MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Race fans passionate about their favorite drivers pushed voting past the 1 million mark this week for the 2009 NASCAR National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Chex Most Popular Driver Award. Fans now have just seven more weeks to help vote their preferred drivers into the field of Top-10 finalists.

The 10 drivers currently pulling in the most votes are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. The five drivers just outside the Top 10 are Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler, Marcos Ambrose, Robby Gordon and Mark Martin.

Fans have been voting at http://www.chexmostpopulardriver.com/ since the NASCAR Sprint Cup season began in February. The full field of 44 drivers will remain eligible for votes until after the Richmond International Raceway event on September 13, when the 10 drivers with the most votes will be announced as Top-10 finalists. At that time, the vote count will reset to zero and fans will have 10 race weeks to cast their votes to determine the 2009 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver. Voting will conclude November 23 at 11:59 PM CT and the winner will be announced at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon in Las Vegas in December.

Voters can keep tabs on the standings with help from social media sites. The 2009 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award is now using Facebook and Twitter to keep fans up to date and engaged in the voting campaign.

The campaign’s new Facebook page includes updates on fan voting, trivia, contests and polls on other racing “favorites.” Messages will also remind fans when voting deadlines are nearing so they don’t miss any opportunities to vote for their favorite driver. Fans can visit the Facebook Chex Most Popular Driver page and click on “Become a Fan” to get NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award updates on their Facebook home page.

Fans can also look for updates via Twitter from Victoria Lane, host of http://www.theracinggal.com/. Lane now sends “tweets” – posted messages that must be 140 characters or fewer – to keep fans in tune with the NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award campaign. She will also keep readers apprised of things the drivers do (or don’t do) that might affect their popularity. Twitter users can follow Lane at www.twitter.com/theracinggal.

Fans can vote once day at http://www.chexmostpopulardriver.com/. Voters can also visit http://www.theracinggal.com/ each week to see if current voting has their favorite driver among the award contenders.

Chex Cereal has been on breakfast tables for more than 60 years and has been a proud sponsor of the NASCAR NMPA Most Popular Driver Award since 2005. Voters are not only encouraged to vote every day for their favorite driver, but are also reminded to start their engines with Chex cereal and enjoy race day with their favorite Chex recipes from http://www.chex.com/.

For more information and to vote on the NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award, fans should go to http://www.chexmostpopulardriver.com/.