Dale Earnhardt Jr. is gone, so who will be the most popular NASCAR driver?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is gone, so who will be the most popular driver in NASCAR?

CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 20: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 Mountain Dew Chevrolet, Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, and Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Haas Automation Ford, pose with their trophies after qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /

3 of 6

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 18: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

4. Ryan Blaney

This is more of a hunch than the other entries on our list simply because Blaney just finished his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season, and we don’t have any Most Popular Driver voting data upon which to see if he’s even near the top. It would not be a shock to see him in the top 10.

Why? Well, he’s one of the most personable and media savvy racers around. Blaney already his own podcast and a loyal following on Twitter. He’s got love from old school race fans too after he put the beloved Wood Brothers Ford back in Victory Lane this season.

Despite his good looks and superstar-type talent, he’s also down to Earth. They don’t give out a trophy for being the biggest Star Wars and comic book fan in the garage, but if they did, Blaney would win it.

To top it all off, Blaney is moving to Team Penske, one of the highest profile teams in the sport, for the 2018 season. His star is quite simply on the rise, and though he could be a year or two away from true Most Popular Driver contender status, he may arrive earlier than we think.

Home/NASCAR