NASCAR Fans Brutally Trash Denny Hamlin’s Chance of Claiming Chase Elliott’s Throne With Bold Claim

In NASCAR, every driver has their fanbase, but who is actually the most popular? The Most Popular Driver award has been annually given out since 1956. Previously, only the drivers were able to pick the most popular of them. It was only later that fans were given the power to vote for their favorite driver as the most popular.

For a while now, Chase Elliott has been sweeping the awards. He has won it 7 times in a row, tying him with Bobby Allison. If he earns two more, Elliott could equal Richard Petty, though he has a while to go to reach the top of the pile. Currently, the driver with the most Most Popular Driver awards is Elliott’s own father, Bill Elliott, with 16. Just one behind him is Dale Earnhardt Jr. on 15, but Elliott is pretty far away from those two.

Although Elliott has been sweeping the MPD award for a while now, Kevin Harvick made a bold statement after Kyle Larson’s win at Bristol. “Right now, Kyle Larson is the most popular driver in the Cup Series.” He stated on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast. Well, this wasn’t just because of the stellar performance of the HMS driver on the racetrack, but rather his antics in the post-race interview.

The driver of the No. 5 Chevy called out his rival, Denny Hamlin, stating, “We hate to see him win as I’m sure you guys do too.” Finally, the fans saw him reveal his true self, acknowledging the rivalry that had been brewing between the two drivers. But following in Harvick’s footsteps, one NASCAR fan tried to stir up the pot with a rather interesting pick for the most popular driver.

It wasn’t Ryan Blaney nor Christopher Bell, but Denny Hamlin. “Denny for Most Popular Driver? His fans love him, his haters love to talk about him. The podcast is pretty good. Who else would be in contention?” Well, Hamlin likes to wind the crowd up, and he’s seen as the villain of NASCAR. But at the same time, he gets on everyone’s nerves, he’s still competitive on the racetrack despite being the oldest driver, and has a good reach with his podcast show.

Had it been any other driver with all these traits, they would’ve made a strong case for their candidature as the MPD. However, in Hamlin’s case, the fans just won’t accept seeing him that light, and this was evident from the comments on the thread.

NASCAR fans are content seeing Denny Hamlin in a negative light

“That’s never going to happen in a million years. Hell, even Kyle Busch has a way better chance of winning MPD than Denny Hamlin ever will,” a fan commented. Well, this might come true. Rowdy is now a Chevy driver at RCR, and he’s more or less controlled the animated personality he’s had in the past few years. There was a time when the loudest boos from the grandstands were directed towards him, but Hamlin has solidified himself in that position, which is why his chances of being the most popular driver are almost impossible.

Some other fans really drove the point home as to how outclassed Hamlin was. They said, “Unless he comes out and says that he found out he is cousins with the Elliotts, I don’t think he would get close to MPD.” Another declared, “William Clyde Elliott II will have that award locked down, and even if he didn’t, there’s about 30 drivers that would win it over Dennis The Menace.”

Finally, people took shots at Hamlin’s outspoken nature, which has only intensified with his podcast presence. One fan reasoned, “Why would anybody vote this dude most popular anything. He spends more time sh——- on nascar and all of its fans than he does driving the damn car on any given week.” Well, Hamlin isn’t the one who shies away from controversy, be it locking horns against NASCAR or the SMI President. He can go off the rails, and that is reason enough for the fans not to pick him as the popular driver.

Well, some fans weren’t on board with the very idea that would see Hamlin being celebrated for being nice and friendly. That goes against the identity that Hamlin has built over the years, blunt, unpolished and at times controversial. Can you imagine him not coming up with “I beat your favorite driver,” tagline or the “11 against the world banner,” these are things only Denny Hamlin can do. And his fans do not want him to give up his villain crown for a popularity contest. “I beat your favorite driver!” “Wait. What do you mean I’m their favorite driver?” Fades away.”

If not Chase Elliott, who would you crown to be NASCAR’s most popular driver? Share your picks in the comments.