Talladega was an emotional surprise for every NASCAR fan when Carson Hocevar won the race in an exciting battle to the finish. The outcome has put him in direct contention against Chase Elliott for being the Most Popular Driver this year. And for some reason, fans believe that Elliott’s popularity is a mere hoax compared to what Hocevar has achieved.

There are several factors influencing the same. Even before his victory, Hocevar was one of the underdogs of NASCAR. His aggression earned him the wrath of other drivers, but at the same time drew comparisons with the likes of Dale Earnhardt. His status as a rising talent who was unafraid and ready to throw hands with veterans drew fans towards him, the proof of which was evident yesterday.

Hocevar’s victory lap was one of a kind, with him sticking out of his car window as he drove along the Talladega Superspeedway. To make it even more exciting for the fans, Carson Hocevar ended the celebration with an amazing burnout. The entire crowd was roaring and cheering him on during his victory lap, making the broadcasters comment that it was one of the best victories in a while.

The moment, paired with his awesome victory, has started to make fans wonder if he is going to run away with the Most Popular Driver trophy this year. And there are multiple reasons to believe so. Yesterday, Carson Hocevar’s merchandise ended up crashing the Lionel Racing website, where people rushed to collect his die-casts.

As a result of the reactions and fan edits about his win at Talladega, even Hocevar was unable to curb his emotions. The next morning, Hocevar made a humble yet teary admission on his social media: “Just woke up. Tears in my eyes watching the footage and edits and reactions. Genuinely unbelievable. So thankful that this feeling is exactly what I dreamt it would feel like. Thank you, everyone.”

While the majority of fans are congratulating him over his first victory, there is another section of the fan community that has started to brutalize his competitor. With his rising popularity, it is quite natural that there will be comparisons between him and the Most Popular Driver for the past eight years, Chase Elliott. However, the comparisons are rather drastic, especially with a lot of hate towards Elliott in particular.

Fans call out Chase Elliott’s ‘fake’ popularity

One of the fans immediately targeted Elliott for being no good as a driver and being rather boring for the audience of NASCAR. “⁠Elliott isn’t just less interesting; he’s probably the MOST uninteresting driver in the field right now.” Some of the other fans also accused him of using his father’s name to his advantage.

“Chase has the personality of wet wallpaper but the last name of a legend. It is what it is, unfortunately.” The criticism has reached a point where even his fans are unable to defend him anymore. “As an Elliott fan (because I’ve known him/been around him since the late 2000s), I agree with your point. But it’s the Most Popular award, not the most interesting personality, etc. I’d love for Chase to show his personality more, but the big teams don’t allow it.”

The latter part of their explanation is a very pressing issue among the NASCAR drivers. The drivers from the big teams are generally under sponsorship obligations and forced to maintain a certain image in front of the media and the fans. Even slight mistakes and slip-ups in humor can lead to disastrous outcomes. The best example of the same was the recent controversy created by Daniel Dye.

Dye’s insensitive comment about David Malukas’ sexuality almost ended his NASCAR career. While some fans were against his words, others were rather sour that NASCAR was not allowing drivers to have even a slight hint of personality or humor.

The conversation eventually shifted towards the Most Popular Driver award. Many fans argue that Hocevar will end up taking the trophy this year. Meanwhile, some other fans have raised doubts about the fairness of the system.

“It’s crazy how throughout the week, mostly it’s folks like Denny, KB, Hocevar, Blaney, and Reddick in the convo, but somehow at the end of the year it’s Chase who takes home the MPD award, like nobody even talks about you.” The award is ultimately decided with a fan vote, so it does seem like Elliott has some hidden fans who always have his back.

This year is slowly becoming Carson Hocevar’s breakout year in NASCAR. There is a high chance that he might end up winning over Elliott because of his underdog status and his rise to the occasion in difficult conditions.