding will be my top priority. He was diagnosed with AIDS, something that doctors couldn't cure and no medicine could take away. The 2018 NMPA Most Popular Driver will be announced during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards program Thursday, Nov. 29 at Wynn Las Vegas. After parting with DEI in 2007, Junior came to Hendrick Motorsports and right away saw himself in the title hunt. RELATED: Cup Series standings | List of 2021 Cup Series drivers. 3 to the track, and we still see a hauler bearing his number in the souvenir areas. View . And what a career he's had driving the blue deuce. Plus, Labonte soon had to battle a broken hand he suffered in a crash during practice one weekend. Championship Ranking; Championship Overview; Win Ranking; . From 1970-79, he won five of his championships and 89 of 326 races meaning he won more than a quarter of the races run in the 1970s. He was the first driver to earn $100,000 in a season and was part of a time in NASCAR that saw expansion to big speedways and also in the muscle car market. NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (as of February 1998), List of all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners, List of members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, The Inside Groove.com Historical NASCAR Image Gallery, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NASCAR%27s_50_Greatest_Drivers&oldid=1130570646, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, * = Deceased before February 1998 ceremony, ** = Deceased after February 1998 ceremony, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 21:21. 1. John Probst has been promoted to chief racing development officer; Dr. Eric Jacuzzi has been promoted to vice president of vehicle performance; Dr. John Patalak has been promoted to vice president of safety engineering; and Brandon Thomas has been promoted to vice president of vehicle design. In 1997, Craven took over the third car for Hendrick and saw his chances at victory sky rocket. He won the Daytona 500 and had an opportunity to win the championship in 1992, only to have a wreck take him out of the running. The kid had some guts in saying that, and almost instantly, his popularity soared to new heights. Withdrew his own name from future ballots following this year, The first non-American driver to win the award, This page was last edited on 2 December 2022, at 01:18. We started sponsoring him when he was eight years old. It started as a poll of the drivers and then all NASCAR Cup Series competitors; today, it is voted for by fans across the United States. Before even stepping into the broadcast booth, Darrell Waltrip was certainly a character in NASCAR. He also works play-by-play for TNT and is not one for hiding his emotion. 3. Smith finished third in the Craftsman Truck Series standings last year, recording three wins, nine top fives and 16 top 10s. In other weeks, however, Chastain had far fewer supporters. In 1995, he signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing to race the No. Most recently, he held the role of NASCAR vice president, technical inspection and officiating, a role he assumed in 2016. Unfortunately for him, he's upset some fan bases and landed himself back on the most hated active NASCAR drivers. He would lose his life in a plane crash the following year. As a veteran driver, many of the younger talent came to Rusty Wallace for advice on driving certain tracks and how to handle the car. Other multiple award winners include Lee Petty with three and Fred Lorenzen and Curtis Turner with two. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Oympics. Elton Sawyer has shown incredible versatility throughout his four-plus decades in motorsports, said Steve ODonnell, NASCAR chief operating officer, in a statement released by NASCAR. His commercials with Aaron's are very popular, and Waltrip himself knew that when he started his own team, this was a guy he had to have. Probst, who most recently held the title of senior vice president of racing innovation, oversaw the development and evolution of the Next Gen race car. 1. Who knows where Reutimann's popularity will go, but you can bet he's living his own dream in NASCAR. But, at the same time fans began to get tired of seeing his title run, and some jeers came his way. When he died in 2001, NASCAR itself lost something. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2. He also went as far as challenging the pit crews on the air, saying that if a team performed a four-tire pit stop in under 13 seconds, each member would be given $100 cash from his own account. They handed him a flag bearing Allison's No. That honor was achieved by younger brother Bobby in 2000. "Gentleman" Ned Jarrett was as popular a driver as he was a broadcaster. Lee Petty was one of the first superstars of the sport and was instrumental in the first Daytona 500, in that he was adamant that he won the race. Bill Elliott certainly did many firsts in his career. Won 54 races. Five drivers with a shot at the crown, and in the end by leading just one more lap than his closest competitor, Kulwicki took his lone championship. He was the original "Most Popular Driver" in NASCAR. 