What does it mean to be the most popular driver in NASCAR? It’s not decided at the polls or even in a news release. In an instant, a decision is made. Martinsville, 2022, for example. The air was tense, and the paperclip track was packed. During driver introductions, the crowd erupted in a collective yell that shook metal stands as Chase Elliott’s name roared from the PA. When Denny Hamlin was revealed a few moments later, the grandstands went wild, with shouts turning into raucous jeers. Well, the fans did remember Hamlin’s antics from 2017, where he pulled off the bump and run on Elliott at Martinsville.
Ever since, he’s taken over the role of villain of NASCAR, while the HMS driver would go on to bag the 2020 championship and claim NASCAR’s poster child image. Statistically, the likes of Kyle Busch and Joey Logano had the edge on Elliott, but popularity contest sometimes defies logic, and so is the case with NASCAR’s award for most popular driver. He has won the award seven years in a row, but in 2025, that charm and popular appeal are now starting to fade. At least, this is what Kevin Harvick felt after witnessing Kyle Larson dominate the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday.
In the most recent Happy Hour episode, Harvick crowned Kyle Larson in addition to discussing his performance. “Right now, Kyle Larson is the most popular driver in the Cup Series,” Harvick said. Not a recommendation. It’s not a maybe. A proclamation. One thing became evident at that point: the Chase Elliott era might not be uncontested any longer. It wasn’t just a contest to see who could sell the most t-shirts or get the most applause.
It had to do with telling stories, rivalries and on-track results. Now, the sport is in dire need of personalities that could lead the charge outside of just racing. You’d be lucky to get Chase Elliott to tweet or post on social media, and he rather prefers to keep to himself despite being crowned the MPD. Well, his teammate Larson has certainly come out of his shell and along with domination on the race track, he is now riling up his rivals in post-race interviews. “We hate to see him win as I’m sure you guys do too,” Larson said, taking jabs at his rival, Denny Hamlin. And this, in particular, has caught Harvick’s attention.
“He knows how to put on a show. And he’s on it,” Kevin Harvick added. “Let’s not take away from the fact that Kyle Larson is paying attention and he also knows how to put on a show. He also knows how to play to the crowd. He’s underrated in a lot of categories, not as a driver. But he’s underrated in a lot of categories off the racetrack, and now you’re starting to see this personality from Kyle Larson play into the things that are said around him. Those fans love him, and right now, he’s the most popular driver on the circuit.” And this back-and-forth is only good for the fans who can expect a good rivalry this year.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – AUGUST 25: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, waits on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 25, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
With Hamlin winning six of the first seven, they have now finished first and second nine times in total. Fans witnessed Larson’s celebration and his taunt as he finally defeated Hamlin in a head-to-head 1-2 finish for the first time in the Richmond race. It changed more than just a race. Kyle Larson has unquestionably gained momentum in early 2025, both on and off the track. According to internal retail rankings from Fanatics, Larson regained the top spot as NASCAR goods seller in March, dethroning Chase Elliott for the first time in more than four years.
Larson is arguably the torch bearer of his generation. Having won the championship, he now focused on other historic feats like completing a NASCAR weekend sweep or the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double. He’s pushing the sport forward and attracting the eyeballs like no other driver in the Cup Series garage. And this is why Harvick didn’t think twice before putting the NASCRA’s most popular driver crown on Larson’s head.
Well, the driver of the No. 5 car wasn’t just dominating in the Cup race this weekend; he put on a show for the fans on Saturday during the Xfinity race as well. And he has now admitted that he wanted to give the Xfinity drivers a reality check.
Kyle Larson feels Xfinity Series drivers need more learning to move up in the Cup Series
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ was on a hunt to complete the weekend sweep – win all three NASCAR races in the Trucks, Xfinity and the Cup Series. Chandler Smith spoiled his run after winning the Truck Series race, but Larson wanted to settle the business in the Xfinity Series. Remember, last time around, he attempted the sweep at Homestead, he lost in the Xfinity Series event.
To make up for his past shortcomings, he led 277 of 300 laps on Saturday and even lapped his rivals, bagging the win. It was his frustrations towards NASCAR for restricting Cup drivers to compete in lower series, along with schooling the young drivers. “This is going to come out cocky, but I want to embarrass them, honestly. I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don’t let the Cup guys run anymore, and the kids probably think they’re in a good spot, and they don’t know where the bar really is at,” Larson said.
For a long time, NASCAR wanted drivers who could speak their hearts out and show their personalities. Although we’ve had polarizing figures like Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain, the addition of Kyle Larson balances out that equation.
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