Shouldn’t 15th place earn more prize money than 38th?? Not in NASCAR
Quote selected text Published April 18th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Driver Matt Kenseth had a tough night at Phoenix International Raceway last Saturday, finishing 38th out of 43 cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. That earned him $111,466 in prize money. But David Gilliland finished 15th in the race and got a paycheck of only $91,658. How can that be?
Welcome to NASCAR’s complex and, some say, archaic pay structure that taps into several sources of prize money beyond the basic purse for each race.
Here’s how it works: The total NASCAR prize money - $5.1 million for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix - includes not only the race’s basic purse but several additional ‘contingency awards’ and other special payments.
They include cash from television revenues, specific awards from two dozen manufacturers involved in NASCAR, and money from the Sprint Cup championship points earned in that race.
Dow Automotive, for instance, awarded $5,900 at Phoenix for the best ’strategic call of the race’, which went to winner Jimmie Johnson for gambling on fuel at the end.
Goodyear had a $5,500 award for the driver that posted the fastest lap while leading. Dale Earnhardt Jr. nabbed that one Saturday.
But perhaps the key contributor to the disorderly payouts is NASCAR’s Winner’s Circle Program, which includes the 12 drivers with the most wins from the prior year.
Those dozen racers - or technically, their team owners - are guaranteed a certain amount of money in each race regardless of how they finish. Kenseth, with two wins in 2007, is a member of that club, and Gilliland, who was winless last year, is not.
And that’s a key reason why Kenseth won more money for finishing 38th in Phoenix than Gilliland did for finishing 15th.
And then there was Ryan Newman, who finished last at Phoenix because of a blown engine, but made $110,718, compared to Earnhardt’s paycheck of $99,125 for finishing seventh.
But the biggest payout in a NASCAR Cup race still goes to the winner, and never has the winner won less money than a lower-place finisher, NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. In Phoenix, for instance, Johnson won $262,111.
All of this is spelled out in small print on a four-page entry form printed on yellow paper for each race.
More at Thatsracin.com
Bookmark to:
- NASCAR drivers salaries are skyrocketing
- Fan wins largest ever prize for Fantasy Racing
- Schumacher to earn up to $26 million in 2007
- NASCAR fine money going to NASCAR Foundation
- Gordon’s team wins Checkers/Rally Double Drive-Thru Challenge Season Championship
So I guess that “Yellow piece of paper” IS the rule book, huh??? I’ve been trying to figure out where that “Rulebook” was now I know, thanks !!!
I’m not sure if this article is written as a “lets dumb it down for new fans” article, or as a “I (the writer) just figured this out” article.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Well atleast the writer found something new to write on instead of trying to give a new take on an old story.
Hey you all — a lot of NASCAR fans do not
know all the so called “rules” so this info
would be new. So let it rest— new fans
are just as important as “old fans” to
the success of NASCAR………
Well, I didn’t really read the article, though I plan on going back and reading it later on. But I just had to go ahead and post this comment based off the title alone. HELL YES!! They should earn more than people finishing farther back! I don’t care how it is explained, if you finish ahead of other people, you did better, thus you should earn more prize money. It’s simple logic. Of course, as I said, I have not read the full article yet, but I’m sure my opinion will not change after reading it. If indeed it does, then I will update you all.
Well technically the 15th finisher does earn more Purse (which in most racing is considered the prize) money.
It’s just the extra money from the various contingency programs (have to run the sticker to get the reward, if you run all the stickers you’d more then likely get more money then say a team that only runs 5 of them)
ARCA has the best “reward” program though, not only do they have the monetary ones from the contingency, but they have it were if you enter and compete in 5 consecutive races you get an extra 25 (I think) bonus points.
Geeeeeeeeeeeeees wondered how that worked
I’m beginning to believe arca is the better series to race in even though i will always be loyal to my favorite nascar teams.
I always wondered how Derrick Cope could run 1 lap and make 75K. Now thats a neat trick…Cope and a couple of other back markers every week put there all into qualifying and then run 1or 2 laps in the race and drop out. then they collect 70-100 grand a week prize money. Great work if you can get it…