Chase Elliott opts out of popular driver award to steer vote to Kyle Busch

Chase Elliott: What Happened

ESPN reported on Friday, October 23, 2026 in a story involving Chase Elliott, Most Popular Driver Award, Kyle Busch. Perennial. Here is how the report opens:

Perennial winner Chase Elliott has opted to remove his name from consideration for NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award out of respect for the late Kyle Busch.

It is one of many NASCAR stories we are following today, and 2 outlets are covering it. Below are the key takeaways, how the story is being reported across the sport, background on NASCAR Cup Series and what to watch next.

Key Takeaways

• The story: Chase Elliott opts out of popular driver award to steer vote to Kyle Busch
• Who’s involved: Chase Elliott, Most Popular Driver Award, Kyle Busch. Perennial and Kyle Busch
• League: NASCAR
• First reported: Friday, October 23, 2026 by ESPN
• Coverage: 2 outlets are covering it: ESPN and Motorsport.com

How Other Outlets Are Covering It

The same NAS story, as reported by another outlet:

• Kyle Busch Remembered: Rowdy's wildest and most impressive Talladega momentsMotorsport.com Motorsport.com continues with this week's edition of our 'Kyle Busch Remembered' series, looking back on his most iconic moments from Talladega Superspeedway. Five of Busch's record 234 career NASCAR national-series…

Background: NASCAR Cup Series

The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.

The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, when the series began leasing its naming rights to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was referred to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (1971–2003). A similar deal was made with Nextel in 2003, and it became the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (2004–2007).

Text from Wikipedia’s NASCAR Cup Series article, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What’s Next for Chase Elliott

For fans following Chase Elliott, the next things to watch are the race results, qualifying, championship standings and schedule. Stories like this one tend to move quickly, so check back for follow-up reports and reaction as more outlets pick it up.

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