How Much Do Drivers Make Winning The Daytona 500?
As the first race of the Cup Series, the Daytona 500 draws in a large crowd of both viewers and racers. The race is run at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Aside from the winner earning extreme bragging rights, they also earn a sizable monetary award. The Daytona 500 is considered one of the most important races, with one of the highest purses. The $26.9 million purse is distributed among the drivers based on finishing position, with the winner earning 8-9% of the total, for a payout of around $2.3 million. Keep reading to learn more about how much Daytona 500 winners make.
Daytona 500 Prize Money 2015-2020
The last year where the individual Daytona 500 winnings were officially known was 2015. The first-place winner, Joey Logano, earned $1,581,453, which averaged out to about 9% of the purse that year. The second-place winner, Kevin Harvick, took home $1,157,470, roughly 6% of the winnings. The third-place winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., took home $857,245, roughly 5% of the winnings. The purse was announced to be around $18 million. In 2020, the winner, Denny Hamlin, was estimated to have won about $2.07 million, adjusted for inflation. The purse that year was announced at $23.6 million.
Daytona 500 Prize Money 2021-Present
Despite announcing the purse in 2020, NASCAR did not do so for the 2021 and 2022 Daytona 500 races. The earnings of the 2021 and 2022 winners, Michael McDowell and Austin Cindric, respectively, remain unknown but were likely around $2 million (due to a total race purse of $20 to $25 million dollars). However, the purse for the 2023 Daytona 500 was announced with a new prize money total of $26.9 million. Based on the size of this purse, it is likely that the 2023 Daytona 500 winner earned around a $2.3 million payout.
FAQ
What is the prize purse for the Daytona 500?
The total prize purse for the Daytona 500 is $26.9 million. The first-place winner takes home around 8-9% of the total winnings. The second-place winner will get around 6% of the winnings, and the third-place winner will receive around 4-5% of the winnings. The rest of the purse is distributed among the drivers based on finishing place, with the last place winning around 1% of the total earnings.
How much does the Daytona 500 winner make?
The winner of the Daytona 500 earns around $2.3 million in prize money. This represents around 8-9% of the most recent $26.9 million total prize purse. In addition to prizes for winning races, NASCAR drivers are paid salaries by their teams and earn money from endorsement contracts.