For the first time since 1990, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award will go to someone outside the Elliott and Earnhardt families. Eight-time consecutive winner Chase Elliott officially withdrew his name from the 2026 ballot following Most Popular Driver voting opening on October 23, seeking to honor the late two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who passed away in May at age 41.
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Elliott’s withdrawal cleared a path for fans to rally behind a posthumous honor for Busch, prompting high-profile drivers like Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Connor Zilisch, and John Hunter Nemechek to publicly endorse Busch’s candidacy. However, Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar has chosen a distinct approach that balances supporting his late competitor with respecting Busch’s competitive legacy.
Refusing to follow Elliott’s lead by pulling his name from the ballot entirely, Hocevar took to Facebook with a seven-word claim explaining his choice: “I could pull my name off. But the people close to Kyle told me he would wanna win it straight up.”
Hocevar urged his supporters to redirect their votes to Busch on NASCAR.com, while keeping himself eligible out of respect for Busch’s fiercely independent competitive spirit.
“Most Popular Driver Voting opened today. I’d appreciate my fans to NOT vote for me. Vote Kyle Busch.”
According to Hocevar, people close to Busch believe the two-time Cup Series champion would want to win the award through the regular voting process. That distinction matters to Hocevar, who wants to help Busch while respecting what he believes his friend would have wanted.
Hocevar is far from the only driver throwing his support behind Busch. Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Connor Zilisch, and John Hunter Nemechek have also encouraged fans to vote for the late champion.
Briscoe and Larson went a step further, sharing a post confirming that they had already cast their votes for Busch. Their support adds momentum to a campaign that has gained traction since voting opened, with drivers using their own platforms to help Busch receive an honor that eluded him throughout his career.
Hocevar’s decision carries weight because he has developed a following of his own. The Michigan native has built a reputation as an outspoken, entertaining personality, and his efforts to engage fans have generated attention beyond his on-track results. In 2024, he even enlisted fellow drivers through Cameo videos to campaign for a spot in the All-Star Race, turning the fan-vote process into a viral promotion.
With Elliott absent from this year’s ballot, Hocevar could have tried to capitalize on the opening. Instead, he is encouraging the people who support him to back Busch. He is also not alone in doing so. Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Connor Zilisch and John Hunter Nemechek have publicly encouraged fans to vote for Busch, building momentum behind a posthumous recognition campaign.
Busch’s supporters have a compelling case. Across NASCAR’s three national series, he recorded 234 victories, including 63 in the Cup Series, and won two Cup championships. He also became a defining figure in the sport through his aggressive driving, blunt personality and willingness to embrace his role as a villain. That reputation earned him plenty of boos, but it also created a devoted following known as Rowdy Nation.
Despite his accomplishments and popularity, Busch never won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award. Dale Earnhardt Jr. collected the honor for 15 consecutive years from 2003 through 2017, and Elliott followed with eight straight wins from 2018 to 2025. Busch repeatedly found himself on the other side of that fan-voted distinction. In 2019, he even told Barstool Sports he was “pretty sure I’m never going to win” the award.
That history makes the 2026 campaign particularly poignant. Busch died on May 21 at age 41 after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. Now, fans have an opportunity to give him an honor that eluded him throughout his career.
Voting remains open through noon ET on November 9, with the winner scheduled to be announced at the NASCAR Awards banquet in Miami on November 10. Fans can vote through NASCAR.com or the NASCAR Mobile App, with up to five submissions allowed per day for each email address. Each submission can support a different driver.
Hocevar’s approach leaves him eligible while directing his supporters toward Busch. Whether that distinction changes the result remains to be seen. But his seven-word claim offers a clear explanation for why he has chosen this path: he believes Busch would want to win it straight up.