The fans have spoken, and Noah Gragson will fill the final lineup spot in Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This is the first time that Gragson, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, has won the All-Star Fan Vote, and this will be his first All-Star Race appearance.
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The fan vote has existed since 2004, when Ken Schrader won the inaugural polling. Kasey Kahne, in 2008, is the only fan vote winner who has gone on to win the All-Star Race. Kyle Petty, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer are also on the list of fan vote winners.
“We’ve been voted most popular driver in the trucks and the Xfinity Series, and then to get the fan vote in the Cup Series for this All-Star Race, it means a lot,” Gragson told NASCAR.com. “It means you get an opportunity to race for a million bucks. I know the car’s torn up; we’re working hard to get that back, but you still have an opportunity, and everybody’s been working really hard, campaigning for the fan vote. … It means a ton to me. It means a ton to be a part of this All-Star Weekend. I know as a little kid in Vegas, going to the NBA All-Star Game and then seeing all the All-Star stuff on TV as a kid, the little kid in me is super-excited.”
Drivers were eligible for the fan vote if they attempted to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500, had not won a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race yet or did not finish inside the top two in the NASCAR All-Star Open qualifying race. The top five in voting coming into the final weekend, along with Gragson, were AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Corey LaJoie and Ryan Preece.
All-Star Fan Vote winners:
| Year | Driver | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ken Schrader | 24 | 13 |
| 2005 | Martin Truex Jr. | 22 | 22 |
| 2006 | Kyle Petty | 20 | 8 |
| 2007 | Kenny Wallace | 21 | 16 |
| 2008 | Kasey Kahne | 24 | 1 |
| 2009 | Joey Logano | 21 | 8 |
| 2010 | Carl Edwards | 21 | 21 |
| 2011 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 21 | 14 |
| 2012 | Bobby Labonte | 23 | 19 |
| 2013 | Danica Patrick | 22 | 20 |
| 2014 | Josh Wise | 19 | 15 |
| 2015 | Danica Patrick | 6 | 20 |
| 2016 | Chase Elliott | 7 | 6 |
| 2017 | Chase Elliott | 20 | 7 |
| 2018 | Chase Elliott | 21 | 5 |
| 2019 | Alex Bowman | 19 | 8 |
| 2020 | Clint Bowyer | 20 | 15 |
| 2021 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | 17 |
| 2022 | Erik Jones | 24 | 20 |
| 2023 | Noah Gragson | 24 | TBD |