"Usually Peach": Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and other NASCAR stars reveal their favorite Mario Kart character

A few NASCAR drivers recently shared their favorite characters from the popular Mario Kart game, revealing their go-to choices from the Mushroom Kingdom and the reasons behind their preferences.

Mario Kart is a popular game, with its protagonist being one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. Chat Us Up, an Instagram social page, recently asked Cup Series drivers to share their favorite characters from the Mushroom Kingdom.

Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney likes disrupting his competitors' races with the lead female character, Princess Peach. He said:

"Usually Peach, It's always fun messing people up with peach. That's usually my go to."

Denny Hamlin, on the other hand, likes to keep it simple and goes with the protagonist, Mario. Hamlin believes the main character has to be the quickest of them all. Mario is also a go-to choice for fellow drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman.

"I'm pretty basic. I'm sticking with Mario, I mean they name a game after you [Mario], surely you gotta have the fastest car," Hamlin said.

Apart from spending his time building Legos, William Byron's go-to character in the game is Mario's best friend, Yoshi. Daniel Suarez and Zane Smith also share an affinity for Yoshi, while Smith additionally enjoys using the customizable avatar, Mii.

Toad is another popular character in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, favored by Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, and Carson Hocevar. Corey LaJoie believes the lightweight driver has a bit more speed than the rest.

Ryan Preece likes to "knock them out of the way" with the infamous Bowser, and so does Ty Gibbs. Michael McDowell identifies with Donkey Kong and Bowser since they both have bodies that resemble his. McDowell's teammate Todd Gilliland also chose Bowser, revealing that he resembles the character when he's in a go-kart.

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Exploring the rest of NASCAR drivers' unique choices

Ty Dillon reckons the way to dominate the game is by picking Luigi's purple nemesis, Waluigi. The 32-year-old elaborated that Waluigi, with the little red wheels, is his go-to character.

"Waluigi on the little scooter. You gotta have the little red wheels. That's how you dominate!" Dillon said.

Wood Brothers Racing driver Harrison Burton chose the masked menace, Shy Guy, and so did Justin Haley. Burton reckons it is the coolest character and likes to customize Shy Guy with a blue outfit.

"I like shy guy. That's the best, yeah. He looks coolest, he can change all the colors. I'm normally like a blue-shy guy, guy," the 23-year-old American said.

Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones was the only one to choose Mario's younger twin brother, Luigi, as his go-to character in Mario Kart. Although Tyler Reddick was not interviewed, he is an avid Mario Kart player and was dressed up as Luigi in NASCAR's Netflix docuseries.