Paul Menard Mentioned More Often Than Dale Earnhardt Jr. On NASCAR TV Broadcasts

There seems to be a disconnect between the drivers who get mentioned by NASCAR TV broadcasters and the drivers who fans want to hear about the most.

The lastest figures from marketing firm Joyce Julius & Associates were released on Wednesday and show that Paul Menard’s name has been mentioned more times this season than Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s.

Sure, Menard won the Brickyard 400 this season – but has his year really warranted being mentioned more often than NASCAR’s most popular driver?

Both Menard (who received the ninth-most mentions of any driver as of the Bristol race) and Earnhardt Jr. (10th) aren’t mentioned nearly as often as the top driver, though.

In fact, Menard and Earnhardt Jr.‘s mentions combined still don’t equal the number of times Kyle Busch’s name has been discussed on NASCAR broadcasts this year.

Busch has been mentioned 3,829 times – nearly 800 times more than the second-place driver, Jeff Gordon. In addition, Busch has also been interviewed the most often (38 times) and has the most interview time (52 minutes).

After Gordon, it’s Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin. Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Menard and Earnhardt Jr. round out the top 10.

Amazingly, Brad Keselowski was not among the 10 most-mentioned drivers through Bristol, nor was Kevin Harvick.

You can visit the Joyce Julius web site to see the full top 10.