10 car to five top-five finishes, including a second place at Martinsville Speedway, last year. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion turned in one of his finest seasons in 2022, becoming one of the dominant drivers of a season that otherwise featured a historic level of parity. The "Candyman" himself has finally been taken down the list of the most hated active NASCAR drivers. Thought to go into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first class of inductees, Pearson was surprisingly left out. But, Long ran the race and would have seen the checkered flag had it not been an accident on the backstretch that sent him tumbling into turn three. At the same time, he was one of the more quiet drivers, as he didn't exactly show his emotions when he got angry at other competitors. That seemingly won't change as he is not even in the prime of his career. One thing is for sure, the "Ice Man" was always cool when behind the wheel. In the rear view mirror, seeing that black No. However, as the years progressed, Waltrip continued to win, as his four Cup victories came on restrictor plate tracks. 1954 - Lee Petty. Parsons, or as many knew him BP, is still missed to this day. In fact, it was where he locked up his 2000 championship. That name is Petty. 10. We started sponsoring him when he was eight years old. You can sound the si-reen again! Latest NASCAR News. The team announced Wednesday that Smith, 20, plans to run five Cup races with sponsorship from Quick Tie Products. 10 car full-time for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. In the end, it was that illness that took Richmond away from racing. But, he was the first name read for the 2011 class of inductees, as his statistics and demeanor were more than enough to get the respect of his peers and the fans. Sawyer began his racing career competing at Langley Speedway in his home state of Virginia. When he joined NASCAR in 2016, Scott lent immediate credibility to the position. Who is the most popular driver of all time? The Cup Series returns Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen International (3 p.m. Im thankful to the France Family and everyone at NASCAR for the opportunity they gave me seven years ago, and I appreciate the chance to stay in the fold to help however and wherever I can. Adam had such a bright future, but his name continues to live on as part of the Victory Junction Gang Camp. His battle with Donnie Allison was shaping up to be one of the best the sport had seen to that point. He tried to follow up his victory in 2001 with another run but didn't make it. 1: Woody Arrington: Aberdeen, North Carolina : 2: He won 26 times between 1961 and 1967 and never ran a full schedule (although he finished third in points in 1963). That smile, the joy and the happiness grew on the fans and will only continue as the years progress. Elliott continued his career with his own team in the mid-1990s but got a resurgence in 2001 when he signed with Evernham Motorsports to bring Dodge back to NASCAR and also bring back the No. Results on who will be named the Most Popular Driver will be posted on or about December 1, 2022., Chase Elliott was selected as the Most Popular Driver in 2021 and upon receiving the recognition he stated, Well, I just cant thank the fans across the country enough. Most Popular Driver; Female Drivers. The list also includes Christopher Bell, reigning champion Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney. In his new role, Sawyer will oversee all aspects of on-track competition, inspection, rule development and officiating, focusing specifically on NASCARs three national series Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series. As one of the originators of the great "Alabama Gang," Donnie Allison was one of the most popular drivers in the 1970s. Also on Thursday, Trackhouse Racing founder. Petty is the first driver to achieve the seven NASCAR Cup championships, making him an undisputed champion in the NASCAR world. But if you saw that smile beneath the huge mustache, Earnhardt was the kindest man you could ever meet. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He took time off from racing because of illness, something he couldn't figure out but many could see was affecting him. 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Driver '' in NASCAR Series standings last year, recording three wins, claimed. Himself in the title hunt most popular driver award on Wednesday, Dec. 2,... All-Time wins list and hes only 36 years old character in NASCAR crash the following year always cool on all-time., Junior came to Hendrick Motorsports and right away saw himself in the souvenir areas not even in title. Recording three wins, he held the role of nascar most popular driver list drivers success but only two victories seasons in the Hall...