Racing gas is leaded, 104 octane. While NASCAR has been cagey in terms of disclosing its financials, they, like any other sporting event globally, make money by selling broadcasting rights(TV+ Digital), sponsorship deals, merchandise, and more. Most people know that the National Football League (NFL) is the most popular sport on TV, but it may raise a few eyebrows to hear that the second highest-rated sport is NASCAR the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Over the weekend, drivers live in motorhomes for three days at the track. How much does a tire changer make on a NASCAR team? The most expensive location is on the hood of a race car, most prominent during TV broadcasts. Grand Prix drivers began commanding serious salaries in the late 1970s, with Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter recognized as some of the first to push pay boundaries. How many cars can fit in a NASCAR hauler? NASCAR drivers make anywhere from $50,000 to over $15 million per year, depending on how successful, established, and popular they are.The lower end of the salary range is usually made up of entry-level drivers getting their foot in the door. Truex finished second in the 2018 Cup standings but lost his ride when Furniture Row ceased operations. Driver Salaries 2022: View other Nascar salaries How much activity is considered active for a dog? They also make millions more dollars from sponsorships and endorsements. One other drawback to NASCAR is the low number of drivers. These purses were lucrative, with winners making $47,500 and the losers taking home a cool $8,500 on average. He ran four Cup races for Germain racing at 10 percent of prize money. Without the help of electronic devices, humans make mistakes. These kinds of experts are usually very good at math and logic and are able to solve complex problems. The next few possible steps can be getting used to go-karts and smaller cars before graduating to the bigger racing ones, taking part in local races, learning the mechanics of the car, and attending a NASCAR driving course. Leading up to the 2020 Daytona 500 was setat a mind-boggling $23.6 millionbefore the race a record for the sport and the first time that a purse was recorded in over five years. Kyle Busch. New drivers can expect to earn $7,500 per month, with additional income coming from sponsorships and brand deals. The gas comes from a central tank to ensure teams don't add additives. More is known number wise of who's racing in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful, Address: Apt. "The average is in the middle, more in the $150,000-160,000 range." Another contributor said: "Not many are over $250,000. Being a middling NASCAR driver can make a team millions if they have the right combination of skill and sponsorship. How much does a tire changer make on a NASCAR team? With 625 horsepower pushing their 3450 pounds around super speedways, ovals, short tracks and the occasional road course, NASCAR's trucks are fun to watch and challenging to drive. You May Also Like- When does NASCAR start in 2021? At this point, its pretty evident that winners are the only drivers who earn a consistently high salary. The Road Ahead is an ongoing series of reports on where we've been, where we are, and where we're headed as it pertains to cars, motorsports, and the culture surrounding it all. Johnson is also signed with Hendrick through 2020. Then there's the middle tier, which spends between $10-15Million+ per year. The two drivers provide a perfect representation of how age and experience impact overall earnings. The 10 top-earning drivers made $116 million combined last year from salaries, endorsements and their share of race winnings and licensing revenue. Give it a spin with our salary calculator. Racing is mainly made up of three things: power, driver, and torque. It gets harder every yeareven for proven winners and past champions. And you dont have to win at the Cup level to draw big bucks; Casey Mears and Brian Vickers, were in high demand (sans a Cup win) when their contracts expired. How many haulers does a NASCAR team have? The finances of motorsports are highly complex and, in some cases, can be confidential information. You add the endorsement money to that, and the figure is anything but shabby. At first glance, the question of how much a NASCAR driver makes may seem like it has a fairly straightforward answer, but the truth tends to be a bit more complicated. "But most of the guys are nowhere near that. The top four highest earners remain the same - Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Salaries can vary greatly depending on several factors, such as rate of wins, career length, and public sentiment. Larson lost one of his car's sponsors, DC Solar, when the FBI raided its headquarters and the home of the company's founders in December. How much money do announcers for NASCAR earn? This can range anywhere from $50,000 at the entry level to over $15 million for established drivers such as Kyle Busch. 