Overview
- Responding to an online debate Thursday, Earnhardt Jr. said YouTuber Cleetus McFarland would need to campaign daily for Carson Hocevar to make the fan vote competitive, noting he won the award 15 times.
- Chase Elliott remains the clear favorite with eight straight Most Popular Driver wins since 2018, powered by a large, long-running fan base that includes many offline voters and ties to his father Bill Elliott.
- The award is decided by fan voting, which rewards years of connection through results and personality rather than one big season or a single viral moment.
- Hocevar’s profile jumped with his April 26 Talladega Cup win, a viral celebration, steady streaming, and a rare Met Gala invite, fueling talk of a potential “Cleetus effect” if millions of online followers are mobilized.
- Kevin Harvick urged drivers to lean into showmanship and fan engagement, while Hocevar said he would quit rather than conform to sponsor-driven image rules, framing a larger tension as the Elliott and Earnhardt families’ 35-year hold on the award looms over 2026.