NASCAR is starting to throw around $1 million dollars like candy. First, the sanctioning body will pay out a million cool ones to whichever driver and team wins the inaugural In-Season Challenge, which begins Saturday night at Atlanta and runs for five weeks.
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Then, it was announced Friday that Joey Logano took home $1 million after being named the first winner of the inaugural NASCAR Driver Ambassador Program, which recognizes drivers for promoting the sport in things such as appearances, fan engagement and media interviews.
“It’s been a real successful program,” Logano said on Friday at Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). “It’s been in the works for quite some time. It’s cool to see it all work out and be executed for the first time.”
Touting the sport is something drivers already do, but the program only adds greater incentive.
“If there’s a trickle-down, if you want to say it, is you become more popular and it’s better for your sport, your sponsors and your team,” Logano stated.
The three-time NASCAR Cup champ admits he’s been tracking his and his fellow drivers points from week to week.
“Absolutely, everyone tracks it,” he said, adding with a laugh, “If there’s something to win, you want to go win it. That’s the competitor in us. It’s like, ‘Oh, you can win this (and get a nice check), yeah, let’s go get it.”
Larson Quadrupled Media Interviews From Last Year
The media interview component of the Program is also key. Larson had the extra bonus, so to speak, of talking about NASCAR during his time while practicing, qualifying for and racing in the Indianapolis 500 last month.
Still, he came in second to Logano.
“I think we math-ed it out where I did like 220 hours of stuff,” Larson said. “I bet last year to this point, (we did) 50 hours. It’s good to be compensated for it and also you feel like we are actually doing something good for the sport.”
“You look at all of us and we’re out and about way more than we ever have been. Maybe short-term you don’t notice it a whole lot making an impact, but hopefully long-term we’ll see a big impact from it.”
The Ambassador Program is divided into two sections. The first section was from the start of this season through last weekend at Pocono.
The top 10 finishers in the first section of the Ambassador Program were, in order, Logano, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez in the top five, followed by Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe.
The second section of the Ambassador Program started this weekend at Atlanta and will run through the end of the season. Another $1 million will be awarded to the winner of that segment of the Ambassador Program.
Funding for the Driver Ambassador Program is coming from the new broadcast rights fees.
