It was thanks in part to him becoming an owner and signing a very tough, very rugged and no-nonsense driver in Dale Earnhardt. Noah Gragson was named Most Popular Driver for the Xfinity Series, while Hailie Deegan earned Most Popular Driver honors in the Truck Series for the second year in a row. In a Wednesday morning tweet, Cassill said he plans to continue racing. And what a career he's had driving the blue deuce. But, what really set off his popularity in NASCAR was the moment that blasted NASCAR into the main stream. Elliott previously won the Most Popular Driver award twice in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014 and 2015. He also works play-by-play for TNT and is not one for hiding his emotion. His aggressive driving style led to on-track conflicts with Denny Hamlin, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Busch, and multiple other drivers. He has been credited as being one of the biggest in the safety movement following Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001. His excitement for the sport is uncanny, especially when NASCAR heads to Bristol. It's appropriate that this year Jarrett is being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as he rightfully earned the spot. 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. Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for third with eight awards. He wasn't always this giving, as his early years in the sport saw him have an attitude and eventually take anger management classes. The 1988 Cup Series champion Bill Elliott holds the record for Most Popular Driver Award wins with 16 1984-88, 1991-2000 and 2002. Look for this young man to continue to grow in support for years to come. Like Busch said a while back, "As long as they're making noise, I'm happy." When he wins, he lets everyone know it, not just on the radio but after exiting his car. Here, we've compiled a list of the 30 very best NASCAR drivers to ever compete in the sport's history. Here's a list of the 10 Coolest Cars NASCAR drivers drive at home. Once the checkered flag waves and all is said and done, there is a custom rat rod GMC pickup with Joey Lagano's name on it waiting in his driveway. Can you guess what todays #1 play was on @SportsCenter?! 6. The 2021 NMPA Most Popular Driver will be announced during the NASCAR Cup Series Awards program on Thursday, Dec. 2. In fact, it causes a lot of arguments. Practice and qualifying will take place Feb. 4. Drivers have a way of earning respect on the track, but that carries over in the garage. NASCAR racing has been my life for decades. He drove cars like there was no tomorrow. The crash that sent his Chevrolet Silverado into the outside wall, tearing it apart and causing a fire to ignite is one of the scariest in recent memory. Is it someone who is defined by his fan base, by the respect in the garage, the amount of merchandise sold or a combination of all three? Not very many drivers can say they spent the majority of their career with one team, but in the case of Rusty Wallace, that is the case. Less than a month later, Parsons succumbed to the complications. 3 in this case cause those numbers are Dale Earnhardt's birthday. Jacuzzi, who manages aerodynamic engineering for NASCAR, joined the sanctioning body after working as a computational aerodynamicist for Corvid Technologies. That race has been nicknamed "Won From Above" simply because of how all the numbers lined up. Jarrett provided great insight into the drivers, their thought process and was part of the great TNN coverage team with Eli Gold and Buddy Baker. The fans, young and old, have made NASCAR what it is today. He will excel in this role, and we look forward to watching him continue to grow the competition team during this crucial era in our sports history. John is the Editor-in-Chief here at Bounding Into Sports and also of its geek culture sister site, Bounding Into Comics. Championship Ranking; Championship Overview; Win Ranking; . Or, could it have something to do with his most famous sponsor, Hooters? By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sports January 12, 2023 - 1:36 PM The commercials featuring the UPS team trying to get Dale to drive their "big brown truck" are among some of the most creative ever seen for NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr., elected to the NMPA Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020, won the award for 15 consecutive seasons from 2003-2017. This man isn't blowing smoke, but he does know how to smoke the competition. Whether at the wheel or at the mic, Jarrett is as popular now as in his driving days. Practice and qualifying will take place Feb. 4. He says that the he felt he should have finished second to Dale that afternoon, and since his passing, he has felt that is how it was meant to be. 2. We can surely look up to the sky and see those huge sunglasses looking down, probably smiling and happy we are continuing to enjoy the sport he loved. Kulwicki's name is still spoke of today as many more drivers are hands-on when working on the cars. 8. The highest paid NASCAR driver in the World is Kyle Busch. That smile, the joy and the happiness grew on the fans and will only continue as the years progress. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Hes a Cup Series champion, he has a sizable fanbase, and hes the son of Bill Elliott. Let's count down the 50 most popular drivers in NASCAR to find out. He may not have reached a level like his famous father, but Kyle certainly held his own. Other multiple award winners include Lee Petty with three and Fred Lorenzen and Curtis Turner with two. His toughness and will to win is what gave him the 1973 championship. However, he still has a long way to go to beat his dad, Bill Elliott, who won the award 16 times. Rebuilding will be my top priority. The official NASCAR Twitter account shared an image of the current top 10 most popular drivers as voting for the Most Popular Driver continues. He won 26 times between 1961 and 1967 and never ran a full schedule (although . Who is the most popular driver of all time? After teaming up with Michael Waltrip Racing to drive the "Aaron's Dream Machine" in the Sprint Cup Series, Reutimann has gained his own following of fans. 45 cap with the number blackened out in the middle, signifying that no one will run that number in NASCAR. I knew any list worth it's salt would have Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and . 