Following 2024’s first two races, which were in superspeedways, the NASCAR grid heads to Las Vegas for its first intermediate track race. Come Sunday, it will be more than just the glory of victory on the line for drivers. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass has reported on the purse size for the Pennzoil 400 and it carries figures taller than last year’s. In 2023, the prizes for Cup, Xfinity, and Truck were $8,960,174, $1,716,356, and $703,062 respectively.
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On this year’s numbers, Pockrass wrote on X, “Cup: $9,386,054 Xfinity: $1,801,278 Truck: $736,214.” This money includes all the charter payouts, year-end points contribution fund, and finishing position payouts. While the increase from last year isn’t significantly large, it does represent a growing trend of payouts from NASCAR. Notably, the figures for the 2022 Pennzoil 400 were $8,483,997 (Cup Series), $1,676,079 (Xfinity), and $699,491 (Truck).
Purses for Las Vegas weekend (includes all charter payouts for Cup, all payouts for all finishing positions, year-end points fund contribution, etc.):
Cup: $9,386,054
Xfinity: $1,801,278
Truck: $736,214
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 28, 2024
Pockrass also clarified answering a fan’s question that the majority of these purses were made of the television money that NASCAR got. Considering the new media deals that have been put in place for 2024, the growth appears to be an anticipated one. However, it remains a question whether teams are satisfied with the share of the spoils that they are being given.
Cup Series champions who will thirst for the largest share of the $9.3 million pie at Vegas
Heading to Vegas, certain top stars in the Cup Series are in dire need of a victory lane visit. Amongst those are Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano. The RFK Racing co-owner Keselowski has now gone 100 races without winning and is under pressure to perform at the 1.5-mile track on Sunday. He has already won there thrice and will be hoping to find some of his yesteryear magnificence during the weekend.
Hendrick Motorsports icon Chase Elliott too has a winless streak going on, of 36 races. He is yet to garner a top-ten finish this season and will look to start winning races again beginning at Vegas. Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has had a far-from-ideal start to his 2024 season. He did not finish his Daytona 500, getting caught in a wreck, and finished the Ambetter Health 400 in 28th place. The bizarre glove penalty he received at Atlanta last week adds to his miseries.
With many others including Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and the four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers finding themselves too far down the ladder after the first two races, Las Vegas provides them an opportunity to make the climb, along with the merit of a fattened purse.
