Drivers will soon walk out to the 0.75-mile D-shaped Richmond Raceway for the second time this year. The Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series are returning to their schedules after a two-week break that the sport took to accommodate the Olympic coverage of its broadcast partner NBC Sports. The homecoming is accompanied by hefty prize money as usual.
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Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass revealed on his X handle that the Cup Series field will get to share $7,925,121 this weekend based on performance. This amount includes the payouts for previous results, contingency awards, etc. By comparison, this is almost an increase of half a million dollars from the $7,565,800 prize that was given out last year.
Purses for Richmond weekend, including all payouts, all positions, all charter payouts based on participating and historical performance, contingency awards, etc.:
Cup: $7,925,121
Truck: $744,784
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 7, 2024
Unfortunately, the Truck Series field does not get to bask in the joy of an increase. The purse weighed $808,354 in 2022, but it has been reduced to $744,784 this year. With such meager sums being paid out, it is unlikely that teams are very profitable, if at all, in the third tier of NASCAR. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Christian Eckes is currently leading the show there, first on points.
The favorites to take home the $7.9 million prize money
Only four more races remain until the playoffs making the upcoming event a crucial one. The battle for the regular season championship heats up at the top of the table while the battle to scrape through to the 16-driver shortlist does so at the bottom. NASCAR has put out the favorites to see the victory flag on Sunday courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. nearly won the race at Richmond earlier this year. But a late twist put his teammate Denny Hamlin in the victory lane. He will hope to avoid a similar fate this time around. Fans have expressed faith in him by giving opening odds of 9-2. Winning will not only secure his place in the playoffs but also be a memorable retiring season moment.
Truex Jr.’s teammate Christopher Bell has already won three races this year. He is making rounds as one of those drivers who are blatantly underrated. Securing another victory could maybe change that. He goes into Richmond with the same odds as Truex Jr., 9-2, to win. Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson followed him with opening odds of 6-1 each.
