Many items can be purchased with money. For example, it may purchase more advertising time, alliances, and speed in NASCAR. Unfortunately, though, it’s not all. Nowadays, you can use money to secure a place with a NASCAR team, particularly if it’s a smaller one. As you might expect, however, this is problematic for the straightforward reason that under such a system, the more wealthy rider may occasionally be assigned a seat rather than the more skilled driver.
Brad Crawford, a college football commentator, said on X almost a day ago that if Oklahoma dismissed Brent Venables today, he would receive a $44.8 million buyout. The Sooners will lose $35 million if they fire him this next season.
Regardless of the result, there is no greater financial bonanza in the nation than getting a top-tier CFB position. “And we have NASCAR drivers running the Daytona 500 and making zero,” podcaster Brett Griffin retweeted. I didn’t stutter. Overall, the 2008 guys will earn more than the 2024 guys will. Crazy. Griffin is discussing the finishing positions here. According to the regulations, drivers may not receive any money if they do not finish inside designated spots.
Have you ever wondered why some drivers believe that their lives rely on it—or don’t—when the chips are down? The most prominent race in NASCAR is Daytona. However, conversations about this are inevitable when drivers are granted a ride because they are wealthy rather than exceptionally skilled. Drivers whose contracts are about to expire are not the only ones affected by this trend, which has been present since 2019.
Paul Menard is one instance of a wealthy driver getting a ride. Menard’s record is mediocre at best, but his aspirations were always supported by his family business. However, several organizations have fired drivers despite subpar performance, occasionally even when the contract they had with the drivers was long-term. And why? Because the new driver could bring the moolah in.
Due to his inability to obtain complete sponsorship by the end of the 2019 season, Daniel Suarez was fired from Stewart-Haas Racing. A club option in his contract allowed SHR to opt out, which upset fans and is indicative of a growing tendency in the sport. Chase Briscoe was also set to lose his seat for 202o that year, and SHR advised him to either acquire money or listen to the song.
In order to survive, smaller teams frequently join forces with larger teams, giving them access to important resources but also making them dependent on the parent team’s choices. Matt DiBenedetto’s departure from Leavine Family Racing after Joe Gibbs Racing pushed for Christopher Bell to take his place owing to resource constraints is a noteworthy example.
However, what occurs when a poor driver causes a good driver to drop out of the payout ranking? We all listened to Griffin’s writing. The pay for NASCAR drivers varies greatly depending on a number of criteria, including sponsorships, team affiliation, performance, and experience. Generally speaking, charter teams make more money than non-charter teams because they are assured spots in every race.
Development drivers make approximately $50,000 a year, while NASCAR drivers typically make roughly $112,038. Because race winners can receive prize money ranging from $1.5 million to $2 million, and because higher placements translate into larger profits, only a small number of people make a substantial living from NASCAR.
In recent years, NASCAR teams have had a harder time finding sponsors. Teams are faced with a tough choice that affects both job security and competitiveness when a driver is able to provide financial support, whether through sponsorship agreements or direct payments. NASCAR was enjoying a boom in popularity not long ago, and sponsorships were plentiful.
This made it possible for teams to choose gifted drivers who could obtain sponsorship, allowing young drivers to demonstrate their abilities without worrying about money. Many of the current champions, such as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, came to prominence when racing was more reasonably priced. However, teams found themselves in a difficult position as expenses increased and sponsor interest declined. They had to decide between selecting someone or hiring a talented but underfunded young driver.
This tendency is probably going to continue as long as racing’s financial requirements keep increasing. Teams are compelled to look for ways to stay viable while maintaining their competitiveness, which poses a big problem for NASCAR overall. Fans dislike this practice, yet it might be one of the only practical options accessible to teams at the moment. According to some experts, NASCAR may want to think about establishing financial parity among teams and putting cost-cutting measures into place in order to address these problems.
What do you believe should be done about NASCAR’s predicament?
