Elliott: 'I have some of the best fans'

Chase Elliott spoke to media Thursday afternoon after winning his eighth consecutive NMPA Most Popular Driver Award in the NASCAR Cup Series.

While the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver and 2020 Cup Series champion wasn’t at the NASCAR Awards Tuesday to accept the award, he sent out a post on X to thank the fans and expanded on his appreciation for his fans two days later.

“Just really grateful for the people that have supported me throughout my career,” Elliott said in a Zoom teleconference. “I feel like I have some of the best fans that you can have, and the most passionate too. I think all those things carry a lot of weight in their own way. I was just trying to show my appreciation and my gratitude towards the people that obviously took the time to vote and take time out of their day to do that.”

Elliott’s grasp on the Most Popular Driver Award comes decades after his father, Bill, won the award a record 16 times (1984-1988, 1991-2000, 2002).

The Dawsonville, Georgia native emphasized that the interactions he has with fans at the track are what matter most to him on the weekends.

“I mean, there’s definitely been plenty where I’m frustrated or had a bad day and I just always kind of come back to trying to remind myself of ‘hey, that little kid who is wearing your fire suit that he bought outside at the merch hauler, and your hat and your T-Shirt and stuff that wants it signed, or, you know, wants a photo,” Elliott said. “This can be said for any driver, not just the person who wins the award, but I do think that us being in the positions that we’re in, and having a little bit of a platform, at least, you can impact somebody’s day and in a positive manner. It could be five seconds, it could be five minutes, but in doing that, I think that you’ve helped.”

While being the Most Popular Driver award holder for almost a decade doesn’t mean every fan has Elliott as their favorite driver, he understands and respects the different perspectives of fans when it comes to who their favorites are.

“Fans are going to migrate to whatever they like and that might pull them into different directions, whether it’s a car number or the person themselves or interaction that they have with someone you know at a race track,” Elliott said. “You don’t have to like the way that I do things, and that’s totally okay I have no ill will against that at all. I think that’s part of what makes the sport great. You’re going to have people that have their way of going about their business. I think the best thing us as drivers can do is be ourselves, find confidence in that, and find comfort in that, and let the people pull for whoever they want to pull for on the weekends.”

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Elliott also touched on his perspective of the 2025 season, which saw him score two victories and make a playoff run to the Round of 8, and what will be on his mind as he enters the offseason.

“There was a few high spots in there, which is always great,” Elliott said. “I think as a competitor, at least for me, I’m always looking for more. I don’t think I’m ever satisfied even on those good days. I see so much potential in our team. I might not have the most positive way of looking at things a lot of days, but I also try and give credit where it’s due, and also grade myself and our team honestly in those moments as well. We have a lot of things that we need to do better, no question.”