Denny Hamlin is the most Googled NASCAR driver

New research by Westgate Events has revealed the most Googled NASCAR drivers in America and in each state, with Denny Hamlin taking the top spot.

The research conducted by Westgate Events analyzed Google search data for all NASCAR drivers since the start of 2026 to determine which driver is the most talked about. From there, each driver’s social media profiles were put into The Social Cat Instagram Engagement tool to see how much they can earn from this popularity.

The study revealed Denny Hamlin as the most Googled NASCAR racer of the year so far with 172,208 average searches per month in America. Despite never winning a Cup Series championship, Hamlin was the most Googled NASCAR driver in 25 states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine and Idaho. Denny Hamlin can earn an estimated $30,900 from a sponsored post on his Instagram thanks to this popularity. He has an engagement rate of 7.49% which is above the standard of 3.5% according to Hootsuite and has nearly 320,000 followers.

Kyle Larson received the second highest number of Google searches in America so far in 2026. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is being Googled 149,833 times on average each month across the US. There are 15 states where Kyle Larson is the most searched for driver, but he’s searched the most in California, his home state and Pennsylvania and Indiana. On social media, Larson also benefits from this influence and popularity. He has more followers than Denny Hamlin at 411,000 but a significantly lower engagement rate with those followers at 2.02%. This means that through a sponsored post, Larson could earn up to $10,800 per post.

Bubba Wallace is the third most Googled NASCAR star. Wallace has been Googled 146,183 times per month this year. Bubba Wallace was the most Googled driver in five states: Alabama, Texas, Maryland, Louisiana and Mississippi. His active social media presence benefits him too, with Wallace earning a potential $17,900 per sponsored post thanks to his huge following of 568,000 and an engagement rate of 2.42%.

The fourth most Googled NASCAR driver, and second most Googled from the Hendrick Motorsports team is Chase Elliott. From Dawsonville, Georgia and part of NASCAR royalty, Elliott is Googled 139,892 times per month across America. Chase Elliott is followed by 512,000 accounts on Instagram, and has an engagement rate of 2.95% leading to potential earnings per sponsored post of $19,700. Perhaps not surprisingly, he is the most Googled NASCAR racer in Georgia, but he is also the most Googled in three other states: Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Rounding out the top five, with 109,458 average monthly searches in the US, is Kyle Busch. Busch is the first driver in the list not to be the most searched for in any particular state, nor is he the second most Googled in any state. He is, however, the third most Googled in four states: Iowa, Montana, Nevada and New Hampshire. Busch stands to earn up to $5,380 per sponsored post based on his social media following. He has 460,000 followers but the lowest engagement rate of the top five at 0.90%.

Following Kyle Busch is Tyler Reddick who ranks as the sixth most Googled NASCAR driver of the year so far, being searched 86,417 times per month, significantly lower than Busch. Reddick comes from California, but searches for the driver come from Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas. Despite having a lower search volume, Tyler Reddick has a dedicated fan base on social media with an engagement rate of 19.71% from his 143,000 followers. This means, he could earn up to $36,700 per social media sponsored post, far more than any other driver ahead of him in the search rankings.

In seventh place is Connor Zilisch. Zilisch is searched for 79,292 times per month throughout the country. Despite only being 19, Zilisch has made an impact by being the sixth most searched for racer in several states including California, North Carolina and New York. The racer can earn up to $17,400 from a single sponsored post to his 80,000 followers on Instagram, where he gets an impressive 16.75% engagement rate.

Two racers from Team Penske place eighth and ninth respectively. These are Joey Logano in eighth and Ryan Blaney in ninth. Joey Logano is searched for 76,933 times per month while Blaney is searched for 67,058 times per month. Logano has one of the highest possible earnings from social media thanks to his high follower count and high engagement rate. Out of his 355,000 followers, 8.80% regularly engage in his content meaning he can earn up to $40,600 per sponsored post. On the other hand, Ryan Blaney stands to earn $8,840 despite a similar number of followers (308,000), but a significantly lower engagement rate of 2.21%.

Closing out the top ten most Googled NASCAR drivers is Carson Hocevar. Every month in the US, there are an average of 55,767 searches made for the Spire Motorsports driver. While this is a third of Denny Hamlin, Hocevar is the highest social media earner in the top ten with potential earnings of $49,200 thanks to a 17.38% engagement rate across his following of 218,000 accounts on Instagram.

America’s Most Googled NASCAR Drivers

Commenting on the study regarding the most Googled NASCAR drivers, a spokesperson from Westgate Events said:

“Every month, there are a quarter of a million searches for the NASCAR schedule in the US, showing just how popular the sport is, but what this study shows is who exactly fans want to really see race.

“There’s a mix of racers that make the top ten, from legends such as Kyle Busch and newer racers like Connor Zilisch. However, Denny Hamlin’s high ranking is likely due to the fact that he’s the only racer in the top ten to also have some sort of ownership on a team too, doubling the interest in him and highlighting how ventures off the track can contribute to a racer’s popularity and influence on the sport itself.

“For less seasoned racers, having a strong social media following is incredibly beneficial. A good collaboration with a brand can lead to thousands of dollars in earnings that can really benefit the driver financially outside of their main income.”

Instagram Influence and Estimated Sponsored Post Earnings

— Westgate Events —