By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Ever since the sport lost two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in May, two — among many — conversations sparked almost immediately.
“Will Busch be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2027?”
And:
“Will Busch win the Most Popular Driver Award of 2026?”
Though the first question has yet to be decided, the second question received a fascinating update this week as eight-time consecutive Most Popular Driver winner Chase Elliott removed his name from the ballot.
“I had been asked about it a few times throughout the course of the year since we lost Kyle (Busch),” Elliott said Saturday. “I certainly thought about that some, and then also kind of thought about what Kyle meant to my career and just the relationship that we had.
“I know that he embraced that villain role. And maybe people totally didn’t like him, but they sure did make a lot of noise for him, and I think we can all agree to that. I just felt like because of that, and because of a lot of the things that I’ve got the chance to see behind the scenes of things that he did for his fans and how much he cared about the sport and for his supporters; I felt like he deserved to win that vote.”
The decision mirrors what his father Bill did for Dale Earnhardt back in 2001.
“Ultimately, I was a young child, but looking back on that, I just always thought that was a really cool and admirable nod to, frankly, one of his biggest rivals,” he said. “And just something that I just always had a lot of respect for.”
Voting officially opened on Friday and various other drivers showed public support of Busch taking the MPD crown this year, with defending champion Kyle Larson also removing his name from eligibility.
Though the path is firmly set for Busch to take the honors, the Hendrick Motorsports driver reaffirms that Busch could have won it even with himself on the ballot.
“Just because I was in there, that’s not me saying that he wasn’t going to win by any stretch,” he said. “But I do think it’s an opportunity for me to encourage the great supporters that I have and the people that have supported my family over the years to show that love and show that energy to Kyle and his family.
“Ultimately, I believe that he is a deserving winner of it, and he has my vote. I encourage those out there that want to get involved and want to take part in that to show him that same love. I think he deserves it. I think it would be a really cool honor for he and his family.”
Elliott spoke on his everlasting respect for Busch’s talent behind the wheel and the overall impact he made on NASCAR.
“Anybody my age and probably a little younger and got to see his dominance; I mean, if somebody sits there and tells you that they didn’t want to be like that in some way, shape or form, they are lying to your face, right? Like the guy was killing it. He was out there and he was just unbeatable at some places.
“I feel like he kind of embraced that role and he loved that character that he took on of kind of be in that villain role. But as a racer and a guy coming along, it was really hard not to admire just his craft and how good he was behind the wheel and just some of the things that he changed the game with from a racecar driver’s perspective.
“I think he was definitely a game changer in that regard and deserved a lot of credit.”