Overview
- Chase Elliott has won NASCAR’s fan-voted Most Popular Driver award eight years in a row and remains the frontrunner.
- Carson Hocevar’s profile jumped after his Talladega Cup win and viral celebration, and he drew mainstream notice with a Met Gala invite.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said only a daily social-media campaign by influencer Cleetus McFarland would make the Elliott–Hocevar vote competitive.
- Kevin Harvick argued drivers must sell themselves to fans and said a lack of showmanship hurts the sport, with Hocevar offering a more outgoing model.
- Coverage and fan comments point to Elliott’s edge with long-time, often offline voters tied to Bill Elliott’s legacy, and suggest Hocevar may need more wins and organized voting to close the gap.