While all of the big awards will be handed out on Saturday night at the annual NASCAR Awards Night, a few awards have been announced including the Most Popular Driver Award.

In what could be considered the worst kept secret in NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports driver of the number nine car Chase Elliott wins the fan voted 2022 National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award for the fifth time.  Elliott’s father Bill (Awesome Bill form Dawsonville) holds the record for the most award wins with 16.  Dale Earnhardt Jr holds second place with 15 wins.  Richard Petty and Bobby Allison have won the award eight times each.

This is Elliott’s seventh overall MPD Award after winning the award twice while in the Xfinity Series.

In the Xfinity Series, Noah Gragson just missed out on the championship after winning eight races during the season including tying Sam Ard for four in a row; but Gragson did win the Most Popular Driver in his final year in the Xfinity Series.  He beat out teammate Justin Allgaier, who has won for the past three years, to earn his first MPD Award.  Gragson is moving up to the Cup Series for 2023 to driver the Petty GMS number 42 car.  Gragson won the award in 2018 while driving in the Camping World Truck Series.

Young female driver Hailie Deegan takes home the Most Popular Driver Award in the Camping World Truck Series for her second award win.  Deegan was the first female driver to win the award in the Truck Series and only the second female in NASCAR history.


Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks is the winner of the 2022 National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award winner. 

No stranger to either side of racing, Marks saw both of his drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez win races in only the second year of operation for Trackhouse Racing.  Before becoming a team owner, Marks drove in IMSA including the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, ARCA, and all three of the NASCAR racing series.

Voted on by NMPA members, the Myers Brothers Award is presented for outstanding contributions to stock car racing.  Marks beat out Rodney Childers, Kurt Busch, Goodyear, and Speedway Motorsports for the award.


NASCAR sponsor Advanced Auto Parts has bee presented with the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award for 2022.

Along with sponsoring cars and races at the NASCAR level, Advanced Auto Parts also supports local tracks and drivers and most recently partnered with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.

Executive vice president of Merchandising, marketing, and e-commerce at Advance Auto Parts Jason McDonell spoke on the award saying, “Advance Auto Parts is very honored to receive this award.  Since becoming a partner of NASCAR, our team has been focused on supporting grassroots racing through programs like Advance My Track Challenge and the Drive for Diversity Combine. As the Official Auto Parts Retailer of NASCAR, we look forward to our continued partnership, leading programs that advance local racing while serving as the auto parts provider of choice for race fans.”