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The late Kyle Busch is NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for 2026. Fans voted Busch the winner of the award posthumously, and his widow, Samantha Busch, accepted the trophy at the NASCAR Awards in Miami on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
It was the first time Busch won the award in a 25-year career across NASCAR’s three national series. Busch died in May at age 41, after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis.
How Kyle Busch Won Most Popular Driver
Chase Elliott, who had won the award the previous eight years, asked the National Motorsports Press Association to take his name off the ballot so fans could support Busch. Bill Elliott, Chase’s father, did the same thing in 2001 after Dale Earnhardt’s death, which led to Earnhardt’s only win.
Other drivers also asked their fans to vote for Busch. Carson Hocevar told his fans he’d be disappointed if they voted for him, saying, “We can try and win it another year.”
Busch is the first driver not named Elliott or Earnhardt to win the award since Darrell Waltrip in 1990. Kyle Larson finished second in the voting and Hocevar third, the NMPA said. See the full voting results.
What Samantha Busch Said
Accepting the award, Samantha Busch thanked the drivers who campaigned for her husband and the fans who voted.
“There was no Rowdy without the fans,” she said. “There will never be another Rowdy because there is truly no one else like Kyle.”
Busch had long joked that he would never win it. In his 2019 championship speech, he said he thought he had the award until “three wins” was mentioned, adding, “Maybe next time.”
How the Most Popular Driver Award Works
The award is presented each year by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA). It is the only major NASCAR award decided entirely by fans, who vote online during the season. It began as a poll of drivers before becoming a fan vote.
NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Winners Since 1984
- 2026: Kyle Busch (posthumous)
- 2018–2025: Chase Elliott (8 straight)
- 2003–2017: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15 straight)
- 2002: Bill Elliott
- 2001: Dale Earnhardt (posthumous)
- 1991–2000: Bill Elliott
- 1989–1990: Darrell Waltrip
- 1984–1988: Bill Elliott
Most Wins
Bill Elliott holds the record with 16 Cup Series Most Popular Driver awards. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the longest streak, 15 straight from 2003 through 2017, and Chase Elliott is next with eight in a row.
Earlier winners include Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Fred Lorenzen and Curtis Turner.
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