Kyle Busch wins NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award

Kyle Busch has been posthumously voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver by the fans.

Busch, who unexpectedly passed away in May at the age of 41 from pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, was named the winner Tuesday evening at the season-ending awards show. The National Motorsports Press Association presents the award annually, and it's the only one decided solely by fans.

It is the first time Busch has won the award. Samantha Busch, his widow, accepted the award on his behalf.

“Winning the Most Popular Driver, he wanted it so bad,” Busch said on the red carpet. “He would try to rally the fans, and there was one year, I think either he didn’t see Chase [Elliott] out here, or maybe Chase didn’t come, and he was like, ‘I got it. I got it,’ and he was so excited. Then he didn’t, and he was like, ‘Really?’ So, he called NASCAR and was like, ‘I want to see the numbers. How far off was I? Was I close?’

“You know Kyle is very competitive, so he took this no differently. So, the fact that he won by a landslide, I know he’s up there like, ‘There you go. I did that.’”

It is the first time a driver not named Elliott or Earnhardt has won the award since Darrell Waltrip in 1990.

A two-time Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in NASCAR across all three national series, Busch routinely joked that he would never win the award. Busch knew he was a polarizing figure.

In one of the most memorable instances of Busch referencing the award, he said during his 2019 championship speech, “Man, I swear I had that Most Popular Driver award until they said ‘three wins,’ and then I was like, ‘Damn. OK. It’s Chase again.’ You know what, that’s OK. Maybe next time.”

Then in 2023, ahead of the awards show, Busch said, “I have been told by NASCAR that I finished second the last three or four years and the gap’s getting closer. … I’m all for it. That would probably be the shock of the night. So, I’m excited about that. I’m going to dress to impress just for that moment so I can be ready.”

Chase Elliott removed his name from the ballot this season in support of Busch winning the award. Elliott had won it for the last eight years.

Bill Elliott did the same in 2001, after Dale Earnhardt’s death. Elliott had won the award in 15 of the previous 17 seasons before that, which led fans to vote for and award it to Earnhardt. It was the first and only time Earnhardt won it.

Many other drivers also encouraged their fans to vote for Busch.

Among those was Carson Hocevar, who many wondered would give Elliott a run for his money this season. Hocevar, however, said he’d be disappointed if fans voted for him.

“We can try and win it another year,” he said.