“That’s all I care about”: Chase Elliott pays tribute to his family’s 'foundation' after Most Popular Driver Award win

Chase Elliott paid tribute to his family after bagging the Most Popular Driver award. The 28-year-old won the award presented by the Motorsports Press Association for the seventh successive year and is one of the only five Cup drivers to win it five times or more along with his father Bill Elliott winning it 16 times.

Elliott is a 28-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver from Dawsonville, Georgia. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott who also won one championship just like Chase. Bill's father, George, had also been on the NASCAR scene and once ran a race team around the 70s.

During an interview at the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, Chase Elliott talked about winning the award with the foundation laid by his family. He said (via Bob Pockrass on X):

“If you do have the honor to receive the award, I think it’s just representing that the right way, and by right way I mean by the way I think they would want to be represented. Really for me, that’s all I care about because they laid the foundation for me to be here and to have some of the opportunities that I’ve had throughout my career.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion also thanked the fans for their support, saying:

“Certainly grateful for the fans across the board, they’ve been great to me throughout my career. I’ve had the fortunate experience of seeing all that, living all that first hand, it means a lot to me, I’ll never take it for granted.”

Chase Elliott concluded by saying he would try to make his fans proud in the coming years.

“Certainly, I want to try to make those people proud as we move into the next year and beyond.”

Elliot first won the Most Popular Driver award in 2018 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired the previous year. Earnhardt Jr. is also one of the five Cup drivers to win the award at 15 along with Chase Elliott, Bill Elliott, Richard Petty (eight), and Bobby Allison (six).

Meanwhile, Justin Allgaier and Rajah Caruth are the 2024 Most Popular Driver awardees in the Xfinity Series and Trucks Series, respectively.

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Fans react to Chase Elliott winning the 2024 Most Popular Driver award

Many NASCAR fans support Chase Elliott winning this year’s Most Popular Driver award considering it is won by fan vote. However, some fans weren’t fond of the results, expressing disappointment on social media as Elliott brought home his seventh Most Popular Driver award.

One fan compared Chase Elliott to Dale Earnhardt Jr., saying:

“But why? He's boring, doesn't do anything for the sport. He's no dale jr.”

“Most popular driver but can’t help grow the sport,” one X (formerly Twitter) user commented.

“I’m a chase fan no doubt but it’s kinda redundant having the same driver over and over again every year," another fan wrote.

“Rigged,” one fan said.

On the other hand, some fans wrote positive comments on the announcement, with one fan saying:

“Congrats @chaseelliott 7-time MPD”

“Yes!!! I voted five times everyday!!” another fan shared.

Chase Elliott with his guest Ashley Anderson at the 2024 NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Imagn

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver attended this year’s NASCAR Awards Banquet to receive the award. The event was moved from Nashville to Charlotte, making it convenient for attendees considering many reside in North Carolina.