Most Popular Driver Voting Exceeds 1 Million Mark; Social Media Providing Boost To Balloting

More than one million votes have been cast for the 2009 NASCAR National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) x Most Popular Driver Award. Fans now have just seven more weeks to help vote their preferred drivers into the field of 10 finalists.

The 10 drivers currently pulling in the most votes: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. The five drivers just outside the top 10 are Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler, Marcos Ambrose, Robby Gordon and Mark Martin.

Fans have been voting at http://www.chexmostpopulardriver.com since the NASCAR Sprint Cup season began in February. The full field of 44 drivers will remain eligible for votes until after the Richmond International Raceway event on September 13, when the 10 drivers with the most votes will be announced as finalists. At that time, the vote count will reset to zero and fans will have 10 race weeks to cast their votes to determine the 2009 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver.

Voting will conclude Nov. 23 at 11:59 p.m. CT and the winner will be announced at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon in Las Vegas in December