Study Reveals NASCAR Fans Really, REALLY Hate Bubba Wallace

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NASCAR fans are historically ruthless when it comes to who they love and who they hate. In recent years, one driver - Bubba Wallace - has arguably been the biggest lightning rod the sport has ever seen.  Bubba has a passionate fanbase, a superstar owner in Michael Jordan, and enough sponsorship to last a lifetime. Of course, there's also plenty of fans who despise him. Whether it be the much-maligned "noose" incident back in 2020, the constant media coverage of Wallace being the Cup Series' only Black driver, or Bubba's occasional flair for dramatics, he certainly has some naysayers. Don't take my word for it, though.

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace certainly moves the needle.

Bubba Wallace is a lightning rod for NASCAR fans. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Bubba Wallace is most disliked NASCAR driver

According to a study done by Gambling.com, Bubba Wallace is far and away the most hated driver in NASCAR. The study utilized the social listening tool Linkfluence,

Denny Hamlin is apparently the fourth-most hated driver in NASCAR (15%), while Kyle Busch checks in at a surprisingly-low ninth with just over 12%. I'm thinking neither of those two drivers will lose much sleep over that revelation.

NASCAR driver Chase Elliott apparently isn't as loved as you'd think.

Chase Elliott is supposed to be NASCAR Most Popular Driver, but is he? (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)

Chase Elliott isn't as popular as you think

Daniel Suarez (44% positive) took the No. 1 spot as the sport's "most loved" driver of 2022. Take that, Chase Elliott fans! Suarez's win at Sonoma in June pushed him over the edge, with over 62% positive tweets coming from that victory. Credit to Daniel Suarez for somehow getting 62% of Twitter to actually agree on something! Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric came in second at 42%, followed by Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman. Elliott - NASCAR's Most Popular Driver three years in a row - didn't even crack the top-10.    

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Zach grew up in Florida, lives in Florida, and will never leave Florida ... for obvious reasons. He's a reigning fantasy football league champion, knows everything there is to know about NASCAR, and once passed out (briefly!) during a lap around Daytona. He swears they were going 200 mph even though they clearly were not.