Fan voting set to open for NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver award
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DARLINGTON, SC - SEPTEMBER 05: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Valvoline Chevrolet, left, signs his autograph for young fans at an autgraph session prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 5, 2015 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images)
Voting for the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Sprint Most Popular Driver award is set to open at 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday. The award is the only major NASCAR award determined entirely by fan votes.
The voting period will last from this Sunday until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 22, with fans being able to cast their votes on www.mostpopulardriver.com and the NASCAR mobile app. Fans can cast one vote per person per email address per day, and are encouraged to share their votes on social media.
The NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver award has been in existence since 1953, with Lee Petty winning the award in the first two seasons. A total of 19 drivers have earned the award since its inception.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bill Elliott has won the award a record 16 times, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. has forged an impressive streak of his own by winning it for the last 12 years.
"The Most Popular Driver award is one of the NMPA's most significant awards, and I'm very pleased to partner with Sprint again this year," said NMPA president Brian Nelson. "We expect the 2015 vote to be one of the biggest yet."
The award winner will be announced during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards on Dec. 4 in Las Vegas. The winning driver will have a $10,000 donation made to the charity of his or her choice.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Previous winners of the NMPA Sprint Most Popular Driver Award:
Year -- Recipient
2014 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2013 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2012 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2011 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2010 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2009 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2008 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2007 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2006 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2005 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2004 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2003 -- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
2002 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}2001 -- Dale Earnhardt
2000 -- Bill Elliott
1999 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1998 -- Bill Elliott
1997 -- Bill Elliott
1996 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1995 -- Bill Elliott
1994 -- Bill Elliott
1993 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1992 -- Bill Elliott
1991 -- Bill Elliott
1990 -- Darrell Waltrip
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1989 -- Darrell Waltrip
1988 -- Bill Elliott
1987 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1986 -- Bill Elliott
1985 -- Bill Elliott
1984 -- Bill Elliott
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1983 -- Bobby Allison
1982 -- Bobby Allison
1981 -- Bobby Allison
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1980 -- David Pearson
1979 -- David Pearson
1978 -- Richard Petty
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1977 -- Richard Petty
1976 -- Richard Petty
1975 -- Richard Petty
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1974 -- Richard Petty
1973 -- Bobby Allison
1972 -- Bobby Allison
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1971 -- Bobby Allison
1970 -- Richard Petty
1969 -- Bobby Isaac
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1968 -- Richard Petty
1967 -- Cale Yarborough
1966 -- Darel Dieringer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1965 -- Fred Lorenzen
1964 -- Richard Petty
1963 -- Fred Lorenzen
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1962 -- Richard Petty
1961 -- Joe Weatherly
1960 -- Rex White
1959 -- Jack Smith
1958 -- Glen Wood
1957 -- Fireball Roberts
1956 -- Curtis Turner
1955 -- Tim Flock
1954 -- Lee Petty
1953 -- Lee Petty