Chex cereal will begin sponsoring the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award for the Nextel Cup Series beginning this season. The award is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association. Voting for the more than 40 drivers eligible for the only fan-based award in motorsports begins Tuesday, Feb. 1, at www.mostpopulardriver.com and continues through 11:59am/ct, Monday, Nov. 21. Fans may vote once each day at the site. The Chex NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award has been sponsored by General Mills since the start of the 2002 season. In that time period, more than 9.3 million votes have been cast. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the award the past two years. The Most Popular Driver Award dates back to 1956, making it one of the oldest and most traditional awards in NASCAR racing. It began as a simple poll of the drivers and later grew to incorporate all NASCAR Nextel Cup competitors. Later, it included all NASCAR members. Today, it is a prestigious award voted on by racing fans throughout the world. Through the years, voters choices have ranged from the obvious to the surprising. Bill Elliotts 16 most popular wins tops all drivers. He is followed by Richard Petty, who has won nine times. Dale Earnhardt Jr.s win last year made him the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win the award in consecutive seasons, while his win in 2003 made him and his father, the late Dale Earnhardt, the only father-son combination to have won. Other past winners have included such notables as Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.(Williams Company Site)(1-26-2005)
