On November 10, NASCAR held their end of the year award ceremonies where they honoured the champions for 2026.
Kaden Honeycutt was crowned the champion in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Justin Allgaier earned his second championship in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Kyle Larson was crowned the champion in the Cup Series to claim his third championship and join an elite group in NASCAR of just eleven drivers who have won at least three championships.
While the championships are determined on the track; the National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver is a fan driven award where the fans determines who takes home the award.
In the history of the Cup Series there has been just 22 different drivers with the names of Earnhardt and Elliott dominating the list. But it was no surprise this year when a new name arose out of the voting pool – Rowdy!
For the second time in the history of the sport, an Elliott stepped aside to allow for a posthumous award presentation. After winning 16 times, “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” Bill Elliott withdrew his name from the competition to make room for Dale Earnhardt Sr who had died at the beginning of the season on the final lap of the Daytona 500 when his car hit the wall head on.
And again this year, an Elliott stepped up; eight time Most Popular Driver Award winner Chase Elliott withdrew his name from the competition and put his support behind two time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch who died suddenly in May. Elliott said, “he has my vote, and I encourage those out there who want to get involved to show him that same love. It would be a really cool honor for him and his family.”
Over his two plus decade career, Kyle Busch drove in all three NASCAR series, earning a total of 234 race wins – his final win coming less than a week before his death in the Truck Series. Busch has 69 Craftsman Truck Series wins, 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (under the Xfinity Series), and 63 wins in the Cup Series.
The National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver winner in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier for the seventh time – fourth in a row.
In the Craftsman Truck Series, the National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver goes to a second generation driver – Layne Riggs. Just missing out on the championship, Riggs earned seven wins during the season. The 24 year old Riggs drives the number 34 truck for Front Row Motorsports.