Surprisingly, NASCAR drivers make more money than players in any organized professional sport except the NBA. The typical driver makes over $1.5 million a year. As we explain below, that $1.5 million is only salary. NASCAR drivers also make money from winnings, endorsements and merchandise money. In fact, the middle-of-the-road NASCAR driver makes more from race winnings than from salary at over $2.5 million a year. Factoring that in makes NASCAR drivers the highest paid of any televised competitive sport. That’s in terms of typical drivers. The top drivers in the sport don’t do as well when they’re compared to other sports. NASCAR’s top money maker is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. In 2015 he made nearly $15 million in salary and winnings, plus another $9 million from endorsement deals for a total of almost $24 million. Compare that to a big NBA star like LeBron James. James makes over $23 million in salary, plus an estimated $25 million a year from endorsement deals. That’s a total of $25 million. So while the typical NASCAR driver makes more money than players in other sports, the same can’t be said for the top earners.
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make
The typical NASCAR driver makes $5 million a year from all sources. That includes race winnings, salary, merchandise royalties and endorsements. The median salary alone for NASCAR is $1.5 million. “Median” means that half the drivers in the sport make more than that and half make less. Looking at the highest paid driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rules the field with $23.6 million in total earnings for 2015. $14.6 million of that money comes directly from salary and winnings, with the rest from endorsements. The highest paid female driver is Danica Patrick. She earned a total of $13.8 million from all sources in 2015. One surprising thing about her is that she’s on the bottom end of the top ten highest paid NASCAR drivers with $7.8 million in salary in winnings, but she more than makes up for it with endorsement deals of $6 million a year total. It seems Patrick is valued more highly by fans and sponsors than she is by her team at Stewart-Haas Racing.
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make | |
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Typical NASCAR driver pay (all sources) | $5,091,586 |
Typical NASCAR driver salary | $1,542,062 |
Highest paid NASCAR driver (Salary & winnings, Dale Earnhardt Jr.) | $14,600,000 |
Highest paid male NASCAR driver (Overall earnings, Dale Earnhardt Jr.) | $23,600,000 |
Highest paid female NASCAR driver (Danica Patrick) | $13,800,000 |
Typical NASCAR Driver Money by Year
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make by Year | |||
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Year | Typical NASCAR Driver Salary | Median NASCAR Driver Race Winnings | Median NASCAR Driver Total Earnings |
2006 | $917,669 | $1,529,449 | $3,053,008 |
2007 | $1,331,745 | $2,219,575 | $4,310,235 |
2008 | $1,305,778 | $2,176,297 | $4,248,085 |
2009 | $1,521,002 | $2,535,004 | $4,910,295 |
2010 | $1,135,040 | $1,891,733 | $3,769,771 |
2011 | $973,615 | $1,622,692 | $3,303,730 |
2012 | $1,436,848 | $2,394,746 | $4,712,571 |
2013 | $1,299,746 | $2,166,243 | $4,321,368 |
2014 | $1,930,539 | $3,217,565 | $6,234,854 |
2015 | $1,542,062 | $2,570,104 | $5,091,586 |
Also see: How Much Money Does an NBA Player Make?
10 Highest Paid NASCAR Drivers
Top 10 Highest Paid (Salary) NASCAR driver in 2015 | |||
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Driver | Winnings and Salary | Endorsements | Total Earnings |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $14,600,000 | $9,000,000 | $23,600,000 |
Jimmie Johnson | $15,700,000 | $6,500,000 | $22,200,000 |
Jeff Gordon | $14,000,000 | $4,500,000 | $18,500,000 |
Kevin Harvick | $13,000,000 | $2,500,000 | $15,500,000 |
Denny Hamlin | $13,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $15,000,000 |
Tony Stewart | $10,500,000 | $4,000,000 | $14,500,000 |
Kyle Busch | $12,900,000 | $1,500,000 | $14,400,000 |
Danica Patrick | $7,900,000 | $6,000,000 | $13,900,000 |
Carl Edwards | $12,600,000 | $1,200,000 | $13,800,000 |
Kasey Kahne | $10,400,000 | $1,500,000 | $11,900,000 |
Also see: How Much Money Do Pro Golfers Make?
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make by Source
The typical NASCAR driver makes more money from winnings than from salary and the least money from endorsements and merchandise royalties. Drivers in the upper 10% make a significantly higher portion of their total earnings from endorsements. The drivers who create most of the TV ratings naturally get more sponsor dollars. The table below shows how the median driver’s pay breaks down by category.
NASCAR Driver Pay by Source | |
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Median Winnings | $2,570,104 |
Median Salary | $1,542,062 |
Median Merchandise Royalties | $514,021 |
Median Endorsements | $465,398 |
Total Median pay | $5,091,586 |
NASCAR Pay: The Democratic Money Sport
Here's Why NASCAR Pays More Equally than Other Sports | |
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Median NASCAR Driver Money | $2,570,104 |
Average NASCAR Driver Money | $2,700,958 |
Also see: How Much Money Do NFL Players Make?
Do NASCAR Drivers Get to Keep All their Money?
To an extent, NASCAR drivers have to plow some of their winnings back into their racing teams to pay staff salaries and for upkeep on equipment. The data in this article are based on available NASCAR winnings reported by sports statistics site Spotrac.com. Figures for salary, endorsements and merchandise earnings are gleaned from media reports and estimates, adjusted by known numbers from stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr.
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make vs Other Sports
How Much Money NASCAR Drivers Make vs Other Sports | ||
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Pro Sports League | Median Pay 2016 | Max Number of Players |
NBA | $2,500,000 | 450 |
NASCAR | $1,542,062 | 82 |
NHL | $1,400,000 | 1500 |
NFL | $860,000 | 1696 |
MLB | $520,000 | 1200 |
PGA | $508,000 | 241 |
Like finding out how much big sports figures make? Check out our post here on how much money MLB players make, or this post about Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s net worth.
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