10. I admit, he would be if it was not for the frustration that his fans have seen the last few years. The race after his death was at Pocono, and every driver was taking the loss hard. No, the heart and soul of NASCAR is in the people that sit in those stands every weekend. 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. When everyone sees that No. The 2003 NASCAR Cup champion was always cool on the track, not being aggressive and earned the respect of many drivers. Since joining NASCAR in 2014, Jacuzzi has led the team tasked to design the aerodynamic elements of the race vehicles for all three national series including the Next Gen car as well as the Garage 56 car scheduled to run in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. The venue hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. 8. Most recently, he held the role of NASCAR vice president, technical inspection and officiating, a role he assumed in 2016. It's easy to remember and fans know when they hear that name who is being talked about. The official NASCAR Twitter account shared an image of the current top 10 most popular drivers as voting for the Most Popular Driver continues. Along the way, he has won the Daytona 500 three times, won 48 Cup races and built a Hall of Fame resume. NASCAR also announced the promotions of several individuals to key positions within its competition team. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Earnhardt is still here, although not physically. Despite the treatment working, later that year he was readmitted to the hospital because of complications. Over the years, many talented drivers have chased the championship, won dozens of races, come close to winning the title trophy and built Hall of Fame careers, all while failing to reach that ultimate goal. 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. NMPA Most Popular Driver Award winners. Rebuilding will be my top priority. 2. But, his popularity among the ladies is rather obvious. Also on. Here are some of the most famous NASCAR drivers who are considered the all-time best in the sport. The patriarch of the greatest name in NASCAR and one of the five newest inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. When he won the season finale at Homestead, Hamlin made the point to say that his team would win a championship in the next few years. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nascar | pageType: stories | After Dale Earnhardt's death, Harvick was named the driver to take over the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. 1953 - Lee Petty. He's not overly loud, but when Matt Kenseth talks, many listen. Darrell Waltrip Claimed three titles, winning them in a five-year period in the 1980s. The ten highest-paid Nascar drivers earned an estimated $120 million in 2019, a tick above 2018 but well below a decade ago when they banked a combined $180 million. As a broadcaster, racer or delivery man, Jarrett is a popular figure in NASCAR. He won the Southern 500 six times and the Brickyard 400 five times. Twelve of his 83 wins (14.5%) came in the sports marquee events. 10.2 Part-time drivers. Jeff Gordon A four-time champion whose 93 career wins ranks third on the all-time list. Chase Briscoe, #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Matt DiBenedetto, #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Erik Jones, #43 Richard Petty. It only took one season for Denny Hamlin to become one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR. These names all make sense for a variety of reasons, including their respective fanbases. He. That will never happen again, guaranteed. 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. NASCAR on TV; Drivers; Landon Cassill wont be returning to the Kaulig Racing No. After just two races, McMurray put his name on the map as he won at Charlotte. 1. He was the first to eclipse the 210 mph mark on a superspeedway then won the first Winston Million. Any driver willing to tape his eyes open in order to race is beyond tough. Kenny is still competing in the Nationwide Series, but it's his antics on the pre-race and post-race shows that put him on this list. After Earnhardt won the Most Popular Driver Award for 15 consecutive seasons to close out his career, it was Chase Elliott, the son of 1988 champion and 16-time Most Popular Driver Award winner Bill Elliott, who won it for the first time in his third season of full-time competition in 2018. But as a broadcaster, he was able to reach an entire new audience, one that was more in tune with today's NASCAR. Fred Lorenzen was a driver on the cutting edge as he would travel cross country putting NASCAR on the market and in the eyes of the public. Voting closes for the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at noon ET. If he does, look for this man's popularity to soar like the Space Shuttle. 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. Sawyer joined NASCAR in February of 2015 as managing director of the Craftsman Truck Series. There is no easy path for any of the other Cup Series drivers to take the trophy away from him. His win sent Harvick's popularity through the roof, and now he finally has accepted the role of being the driver taking over the Earnhardt legacy. 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