how do they determine how much money each racer gets for each race for instance Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned $95,088 for finishing last and kyle busch earned $86,275 for a 12th place finish.

7/23/2006 11:27:15 PM

an uneducated theory (not that any nascar fan can give you an educated answer):

it has to do with the total amount of money put up by the race sponsor

same as golf, tennis, etc.

the bigger the race, the bigger the sponsorship, the bigger the check

this seems a bit obvious

7/23/2006 11:33:00 PM

Part of it is the money the track puts up for finishing position. In this case 1st always gets more than 2nd, 2nd more than 3rd, and so on.

Then there is contingency money. These are for the little stickers on the side of the car. So lets say Jeff Gordon got 5th and he was the highest finishing Chevrolet. He would get money from Chevrolet. There are lots of these: oil filter, brakes, and many more.

Then there is also the Winner's Circle. From jayski.com:

[QUOTE]The Winner’s Circle Program, which starts each season with the top 10 winning drivers from the previous season, is designed to reward teams who have typified the best in NASCAR racing. Two “wild card” slots are available each year, making a total of 12 maximum spots open for the program in any season.

Teams are rewarded through prize money posted by each track running a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event. A total of $130,000 is posted by each track for the Winner’s Circle participants for each of the races.[/QUOTE]

These drivers help "promote" the series in general. Looking at the Winner's Circle list for this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on it and Kyle Busch is not, hence why Junior gets more money in this race.

7/23/2006 11:38:07 PM

^ very well put

7/23/2006 11:40:00 PM

i appreciate the info that makes sense i always thought it had to do with how many years you raced
and how good you were. Thanks

7/23/2006 11:43:29 PM

I think a direct answer to your question concerns the actual racing?

The prize money that a driver wins at a track for a given race is strictly based on racing. The sponsorship deals and the Winners Circle (see Flyin Ryan's post) are generally not considered in the listing of that money. You can generall find the total earned by a driver for each race though.

To answer your question, i believe it is directly about racing. Though the last place finisher finished last, he may have qualified first, led 30 laps, got in an accident, got back into the race and ran some laps. Then lets say no other driver leads more laps than he does. He wins prize money for starting on the pole, leading a lap, leading the most laps, and finishing the race, be it in last place.

Lets say the 12th place finisher started 30th, had a solid run, but never broke into the top 10. Yes he finished higher, but his race wasn't as good....


this is an Educated guess, so maybe I'm wrong, but it's similar to the points system. Each place is awarded a pre-determined amount of money before the race, then there are bonuses for other things!

7/23/2006 11:50:18 PM

there was a time when i could explain it on my own without cheating a bit -- but i'm not that into it any more. there are a few series sponsors and contingency awards that are added into the winnings. the posted purse for the daytona 500 was just over $17 million, but once the awards were added, it was closer to $19.
this link is a bit dated, but it has some pertinent info:
http://www.nascar.com/2002/kyn/nascar_101/02/02/Money/index.html

7/24/2006 9:23:37 AM

^^ thats the best answer so far

Ernie thinks he knows everything, he's really full of shit

7/24/2006 11:08:16 AM