What Is The Payout For Daytona 500
- How Much Money Do You Get If You Win Daytona 500
- Daytona 500 Payout Results
- How Much Money To Win Daytona 500
- What Is The Payout For The Daytona 500
Whenever a driver wins the NASCAR Daytona 500, they receive the Harley J. Earl trophy. Apparently, it is named after the General Motors car designer Harley Earl, who served as NASCAR’s second commissioner. Owing to this, he is considered a hugely important figure in American motor racing.
Hamlin is the back-to-back Daytona 500 winner, and with 200 laps led in the last 12 races at Daytona and Talladega - which is third-most - Hamlin is a staple upfront at plate events. The best and latest in the marvelous world of sports.
This trophy is actually unique because it has a model of an XP 21 Firebird perched on top. The Firebird concept car was basically a literal rocket with wheels. Due to his close relationship with NASCAR founder Bill France Sr, he contributed heavily to the sport’s foundation.
As a result, France Sr deemed it fitting that the 24-in replica of the Firebird deserved to be on the trophy. So every year, the winner of the Daytona 500 always receives this iconic trophy. For the last two years, Denny Hamlin has taken it home, so will be do it for the third time in a row?
What is the prize money for winning the NASCAR Daytona 500?
Truthfully speaking, NASCAR has rarely unveiled the prize money for the 500. However, that change in 2020 when the sport announced that it had a total purse of $23.6 million. It is also interesting to note that Joey Logano earned $1.5 million when he won the 2015 edition.
In 2020, projections suggested that the winner could earn $2 million. Meanwhile, 2nd and 3rd would earn $1.5 and $1.1 million respectively. Of course, the 2021 figures have not been revealed yet, but it will definitely be a lot higher than last year.
According to rough estimations, the race winner walks away with 8.8% of the total revenue, as part of his/her prize money. Of course, every driver earns a fair cut of the prize money, based on their finishing position. So it is safe to assume that the 2021 Cup Series Daytona 500 could follow the same principle.
READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series Star Aric Almirola Highly Motivated to Win the 2021 Daytona 500
The winner of Sunday’s Daytona 500 will not only walk away with bragging rights as the top finisher of the NASCAR Cup Series season opener, but also a nice chunk of change.
How much money will that driver make? Well, that’s a bit of a mystery.
Back in 2016, NASCAR changed its policy and stopped disclosing racers’ earnings in Cup Series box scores because of its charter system. The move frustrated fans in part because it eliminated interesting conversations about total winnings and made driver comparisons more difficult.
Last year, though, NASCAR peeled back the curtain ahead of the Daytona 500 by announcing a record-setting purse would be distributed among 40 drivers. So far, NASCAR has kept the 2021 payouts private, so estimating the purse requires some guesswork.
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What is the Daytona 500 purse for 2021?
- 2021 Daytona 500 purse: TBD ($23.6 million in 2020)
NASCAR has not yet revealed details about the purse for the 2021 Daytona 500. Prior to the 2020 race, it announced a purse of $23.6 million, the highest total in the history of American motorsports. That’s a far cry from the first running of the Great American Race in 1959, when Lee Petty’s victory netted him nearly $20,000.
How Much Money Do You Get If You Win Daytona 500
In 2015, the last year the figures were released before the policy change, the purse landed around $18 million.
How much money does a driver get for winning the Daytona 500?
Again, NASCAR has not shared specifics regarding payouts based on finish, so don’t take these as hard numbers.
When Joey Logano took the checkered flag in 2015, he earned $1,581,453, which breaks down to just under nine percent of the $18 million purse that year. Applying that percentage to the 2020 purse of $23.6 million, the winner would receive approximately $2.07 million.
Daytona 500 Payout Results
A general range of $1.5-2 million seems like a fair estimate.
How Much Money To Win Daytona 500
List of Daytona 500 past winners
What Is The Payout For The Daytona 500
Year | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
1959 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile |
1960 | 27 | Junior Johnson | John Masoni | Chevrolet |
1961 | 20 | Marvin Panch | Smokey Yunick | Pontiac |
1962 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | Jim Stephens | Pontiac |
1963 | 21 | Tiny Lund | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
1964 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises (2) | Plymouth |
1965 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | Ford |
1966 | 43 | Richard Petty (2) | Petty Enterprises (3) | Plymouth |
1967 | 11 | Mario Andretti† | Holman-Moody (2) | Ford |
1968 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | Wood Brothers Racing (2) | Mercury |
1969 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford |
1970 | 40 | Pete Hamilton | Petty Enterprises (4) | Plymouth |
1971 | 43 | Richard Petty (3) | Petty Enterprises (5) | Plymouth |
1972 | 21 | A. J. Foyt | Wood Brothers Racing (3) | Mercury |
1973 | 43 | Richard Petty (4) | Petty Enterprises (6) | Dodge |
1974 | 43 | Richard Petty (5) | Petty Enterprises (7) | Dodge |
1975 | 72 | Benny Parsons | L.G. DeWitt | Chevrolet |
1976 | 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing (4) | Mercury |
1977 | 11 | Cale Yarborough (2) | Junior Johnson & Associates (2) | Chevrolet |
1978 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford |
1979 | 43 | Richard Petty (6) | Petty Enterprises (8) | Oldsmobile |
1980 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Ranier-Lundy | Oldsmobile |
1981 | 43 | Richard Petty (7) | Petty Enterprises (9) | Buick |
1982 | 88 | Bobby Allison (2) | DiGard Motorsports | Buick |
1983 | 28 | Cale Yarborough (3) | Ranier-Lundy (2) | Pontiac |
1984 | 28 | Cale Yarborough (4) | Ranier-Lundy (3) | Chevrolet |
1985 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford |
1986 | 5 | Geoffrey Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
1987 | 9 | Bill Elliott (2) | Melling Racing (2) | Ford |
1988 | 12 | Bobby Allison (3) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick |
1989 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports (2) | Chevrolet |
1990 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet |
1991 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
1992 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
1993 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
1994 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan-McClure Motorsports (2) | Chevrolet |
1995 | 4 | Sterling Marlin (2) | Morgan-McClure Motorsports (3) | Chevrolet |
1996 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (2) | Robert Yates Racing (2) | Ford |
1997 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports (3) | Chevrolet |
1998 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
1999 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (4) | Chevrolet |
2000 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (3) | Robert Yates Racing (3) | Ford |
2001 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
2002 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge |
2003 | 15 | Michael Waltrip (2) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2) | Chevrolet |
2004 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (3) | Chevrolet |
2005 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (3) | Hendrick Motorsports (5) | Chevrolet |
2006 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports (6) | Chevrolet |
2007 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing (2) | Chevrolet |
2008 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge |
2009 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
2010 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
2011 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing (5) | Ford |
2012 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (2) | Roush Fenway Racing (2) | Ford |
2013 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (7) | Chevrolet |
2014 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (8) | Chevrolet |
2015 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske (2) | Ford |
2016 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing (2) | Toyota |
2017 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
2018 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing (3) | Chevrolet |
2019 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing (3) | Toyota |
2020 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (3) | Joe Gibbs Racing (4) | Toyota |