Chase Elliott’s Heartfelt Triumph Crushes Denny Hamlin’s Last Hope: A Brutal Banquet Reminder That in NASCAR, Popularity Packs a Bigger Punch Than 60 Wins

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The confetti cannons had cooled, the championship trophies gleamed under the ballroom lights, and Kyle Larson’s second Cup Series crown still hung heavy in the air like the scent of fresh Goodyear rubber. But at the 2025 NASCAR Awards Banquet on Tuesday night, the real gut punch landed not from a late-race caution or an overtime restart – it came from a simple envelope, a fan-voted honor, and a soft-spoken Georgian named Chase Elliott who, without uttering a single pointed word, buried Denny Hamlin’s fragile offseason dreams deeper than Phoenix’s desert sands.

Hamlin arrived in Scottsdale nursing wounds that no victory lane hug could heal. Just five days earlier, at the finale where he led a staggering 208 of 312 laps – a masterclass in dominance that screamed “champion” from every angle – fate (or a debris-induced William Byron spin) flipped the script. Overtime chaos ensued, Larson pounced from the rear, and Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota faded to runner-up, marking his agonizing 0-for-6 in title hunts. “Numb,” he called it on his podcast, a man who’d stacked six wins – double the champ’s total – and a blistering 7.8 average finish, only to watch the Bill France Trophy slip away again. At 45, with an ailing father cheering from afar and a legacy teetering on “what ifs,” Hamlin clung to one sliver of solace: the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award. A fan-voted pat on the back, no pit strategy required. “I’ve never cracked the top 10,” he admitted pre-banquet, his voice laced with rare vulnerability. “If it happens… man, that’d mean something.” It was his Hail Mary – a chance for the paddock’s resident villain, the blunt-talking agitator with 60 career triumphs, to finally feel the love amid the boos.

The room buzzed with electric anticipation as emcee Rutledge Wood cracked open the envelope. “And your 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver is… Chase Elliott – for the eighth straight year!” Thunderous applause erupted, a standing ovation that shook the chandeliers. Elliott, the 29-year-old Hendrick Motorsports star and 2020 champ, claimed 56% of the votes, leaving Hamlin – a surprise finalist alongside Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Larson – in the dust. Eighth consecutive? That’s elite air – joining only his father Bill (16 wins), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15), and Richard Petty (8) in the record books for sustained fan adoration. The NMPA award, a staple since 1965, has crowned an Elliott or Earnhardt for 35 straight years – a dynasty of likability NASCAR can’t quit.

Elliott bounded onstage, his No. 9 Hooters Chevy jacket slung over one shoulder like a cape, and what followed wasn’t a victory lap – it was a masterclass in why fans flock to him like moths to a checkered flag. No braggadocio, no shade-throwing jabs at the guy in the shadows. Just pure, unfiltered gratitude that wrapped the room in warmth. “Thank you for the votes,” he began, voice steady but eyes wide with genuine awe. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day to support us – to support me – in that way.” He paused, letting it sink in, then pivoted to the heartstrings: “It’s so much more than the votes. It’s about the people, the support I get to see firsthand. It blows me away every year to travel across the country and see just how passionate y’all are about what we’re doing.”

The crowd – drivers, crew, media, and a sea of orange-clad superfans – ate it up, roaring like they’d just witnessed a last-lap pass at Talladega. Elliott, ever the everyman despite his legacy bloodlines, doubled down: “I think I have some of the best fans in the world. I really appreciate you guys supporting me and pushing us, wanting the best for our team – being there on the good days and the bad.” It was a subtle nod to his own 2025 rollercoaster: two wins, sure, but a playoff miss after a P3 at Martinsville, an average finish of 12.6, and whispers of rust after injury-plagued ’24. Yet here he was, untouchable in the popularity polls, promising more: “I know this year had a couple high spots, but I’m always looking to bring you guys more. I want to give you something to be proud of each and every week. I’m excited to do more of that for you next year.” “I’m forever grateful – whether we win this award or don’t.” The humility? Palpable. The connection? Electric. As he wrapped, vowing time off before a “fired up” 2026 charge, the ovation swelled anew – a tidal wave of affection Hamlin could only watch from his table.

For Hamlin, it was the knockout blow in a week of uppercuts. The Phoenix heartbreak still raw, this fan-voted snub twisted the knife. He’d cracked the top five finalists for the first time – a “shock” in his words – buoyed perhaps by a mid-season surge in empathy after his Las Vegas milestone win, an emotional nod to his father’s health battle. But 56% to… well, the rest? It wasn’t close. Hamlin’s edge-walking persona – the sharp-tongued podcaster, the on-track enforcer unafraid of a bump draft – has always polarized. Love him for the grit, loathe him for the glare. Elliott? He’s the anti-Hamlin: clean-cut, soft-spoken, raised in the Georgia dirt by a Hall of Famer, with a racing style as smooth as his drawl. Debuting in 2015, he won hearts instantly – no villain arc required.

As the night wound down, Larson – fresh off his emotional shoutout to Hamlin (“Nobody works harder… he raises the bar”) – hoisted his hardware, but the subtext lingered. Hamlin, silent post-announcement, later posted a measured X reflection: “Grateful for the support this year. Almost perfect – we’ll get the rest in ’26.” But off-mic sources whisper of a man retreating to Virginia, questioning if 60 wins and a near-perfect season mean squat without the fans’ embrace.

This banquet bombshell crystallizes NASCAR’s brutal truth: speed wins races, but love wins legacies. Elliott didn’t just snag glass – he solidified his stranglehold as the sport’s beating heart, a bridge from Petty’s era to tomorrow’s stars. Hamlin? He’s the relentless engine, revving toward redemption, forever chasing both the trophy and the cheers. In a garage where rivalries fuel the fire, Elliott’s velvet glove reminds us: in 2025, the real horsepower? It’s in the hearts of the heartland.

As confetti swirled one last time, one question echoed louder than the applause: In NASCAR’s high-octane soap opera, does villainy ever trump virtue? Hamlin’s offseason odyssey says no – at least not yet. But with 2026 looming, the villain might just script his own fairy tale. Or, like Phoenix, watch it slip away again.

NASCAR Awards highlights stream on Peacock. 2026 schedules drop December 1.