Besides the popularity that a NASCAR driver garners from winning races, the money that comes with it is perhaps the second-most attractive takeaway for them. Last year, the purses for the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series races were $8,725,965, $1,274,624, and $673,693 respectively. Looking at this year’s digits, it is safe to say that the amounts for 2023 have been successfully trumped. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass posted: “Purses for Atlanta weekend, includes all payouts, all positions, contribution to season-ending point fund, etc. … and for Cup, payouts to charter teams for participating, three-year performance history, etc.: Cup: $9,137,793 Xfinity: $1,328,978 Truck: $705,481.”
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After a wild rain-postponed race at Daytona, fans can hardly keep up with the momentum as another exciting race weekend approaches steadily. A lot of anticipation revolves around the upcoming race at the 1.5-mile racetrack in Hampton, Georgia. Team Penske’s Joey Logano won the race last year, but William Byron emerged victorious in the last race at the AMS. The #24 driver is also one of the only three active NASCAR drivers to have multiple wins as Atlanta, the other two being Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.
The fat purse for Atlanta is nowhere even near the Daytona budget
With the introduction of the Charter system, individual driver payouts are no longer public. However, just for reference, Joey Logano received a hefty amount of $1,586,503 for his victory in 2015 at the Daytona 500. And with this year’s purse crossing $28 million ($28,035,991), the amount that William Byron won as the prize money must have been truly something.
After winning the “Great American Race” last year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. revealed that he and his wife were able to revamp their bathroom and bedroom and even build a new nursery with the money that the JTG Daugherty Racing driver received as the prize. One could only wonder what Byron could do with what he took home last week.
For Michael McDowell, who won his first “Superbowl of NASCAR” in 2021, the money goes a long way in setting a driver and his team up not just for that year, but for several years to come. “If you’re going to win a race, this is the one you want to win, as far as the financial part of it goes,” he admitted. According to the Front Row Motorsports driver, the Daytona 500 is indeed the biggest race for a driver and his team from a financial standpoint.
