Like father, like son, they say, and in the case of the Elliotts, nothing could be more accurate.

The announcement that Chase Elliott made today about withdrawing from the Most Popular Award so that Kyle Busch can win it is winning hearts. But Elliott is just drawing a leaf from his father’s legacy. 

Back in 2001, when NASCAR lost one of its brightest gems to a last-lap crash in Daytona, a similar eerie silence filled the NASCAR world, similar to what we are seeing today after Kyle Busch’s tragic demise. 

When Dale Earnhardt Sr. lost his life on the track at Daytona, a lot of things changed all of a sudden. A leading voice in the sport was gone, someone who was a guiding light for many a driver was no more, and there was a void that seemed impossible to fill. 

As the emotions soared, a certain driver made a call so brilliant that the ripple effects can be seen today. Bill Elliott, who was a sure shot to win the Most Popular Driver Award, withdrew his name. Elliott had won the award 15 times already. 

But choosing to pull his name from the Ballot was a move that nobody expected, not even NASCAR and NMPA. But that’s what Bill did, and that showed the kind of person he was, beyond a racer trying to beat all his competitors. 

Elliott first won the award in 1984, and he went on a 5-year winning streak till 1988. Missing out to Darrell Waltrip in 1989 and 1990, from 1991 onwards, it was all Bill Elliott. 

He changed teams thrice from 1991 to 2000, but each of the 10 years, the Most Popular Driver award had the same name: Bill Elliott.

Why Bill Elliott Withdrew?

Bill Elliott had made the reasoning very clear; it was an award that Earnhardt had never won before, and it was one his family would never get a shot at again. 

“Being voted the Most Popular Driver for 15 years is certainly an honor. But this is a much different year than others. Dale Earnhardt never won this award, and I think it would be a tremendous honor for the Earnhardt family to receive it this year. I certainly don’t want to stand in the way of his family receiving this award,” said Bill. 

Dale Earnhardt did go on to win the award, and Junior went up to receive it. Dale Jr’s speech that day shook the audience, but even he wouldn’t know that an award his father won posthumously would be one he would go on to win 15 consecutive times till his own retirement.

The then-NASCAR president, Mike Helton, spoke in awe of Elliott’s decision. “Bill’s decision to step aside in the voting for the Most Popular Driver award demonstrated just why he has been such a popular driver for so many years. He always puts the sport — and his fellow driver — before himself. He’s not only a great driver. He’s a gentleman, too.”

Elliott won the award for a record 16th time in 2002 before he retired in 2003. Bill will surely be proud of the man Chase has grown up to be.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason