This season, SB Nation measured the crowd noise during pre-race driver introductions with a handheld decibel meter and published the rankings each week.
We took measurements from NASCAR fans at 29 races overall, so there was a decent-sized sample to work with for our cumulative season rankings.
To come up with the final list, we gave drivers points based on their finishing order in the weekly top 10. If a driver got the most noise in a given week, he was awarded 10 points; if he finished 10th, he received one point, and so on.
We totaled up the points, and the ranking below is the result.
The winner comes as no surprise. Dale Earnhardt Jr. consistently received the most crowd noise (he topped the list in 13 weeks) and was recently named the sport's most popular driver for the eighth straight year.
But this ranking may offer some insight into how the other star drivers stack up.
Does it surprise you that enough people booed Juan Pablo Montoya this season to put him in the top 10? Or that championship contender Denny Hamlin receives very little noise each week compared to other drivers?
Also, it's worth noting the dramatic drop-off after the top six. While any driver on the top half of the list was capable of getting the most noise in a given week (all but Tony Stewart topped the list at least once), none of the drivers in the bottom half ever finished higher than third.
Check out the full list below and tell us what you think.
| Driver | Score | Typical Noise | |||
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 249.0 | Cheers | ||
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 224.0 | Boos | ||
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 220.0 | Boos | ||
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 182.0 | Cheers | ||
| 5 | Jeff Gordon | 181.0 | Mixed | ||
| 6 | Mark Martin | 166.0 | Cheers | ||
| 7 | Carl Edwards | 63.5 | Mixed | ||
| 8 | Kasey Kahne | 62.0 | Cheers | ||
| 9 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 40.5 | Boos | ||
| 10 | Kurt Busch | 32.5 | Boos | ||
| 11 | Kevin Harvick | 32.0 | Cheers | ||
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | 29.5 | Mixed |
2 comments
Final 2010 Rankings: Which 12 Drivers Got The Most Crowd Noise This Year?
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Comments
Wow shocked that Johnson beat out KyBusch in boos….
by Len_DiJoseph on Dec 29, 2010 11:33 AM EST reply actions
Interesting
It’s interesting that only 5 out of 12 got Cheers as opposed to Mixed or Boos. Also interesting that the Champion got boos but the non-chaser got cheers. It just goes to show the fans know who they like and are not swayed by the media. Now if Steve and Jr can improve this year, attendance and ratings might just go up. Here’s hoping for a great 2011.
by factfinder on Dec 29, 2010 11:34 AM EST reply actions
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