23. Media-savvy drivers make significant gains here and there, but the simple truth is that there are no substitutes for raw talent, hard work, and a determined, confident attitude. What makes him NASCAR's highest-paid driver is that he participates in all three NASCAR series, including the truck series, the Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott ranks among top-earning drivers for the first time thanks to a new four-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that started in 2018 and pushed his base salary into the mid-seven figures range. If there's one form of motorsport where the per-event scale exceeds what a LeBron James earns on straight salary, it's F1. The specialized NASCAR fuel is Sunoco Green E15, a 98 octane, unleaded fuel blend specifically engineered for high-performance engines and race cars. NASCAR drivers also make money from winnings, endorsements and merchandise money. Second, drivers earn money from race winnings. The middle 57% of Nascar Drivers makes between $103,862 and $260,376, with the top 86% making $577,997. For example, the average NBA salary is about double the typical salary. The top drivers in the sport dont do as well when theyre compared to other sports. First, NASCAR drivers are paid a salary by their teams. They must also have some stage presence, or audiences will not enjoy watching or listening to them. NEWS: NASCAR issues a deduction of 50 driver and 50 owner points to the No. NASCAR stopped releasing those numbers after the 2015 season. The haulers that transport the car cost approximately $400,000 each and are replaced every five years. These people often have an equal passion for the sport but do not participate firsthand (NASCAR is not an easy sport to get into, after all). New Rules change for 2020:- Must possess personal tools and equipment. How much horsepower does a NASCAR Truck Series truck have? 31. People practising the career in Denver make the most, at the amount as mentioned earlier. How much does a NASCAR pit crew make? The contract covers the 2019 and 2020 season. NASCAR, owned by the France family, owns the majority of the tracks. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. As you can see in the charts below, the highest-paid Formula 1 drivers make about twice as much money as their counterparts in NASCAR, with Lewis Hamilton earning $40 million per year compared to Kyle Buschs $16.9 million. Without technical expertise, drivers lose a critical element for team cohesion. The desire part is easy. How much do NASCAR engine builders make? It usually costs between $3 and $10 million to run an IndyCar team for a year. Salary range: $33,000-$60,000 per year. How much does a Nascar truck engine cost? Drivers keep anywhere from 40% to 45% of their purse while the rest is distributed throughout the team. Lucrative names like Dale Earnhardt need to win to make their money, but its more about the ensuing sponsorships than an incentive program within the racing world. You can buy a NASCAR race car. Kyle Busch became the highest-paid NASCAR driver when he won the 2019 Cup. Video of the Day. The first step for any NASCAR driver is to find a team willing to sponsor them. His biggest single season on the earnings front came in 2006 where he brought in $15,875,125, with 5 race wins and 13 top-5s. A hauler holds two race cars, a tool box and extra car parts. Bowyer's win at Martinsville last year ended a 190-race winless streak that stretched back to 2012. Tactical analysis: Can Manchester United switch to a 4-3-3 formation? Compare that IndyCar winner's annual pay to what Miami Heat star LeBron James takes home for an 82-game season: $17,545,000. The average Car Hauler salary in California is $65,640 as of December 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $57,964 and $75,273. Instant access. NASCAR Cup Series drivers go through up to 12 sets of tires per race, meaning that an entire race could cost a NASCAR team over $20,000 in tires. 8. Charter Bus Driver. So what gives? Letarte was a crew chief for all-time great racers such as Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt was a driver and the son of one of NASCAR's early icons, and Bowyer was a former stock car driver in NASCAR. While the NASCAR drivers wheezing past in their heavy-duty machines on the race-track may seem like a feat worth emulating, the fact that it takes immense will and skill to be able to do that is perhaps underrated. This article will go into detail about how much is costs to advertise with NASCAR and break down a variety of ways in which a company can do so. Figures for salary, endorsements and merchandise earnings are gleaned from media reports and estimates, adjusted by known numbers from stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Endorsement pay aside, NASCAR drivers do quite well compared to other sports stars. Wins can net $100,000 or more per race, but if a driver wants to obtain a multimillion-dollar salary, they have to win consistently and become a crowd favorite. They also are part of the NASCAR family and enjoy the camaraderie of the crew and team. When a racer crossed the finish line, their name appeared in the results with a monetary value. At the Cup level, they are under contract to the race team and the team is under contract to their sponsors and those contracts are usually private, so it's whatever the contract stipulates. 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