NASCAR fan voting has begun for the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award presented by Hooters.
Fans can cast a vote for a single driver once daily at www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver or on the NASCAR Mobile app. Votes shared by fans on Facebook and / or Twitter count double.
To be eligible, drivers must have declared series points and be in the top 32 in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points by the start of the voting, according to contest rules.
Balloting began today at noon ET and will continue through Dec. 4, at Noon ET. The winner will be announced the following day, Dec. 5, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards program. The announcement will be carried live on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Chase Elliott is the defending winner of the award, after Dale Earnhardt Jr. won from 2003-17. NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1988 Cup champion Bill Elliott remains the record holder, having been chosen Most Popular Driver 16 times (1984-88, 1991-2000 and 2002) during his career.
“With all of its history, the success Dale Earnhardt Jr. has enjoyed and the success of the Elliott’s and Earnhardt’s (winning Most Popular Driver) for so many years is awesome,” Chase Elliott said when he won the award last year. “It’s kind of crazy to watch that come full circle. To be able to receive the award this year is special and I’ll certainly enjoy it.”
The Most Popular Driver award has been in existence since 1949. Curtis Turner was the first recipient, the first of 20 drivers who have won the award at least once since then. It remains the only major NASCAR award determined solely by fan vote.