Chase Elliott opts out of NASCAR award for Kyle Busch

I just feel like he deserves to win the award, truthfully, Chase Elliott said regarding his decision to step aside.

To honor the memory of the late Kyle Busch, multi-time winner Chase Elliott has chosen to take his name off the ballot for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award out.

The Voting Process and Timeline

The National Motorsports Press Association announced the start of voting on Friday, revealing that Chase Elliott would not appear on the ballot. Voting runs through Nov. 9, which is the day after the Cup Series season finale. The winner will be revealed on Nov. 10. The National Motorsports Press Association and NASCAR announced the Elliott decision on Friday morning, confirming that Kyle Busch is on the ballot.

Family Precedents and Historical Context

Elliott made the gesture to rally support for Busch following his death in May from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications. Emulating his father, Bill Elliott, who stepped back in 2001 following the tragic passing of Dale Earnhardt, Chase Elliott has made the exact same move to help build backing for Kyle Busch. Chase Elliott has won the award every year since 2018, following Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won it 15 consecutive times before retiring. Bill Elliott won the award a record 16 times.

Public Reactions and Behind-the-Helmet Insights

Before the ballots opened, Elliott explained in May that he wanted to ensure he did not interfere with Busch receiving recognition. I’m not guaranteed the win, so let’s make that clear, number one, said Elliott in May. Bill Janitz, who served as Busch’s public relations representative for 15 years, noted in an interview with Kaitlyn Vincie that Busch secretly desired that kind of fan backing. I’d love to see the fans rally behind him and vote him Most Popular Driver because, I’m telling you, he’d get a kick out of that, Janitz said. One of the conversations that’s happened since he passed has been about Most Popular Driver, said Janitz. Human nature is that you want to be loved. Janitz added, I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen this year, but I just want to throw my support to make sure that I didn’t get in the way of that, and noted that Busch talked about it more than people would ever know.

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