NASCAR 101: NASCAR’s Most-Followed Drivers on Twitter

Being a NASCAR fan over the last decade or more has brought plenty of changes, few more prominent than the integration of social media into the sport (and, well, pretty much all things). Getting to know NASCAR’s personalities on a personal level used to be left to in-person meetings at the racetrack or other appearances; otherwise, the glimpses fans got of their favorites were via what was shown on TV or radio, and then there was the written word (see: print media or the occasional autobiography), too.

Fast forward to 2019. Not only is it easier to keep up with NASCAR news than ever before thanks to the Internet and its various news sources, but drivers themselves have become more accessible than ever before with their own accounts on various social media services, be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or another platform entirely.

Now we’re aware of what many NASCAR personalities do in their spare time. We’re perhaps more familiar with some of the sport’s friendships than ever before thanks to photos on social media or even simple interactions between drivers in comment threads. We’ve even figured out things as simple as cadences in their writing and the content with which they enjoy interacting online.

It’s arguable that no social media platform has had more impact on NASCAR than Twitter in particular. On race day, users are presented with a smorgasbord of options, whether it’s following lap-by-lap updates from live-tweeting journalists to posts from driver’s PR representatives or from the teams themselves that peel back the curtain to some extent, revealing things that might have otherwise only been available via a scanner. Whatever your preference, chances are your Twitter feed is inundated with content on the weekends from NASCAR types.

With over a decade under its belt at this point, it makes sense to check in on Twitter and see which of NASCAR’s drivers have accrued the biggest clout and following thus far.

Here, then, are multiple rankings of some of the most-followed drivers on Twitter, broken down by series and full- or part-time designations in some instances. The methodology here rounds each number to the nearest thousandth, save for numbers below 500, which are rounded to the nearest hundredth. The rankings include all drivers who’ve attempted at least one NASCAR national series race in 2019, plus a few others who have announced future attempts. The ranking also, of course, doesn’t include Paul Menard, because he apparently still can’t be bothered to make a Twitter. (No judgment, though. For real. Some days it seems like he has the best idea of all of us.) All metrics are current as of May 23, 2019.

Most Followers, All Drivers

1. Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson), 2.6 million
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr), 2.5 million
3. Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick), 983,000
4. Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch), 902,000
5. Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott), 817,000
6. Brad Keselowski (@keselowski), 758,000
7. Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin), 723,000
8. Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer), 679,000
9. Joey Logano (@joeylogano), 487,000
10. Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr), 453,000

Most Followers, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

1. Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson), 2.6 million
2. Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick), 983,000
3. Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch), 902,000
4. Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott), 817,000
5. Brad Keselowski (@keselowski), 758,000
6. Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin), 723,000
7. Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer), 679,000
8. Joey Logano (@joeylogano), 487,000
9. Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr), 453,000
10. Kyle Larson (KyleLarsonRacin), 402,000

Most Followers, Xfinity Series

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr), 2.5 million
2. Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch), 902,000
3. Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott), 817,000
4. Brad Keselowski (@keselowski), 758,000
5. Elliott Sadler (@Elliott_Sadler), 302,000
6. Austin Dillon (@austindillon3), 280,000
7. AJ Allmendinger (@AJDinger), 217,000
8. Justin Allgaier (@J_Allgaier), 127,000
9. Landon Cassill (@landoncassill), 75,000
10. Ryan Truex (@Ryan_Truex), 73,000

Most Followers, Xfinity Series (Full-Time [or Nearly Full-Time] Drivers)

1. Justin Allgaier (@J_Allgaier), 127,000
2. Michael Annett (@MichaelAnnett), 58,000
3. Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing), 48,000
4. Timmy Hill (@TimmyHillRacer), 36,000
5. Cole Custer (@ColeCuster), 32,000
6. John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek), 30,000
7. Noah Gragson (@NoahGragson), 29,000
8. Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick), 25,000
9. Ross Chastain (@RossChastain), 23,000
10. Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe5), 17,000

Most Followers, Gander Outdoors Truck Series

1. Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch), 902,000
2. Austin Dillon (@austindillon3), 280,000
3. Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace), 193,000
4. David Gilliland (@DavidGilliland), 75,000
5. Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman), 74,000
6. Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil), 65,000
7. Joe Nemechek (@FrontRowJoe87), 62,000
8. Jennifer Jo Cobb (@JenJoCobb), 61,000
9. Matt Crafton (@Matt_Crafton), 57,000
10. Timothy Peters (@TimothyPeters_), 48,000

Most Followers, Gander Outdoors Truck Series (Full-Time [or Nearly Full-Time] Drivers)

1. Joe Nemechek (@FrontRowJoe87), 62,000
2. Jennifer Jo Cobb (@JenJoCobb), 61,000
3. Matt Crafton (@Matt_Crafton), 57,000
4. Natalie Decker (@NatalieRacing), 35,000
5. Johnny Sauter (@JohnnySauter), 28,000
6. Jordan Anderson (@j66anderson), 26,000
7. Ross Chastain (@RossChastain), 23,000
8. Harrison Burton (@HBurtonRacing), 20,000
9. Ben Rhodes (@benrhodes), 19,000
10. Brett Moffitt (@Brett_Moffitt), 18,000

Most Followers, No Full-Time Series

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (DaleJr), 2.5 million
2. Jamie McMurray (@jamiemcmurray), 318,000
3. Elliott Sadler (@Elliott_Sadler), 302,000
4. AJ Allmendinger (AJDinger), 217,000
5. David Gilliland (@DavidGilliland), 75,000
6. Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman), 74,000
7. Ryan Truex (@Ryan_Truex), 73,000
8. Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil), 65,000
9. Brendan Gaughan (@Brendan62), 59,000
10. Jeb Burton (@JebBurtonRacing), 52,000
10. Jeffrey Earnhardt (@JEarnhardt1), 52,000

Kevin Rutherford

Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.