“When he retires”: Team Penske star gives a reality check about removing Chase Elliott from NASCAR’s “top spot”

Team Penske ace Ryan Blaney has given a reality check about removing Chase Elliott from NASCAR's Most Popular Driver throne. The 2023 Cup Series champion expressed that when Elliott retires, he might also be retired from racing; and that it would be "tough" to dethrone the Hendrick Motorsports star during his career.

The #9 Chevrolet driver earned his seventh consecutive NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, continuing his legendary father Bill Elliott's legacy. The father-son duo have collectively claimed 23 awards, with 16 registered under Elliott Sr.'s name.

Elliott's legacy began with George, who owned a Ford dealership and worked his way through NASCAR as an engine builder. His sons Bill, Ernie, and Dan became great NASCAR drivers. Thus, the family has been a fan favorite in NASCAR. Now, Chase Elliott has taken over the long-running motorsports heritage, and with that, an inherited fanbase was added to his self-built one.

With a deep-rooted family history in the American elite racing series, Elliott has made a pretty strong fanbase, something Ryan Blaney doesn't know what it would take to outclass.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take and I don’t know that it’s going to happen. I’ll be really excited to see who that next guy is. I’ll have to peek my head back in to see what that is. It’ll be a huge accomplishment," Blaney said via Sportsnaut.

The NASCAR champion then painted the reality, explaining the "tough" part of the deal.

“When he retires, I’ll probably be retired too. I don’t know but it’s going to be tough take him off the top spot.”

Before Elliott earned his first Most Popular Driver Award in 2018, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the chart for 15 consecutive years since 2003.

Chase Elliott opens up on what the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award means to him

Chase Elliott is a third-generation driver who pilots his father's famed #9 on his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. In 2016, he began rookie Cup Series season in Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevy but moved to the #9 in 2018, when William Byron became the latest successor of the four-time champion's number.

Before stepping into the premier division, the Georgian showcased his race prowess in the Xfinity Series. He became the first driver to win a national series title in his rookie season. It's worth mentioning that Elliott donned his father's #9 when he claimed his first NASCAR title in 2014 and while securing his maiden Cup Series title in 2020.

Eliott understands the importance of his family's heritage and expressed he wanted to reflect his family's name in a "proper manner."

"I've always tried to take that opportunity to make sure I reflect in a proper manner and represent my family the way I think they would want to be represented throughout the years," Elliott said before the ceremony when asked about the meaning of the award via HMS' release.

Despite his last NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award in 2002, Chase Elliott's father's record of 16 awards remains undisputed.