After 25 years in NASCAR’s national series, Kyle Busch finally received the Most Popular Driver Award, a fan-voted honor that had always eluded him. Fans gave him the 2026 award after his passing, and Samantha Busch accepted it for her late husband at NASCAR’s season-ending ceremony in Miami. This was Busch’s first win in a contest that never seemed meant for NASCAR’s most famous villain.
The National Motorsports Press Association reported that Busch received 261,612 votes, a record level of support. Kyle Larson came in second, and Carson Hocevar was third. Since fans alone decide the award, Busch’s win felt different from the championships, race victories, and records he achieved during his career.
Samantha knew how much that trophy meant to him. Before the ceremony, she remembered a time when Busch thought he finally had enough support to win, but missed out again. His competitive side wouldn’t let it go. He even called NASCAR afterward to find out how close he was.
“He wanted that award so bad for so many years,” Samantha said before Tuesday’s ceremony.
Busch found success in almost everything else. He won Cup championships in 2015 and 2019, earned 63 victories at NASCAR’s top level, and set a NASCAR record with 234 wins across the three national series. Still, the popularity trophy stayed out of reach until 2026.
NASCAR’s longtime villain, aka Kyle Busch, finally won the ultimate fan vote
Busch never tried to please everyone. He raced hard, spoke honestly, celebrated with energy, and sometimes seemed to enjoy boos as much as cheers. Samantha reflected on that history in her acceptance speech, keeping his true character intact.
“Kyle never changed who he was to make people like him.”
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For years, Busch’s personality made him one of NASCAR’s most divisive stars. Fans booed him at introductions, cheered when his rivals beat him, and packed the stands just to see what Rowdy would do next. Even when fans disliked him, they never ignored him. Busch always got a reaction.
So, Busch’s first Most Popular Driver Award came after a career that actually proved that popularity and universal approval aren’t the same thing.
Busch became just the second driver to win the Cup award after his death. Dale Earnhardt received it in 2001 after his fatal crash in the Daytona 500. Since Darrell Waltrip in 1990, only drivers with surnames Earnhardt or Elliott had won the award.
Chase Elliott helped make this possible in October, though he made his decision weeks before the results. Elliott had won eight straight Most Popular Driver Awards from 2018 to 2025. He took himself off the 2026 ballot and asked his fans to support Busch.
Bill Elliott did the same thing in 2001 after Earnhardt’s death, stepping aside after years of winning the vote. That year, Earnhardt received his first and only Most Popular Driver award.
Chase explained that Busch’s public image didn’t show the whole story. He saw how Busch connected with fans behind the scenes and called him a game changer for NASCAR.
Other drivers joined in. Larson and Hocevar asked their fans to vote for Busch, even though they were still eligible themselves, eventually making the award an industry-wide tribute for Rowdy.
While receiving the award, Samantha talked about Brexton and Lennix, and how the trophy could show them more about their father than just his wins, championships, or the Rowdy they knew at home.
Busch spent years trying to beat everyone, even in the popularity vote. This time, many of those same competitors helped him win.
NASCAR fans had already spent months honoring Busch after he died in May. Several tracks held tributes, fans marked Lap 8 during Cup races, and Bristol brought back his well-known M&M’s colors for a tribute weekend in September. The Most Popular Driver vote made that support official in NASCAR’s record book.
Samantha closed the acceptance with the simplest explanation of why the trophy fit. “There was no Rowdy without the fans.”
Throughout his career, Busch was someone many fans loved to cheer for and many others loved to boo. In the end, both groups came together to support him one last time.