Kyle Busch posthumously wins NASCAR Cup Most Popular Driver Award

· Yahoo Sports

Motorsport photo

Kyle Busch is the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver, becoming just the second driver to ever win the award posthumously, joining fellow Richard Childress Racing driver and seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, who won the award after his death in a crash at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Visit freshyourfeel.org for more information.

Busch's wife Samantha attended the banquet and accepted the award on his behalf. 

Following the tragic passing of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, there was an immediate push for him to be named Most Popular Driver for the 2026 season.

When the voting officially began, Chase Elliott, who has won the award every year since 2018, withdrew his name from consideration and urged his fans to vote for Busch. Some wondered if Carson Hocevar would win the award due to his explosive fandom growth in the last few months, and while he did not withdraw his own name, he urged his fans to vote for Busch as well.

It's a special gesture for a polarizing driver who was often booed throughout his career, though his popularity among the fans improved quite a bit in recent years. 

Busch is also the first driver not named Earnhardt or Elliott to win the award since Darrell Waltrip in 1990. 

Kyle Busch flag

Kyle Busch flag

Busch won a record 234 races across all three national divisions, with the final win coming in a Truck race just days before his passing at the age of 41. He died as the result of pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, and since then, there's been a flood of tributes and honors for the NASCAR legend every race weekend.

Bill Elliott holds the record for Most Popular Driver awards in the Cup Series at 16, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 15, Richard Petty with nine, Chase Elliott with eight, and Bobby Allison with seven.

In the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, newly crowned two-time series champion Justin Allgaier won the Most Popular Driver award for the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time in his career. 

Read Also: Remembering Kyle Busch through the NASCAR Cup wins that made his legend Brexton Busch drives NASCAR Cup RCR No. 8 in touching tribute to father Kyle

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Read full story at source