Far from the best, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. is Most Popular Driver again (Update)
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| Girlfriend Amy Reimann with Earnhardt Jr. as he rides his Daddy's coattails to another most popular title |
| Getty Images for NASCAR |
NASCAR Sprint Cup champions, they come and go. Heck, there have been four different champs just in the past four years! But Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s status as the undisputed fan favorite – that's eternal.
Earnhardt won his record 12th straight award for Most Popular Driver Friday during NASCAR's season-ending ceremony. The award is voted on by fans, leaving little doubt as to who would come out on top. Other drivers who finished in the top 10 were (in alphabetical order): Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart and Josh Wise.
Keselowski displayed a sense of humor about his runner-up status. Either that, or he is in a monster truck of delusion.
Bill Elliott holds the record for most overall popular-driver awards with 16, and he was the last driver to win it before Earnhardt kicked off his streak. In fact, the streak began after Elliott removed himself from the voting for the award, and at this point, that might be what it takes for Dale Jr. to stop winning it.
Earnhardt has proven to be savvy about using social media to further connect with his fan base. From a report by the Associated Press, the driver made note of that during his acceptance speech:
He said he'd wake up each day and check his Twitter timeline to see "it is just full of these fans, 'I voted,' 'I voted,' " Earnhardt said. "That was probably the most humbling experience. I got to know my fans in a whole new way this year." Washington Post
12/06/14 During the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards, it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2014 NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver Award. Still riding on Daddy's coattails, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has won the MPD award for the past 12 seasons even though he is far from the best driver on the circuit. Only NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott has more MPD awards with 16. The Sprint NMPA Most Popular Driver Award is the only major NASCAR award determined solely by fan vote.