Earnhardt voted Most Popular Driver for seventh straight season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 3, 2009) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was awarded his seventh consecutive NASCAR NMPA Most Popular Driver award Thursday in Las Vegas during the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards event at The Venetian Las Vegas Hotel Casino. The result was determined by online voting during the course of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Earnhardt joins Bill Elliott and Richard Petty as the only drivers to win the award at least seven times. His seven in a row falls short only to Elliott, who won 10 straight from 1991-2000. Earnhardt Jr. now sits behind Elliott (16) and Richard Petty (9) for most total awards. “I’m extremely honored to win this award again,” said Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. “As always, I want to thank the fans. They’ve stuck with us, and I’m always humbled by that.”