"The Chase Elliott nation is falling" - NASCAR fans divided as Kyle Larson emerges as new potential favorite

According to NASCAR fans, the year 2024 is set to witness a new face as the Most Popular driver in NASCAR.

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) drivers have taken NASCAR's Most Popular Driver (MPD) Award for more than a decade. Dale Earnhardt Jr holds the second-longest winning streak of 15 awards until his retirement in 2017. Chase Elliott won six consecutive MPD awards from 2018 till 2023. But the current scenario has changed with Kyle Larson emerging as the new potential favorite.

Kyle Larson is making his name among fans in recent years, thus giving a contest to his HMS teammate Chase Elliott. Fans were left divided on social media as far as the popularity of the Hendrick drivers is concerned.

NASCAR enthusiasts on X shared their opinion regarding the rise of merchandise sales of #5 Larson in the Cup Series. A fan said:

"Having been to various races over the past few years I can say that it seems very close (5 vs 9) and this year it has seemed to especially favor KL in terms of fan gear being worn."

"I sure see a lot of Larson hats and shirts being worn at races I’ve been to recently," a fan on X said.

Another member of the NASCAR community tweeted the fall of Elliott's fan base.

"The Chase nation is falling. Somebody new will soon be crowned."

However, Elliott fans were quick to back the #9 HMS driver in this debate.

"I would bet chase is still king," an Elliott fan said.

"Yea pull the receipts and see how far Chase is ahead of him," another fan said.

Many fans believe that Elliott is by far the most popular driver since he has his merch hauler during the race events, whereas the other 3 HMS drivers have a combined one.

"All you have to do is go to a race and compare merch hauler lines for Elliott versus the other 3 HMS haulers. Elliott’s is always longer," a fan said.

"Does he (Kyle Larson) have his own merch trailer….nope," another fan tweeted.

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Kyle Larson's double duty later this month

2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is set to attempt a double on May 26 for Hendrick Motorsports.

The 31-year-old will take part in the IndyCar Championship at the Indianapolis 500 and Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway scheduled on the same day. The Indy 500 would be his first IndyCar Series race, driving the #17 Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports.

However, the #5 Chevy driver will prioritize the Cup Series race at Charlotte if any rain delay occurs at Indy500. In an interview, Larson said:

"Hopefully, that [rain situation] doesn’t arise. I'm sure there's a window of time when it probably gets to a certain point. I have to leave because the Coke 600 is the priority that weekend and chasing another NASCAR championship is the priority," Larson said in the interview. (3:06)

Kyle Larson is eyeing another Cup Series championship. He sits at the top of the table in overall Cup Series standings with two wins, six top-fives, and six top-tens after 13 starts for Hendrick Motorsports.