August 23, 2007

1. Jeff Gordon (Leader)
2. Denny Hamlin (-276)
3. Matt Kenseth (-354)
4. Tony Stewart (-398)
5. Carl Edwards (-501)
6. Jimmie Johnson (-512)
7. Jeff Burton (-544)
8. Kyle Busch (-590)
9. Clint Bowyer (-692)
10. Kevin Harvick (-698)
11. Martin Truex Jr. (-714)
12. Kurt Busch (-747)
After Michigan
[ Full List ]

How much do NASCAR drivers make per year?

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Answer
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According to Forbes magazine, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made $20 million in 2004. Jeff Gordon made $19 million.
(For race car drivers overall, the highest paid was Michael Schumacher with a whopping $80 million in 2004.)

Answer
It is all basically depending on who you are, your skills, and who you drive for. The drivers get most of their money from sponsors. For example, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was said to make 40 million dollars per year just from being on the front of Coca-Cola machines.The same goes for Jeff Gordon, who is on the front of many Pepsi machines. So, truthfully, the most popular drivers actually make more off of their sponsers than they do from their winnings.



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NASCAR Drivers Salaries


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. No longer just a heartland sport, NASCAR is broadcast in over 150 countries. With all this television coverage come the big money and high annual salaries. Unlike NFL salaries, however, NASCAR drivers salaries are closely-guarded secrets (as mentioned on blog.vcu.edu/nascar).
That said, we do have some info on NASCAR drivers salaries, thanks to SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. SI says the highest-paid driver in 2005 was Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose annual salary and earnings totaled $5,761,830, but that's not all. His endorsements earned $20,000,000, bringing his sub-total compensation to $25,761,830. That number doesn't include sales of Dale Earnhardt Jr. merchandise and earnings from the racing company that he owns. SI says his total take in '05 would approach $50 million!
The second $25 million is really for his role as a business owner, not directly for Dale Jr.'s work as a race car driver. While there are substantial risks to racing (Dale Sr. died on the race track), the pay is still impressive.
Can your salary compete with NASCAR's drivers salaries? Give it a spin with our salary calculator.

Nextel Cup Series
August 21, 2007
The Chase is changing NASCAR race strategy

With about twenty laps to go today in the gloom of the Irish Hills, Jeff Gordon's team made a choice to fore go a final pit stop for tires - in effect going for broke for the win, and the ten bonus points that count in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
A few laps later, maybe inevitably, the Dupont #24 slid back through the pack and eventually spun out of the lead lap and win contention. Gordon's team had nothing to lose. Their points position is way safe. Now it's all about the wins - and bonus points.
In the final laps of the race that was really dominated by Kurt Busch, several Chase qualifiers were hangin' it out trying for the win. In the old days, drivers in the top five or six in the championship might have been a bit more conservative and run for points - or not to lose points. Not any more.
Other than Martin Truex Jr, who is hovering around the 12th spot and needs all the points he can get, the other front running Chase contenders were after it. Jimmy Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart all contributed to exciting, fast racing at the finish.
Congratulations to Kurt Busch for another pressure performance. He'll be dangerous if he makes the Chase. We have a nice interview with Kurt from Friday on tonight's ON PIT ROW. If you miss the show, check out the re-broadcast Thursday at 7 pm on RaceTalkRadio.com.
Gordon's gamble didn't pay off today. On to Bristol. The last 50 laps of the night race may to be better than ever.
The painting is another of Rob's. See them all at Car a Day.[/align]

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 14, 2007) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), winners of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships and over 70 NASCAR races, has signed 22-year-old Kyle Busch to drive for the No. 18 team in Nextel Cup beginning in 2008.

“We’re extremely pleased to have Kyle Busch as a part of the family here at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “Kyle is extremely talented, as his track record has proven, and he had a lot of teams to choose from in determining who would give him the best chance to win. Obviously, we’re glad he chose JGR, and he’ll have all the tools and resources he needs to win races and contend for championships.”

Busch comes to JGR a proven winner in each of NASCAR’s national touring series, with four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories, eight NASCAR Busch Series wins and four Nextel Cup triumphs.

“After talking with a lot of different teams and visiting their shops, Joe Gibbs Racing is where I want to be,” said Busch, whose contract with JGR runs through the 2010 season. “The Nextel Cup Series is filled with good teams and good people, but the moment I saw the shop and began talking with Joe and J.D. Gibbs, there was a level of comfort that made me feel like this is where I belong.

“I want to win races and championships, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s three-car/one-team philosophy gives me the best opportunity to do that.”

Busch will take over for J.J. Yeley, current driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, following the conclusion of the 2007 season. He’ll begin pre-season testing as a teammate to two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart and 2006 Nextel Cup rookie of the year Denny Hamlin.

The 2008 season will mark Busch’s fourth full season in Nextel Cup. He currently competes for Hendrick Motorsports, where he ran a six-race schedule in 2004 before joining the series full-time in 2005.

While at Hendrick, Busch scored a number of milestones. The Las Vegas-native began racing at age 12 and reached NASCAR’s premier series in just eight years. As a result, Busch lays claim to being the youngest Nextel Cup rookie of the year, winning the title at age 20 on the heels of two wins, a pole, nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. His inaugural win at California Speedway in September 2005 made Busch the youngest Nextel Cup race winner (20 years, 4 months, 2 days). A prelude to that win was Busch’s pole at California when the series first visited the track in February, making Busch Nextel Cup’s youngest pole winner (19 years, 9 months, 24 days).

Busch’s sophomore season proved his rookie year was no fluke, as the 2002 honor graduate from Durango High School finished the 2006 season with one win, a pole, 10 top-fives and 18 top-10s. The strong season earned Busch yet another milestone, as he became the youngest Nextel Cup driver to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.