In the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott have established themselves as fan favorites, leading many to wonder who among them has achieved greater financial success. On the track, Hamlin’s extensive experience is evident. However, Elliott holds a championship title, an accomplishment Hamlin has been vying for throughout his nearly two-decade career.
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Despite their differing levels of success, questions linger about who commands the higher pay. Is it Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing, or Chase Elliott, the golden boy of NASCAR, driving for Hendrick Motorsports?
How much money does Chase Elliott make in the Cup Series?
Elliott joined the top flight of American stock car racing back in 2016, almost a decade after Denny Hamlin. In his time racing for Hendrick Motorsports, the 27-year-old won one Cup Series championship back in 2020. He has also been voted the most popular driver award consecutively for the past five seasons.
Throughout his success within the Cup Series, he has made some good money too. As per rookieroad.com, Elliott makes somewhere around $8 million per year. Although, it is to be considered that these numbers would be a bit inaccurate from their actual earning.
Interestingly, as per the same website, that is the equal amount that his HMS counterpart, Kyle Larson makes. Furthermore, he currently sits at an estimated net worth of $17 million. But does that mean he earns more than Denny Hamlin?
Maybe, maybe not?
Does Denny Hamlin make more money than Elliott?
Hamlin has been racing in the Cup Series since the 2005 season, holding a total of 49 wins. Moreover, with nearly two decades of experience under his belt, and countless endorsement deals, Hamlin surely earns a lot of money in the Cup Series right?
Well, looking at the estimates for last year, rookieroad.com mentions his salary to be around $13.1 million. If it is to be believed, then that is significantly more than what Elliott has made so far. Interestingly, Hamlin happens to be the second-highest-paid driver after his former teammate, Kyle Busch. Furthermore, taking a look at the estimated net worth of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, the numbers point to the north of $65 million. Again, significantly more than that of Elliott.
However, the point to consider is that Elliott is fairly younger and has less time in the car compared to Hamlin. So while Elliott stands nowhere next to Denny Hamlin’s number, he actually might one day in the future.
But at the moment as it stands, it is Hamlin that has the upper hand when it comes to being the higher-paid driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.
