Lots of people drive fast but for the fun of it ; however , for the lucky few who make it as driver in theNASCARseries , driving fast is more than just a passion , it ’s also a problem . It may voice like a enceinte agency to make a living , but when it comes right down to it , being a NASCAR driver is still just a job .
Here , we ’ll explicate the charter system , more about how NASCAR competitors and teams are now give ( as much as we can anyway ) and who experience the expectant plowshare of winnings in this system .
NASCAR Purse Money
For decade — from the beginning of NASCAR in1948 through 2015 — the stock car racing series post what ’s called " the purse " in the box scores for every race on the schedule . Drivers would negotiate contracts with team owners for a salary , plus they could incur a percentage of each week ’s purse .
How Much Top NASCAR Drivers Can Make
The purse depended on the size of it and importance of the race;big trackshad bad payouts , and small tracks had smaller payouts . Anyone who wanted to make out how much money was being compensate out for that weekend ’s race could easy detect out . You could even learn how much the raceway winner would have deposited in his account .
For instance , innumbers from 2015 , the last year before the charter system was in position , those numbers were bragging . When Denny Hamlin gain ground the 2015 STP 500 at Martinsville , he took home $ 166,760 . But when Joey Logano won Daytona that yr , he got a banging $ 1,586,503 as the winner ’s share .
Back in 2015 , Daytona 500 prize moneytotaled up to $ 18 million . As of 2025 , the entire purse for the " Great American Race " hasballooned up to $ 30 million . It ’s estimate that Daytona winner William Byron will collect up to $ 3 million for his victory . These newfangled routine suggest an up trend in prize pools thanks to reincarnate patron and sports fan interest in NASCAR over recent years .
Explaining the Charter System
accord to Autoweek , the 36 ownership charter teams earn partake in perks of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series , include stimulate a guaranteed starting status in every race . There are also four open teams in the system that do not have guaranteed revenue . These slots are available to New teams prove to break into the Sprint Cup circuit .
But each charter is valued differently . Their note value is ground on things like the squad ’s historical signification and standing over several season . recompense for the hired squad is based on guaranteed revenue , the team ’s performance over the past three seasons , a points fund with cash payouts , and the race pocketbook , which is doled out base on a number one wood ’s finishing position .
Teams cansell their chartersor transfer them to another squad . And NASCAR can revoke a squad ’s charter if a team finishes in the bottom three of the 36 charter squad for three consecutive years .
Despite suggesting it would be filmy with its raw financial system , NASCAR wo n’t give detailsabout how it deal out the award money , even to some drivers . The money now is awarded to teams , not drivers , under this organization .
Then - NASCAR chief operating officer Brent Dewar secernate NBC Sports they decided not to make entire handbag and individual winnings public for each airstream because " it ’s not contemporary " under the charter system . " It ’s a new foundation and a raw era,“Dewar say in 2016 . " We ’ve changed a passel of thing from that old mannikin to this model . That ’s one of the thing that was from a different time and place . "
Prize Money Is Still Massive
While who really have the money may have transfer , the amounts have n’t change much . The race total swag pools — if you’re able to dig and find them that is — are still immense . We know that the purse forthe 2021 Phoenix racethat end the time of year was more than $ 10 million total , andthe 2021 Martinsville racepaid out nearly $ 8 million to the field of teams .
But the purses are n’t quite as swelled as they used to be . Thanks to abankruptcy filing by BK Racingin 2018 , we got another glimpse into the money paid to team at the lower end of the new system .
How Much Prize Money Can Teams Take?
BK Racing consistently finished in the back half of the pack . AtDaytona — the high - dollar result on the schedule — BK Racing won $ 428,794 for 20th spot ; otherwise , the team never made more than about $ 100,000 for any race .
Smaller squad like thismight shape out an arrangement with the driver where the team bewilder the bag to help fund the car and the driver set out a salary from the team . Or they might do the exact inverse , letting the driver keep the pocketbook in lieu of a salary , which might give them the driveway — pun intended — to race more sharply for a better coating .
consort to Autoweek , NASCAR and Race Team Alliance ( RTA ) wanted to form the charter organisation to create a model that produce long - term value for team possession . In vitrine of bankruptcy ( like BK Racing ) team had nothing of value except their race shops , where items were sold off for pennies on the dollar sign .
This system is supposed to help oneself change that . Whether it ’s fair to the drivers or not is yet to be seen .
