Dale Earnhardt Jr was officially named the Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series yesterday during a luncheon in New York City.  This is the 6th year in a row Junior was named as such.  If you are a NASCAR fan, you know this fact without a vote.  If you aren’t a NASCAR fan, you probably either semi-know this fact already because he is one of the drivers you might hear about when NASCAR is mentioned anywhere.

 ”I’ve been fortunate enough to win this award now for the sixth time, and I can tell you it never gets old,” Earnhardt Jr. said.  “I’ve said it many times before that this award is special because it’s the voice of the fans. 
 
“I think back to over a year ago when I made the decision to go to Hendrick Motorsports, and my biggest concern was whether the fans would support my decision. They did, and I will always be grateful for that.”

At some point yesterday, Junior was asked a question related to this award and the Nextel Cup championship and whether he would trade one for the other.  His answer was classic Junior – straight from the heart.

“Probably not. I don’t think I would,” he said. “That’s a tough question. I would not trade anything that I’ve ever been involved in, or anything that’s ever happened to me for a championship. I want to win a championship, and it’s important for me to win a championship, but I wouldn’t trade anything that’s happened to me in the form of accolades for that.”