What Is The Payout For Daytona 500

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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.

How much money to win daytona 500

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.

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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.

MORE: Will rain in forecast disrupt 2021 race?

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

YearNo.DriverTeamManufacturer
195942Lee PettyPetty EnterprisesOldsmobile
196027Junior JohnsonJohn MasoniChevrolet
196120Marvin PanchSmokey YunickPontiac
196222Fireball RobertsJim StephensPontiac
196321Tiny LundWood Brothers RacingFord
196443Richard PettyPetty Enterprises (2)Plymouth
196528Fred LorenzenHolman-MoodyFord
196643Richard Petty (2)Petty Enterprises (3)Plymouth
196711Mario Andretti†Holman-Moody (2)Ford
196821Cale YarboroughWood Brothers Racing (2)Mercury
196998LeeRoy YarbroughJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord
197040Pete HamiltonPetty Enterprises (4)Plymouth
197143Richard Petty (3)Petty Enterprises (5)Plymouth
197221A. J. FoytWood Brothers Racing (3)Mercury
197343Richard Petty (4)Petty Enterprises (6)Dodge
197443Richard Petty (5)Petty Enterprises (7)Dodge
197572Benny ParsonsL.G. DeWittChevrolet
197621David PearsonWood Brothers Racing (4)Mercury
197711Cale Yarborough (2)Junior Johnson & Associates (2)Chevrolet
197815Bobby AllisonBud Moore EngineeringFord
197943Richard Petty (6)Petty Enterprises (8)Oldsmobile
198028Buddy BakerRanier-LundyOldsmobile
198143Richard Petty (7)Petty Enterprises (9)Buick
198288Bobby Allison (2)DiGard MotorsportsBuick
198328Cale Yarborough (3)Ranier-Lundy (2)Pontiac
198428Cale Yarborough (4)Ranier-Lundy (3)Chevrolet
19859Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord
19865Geoffrey BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
19879Bill Elliott (2)Melling Racing (2)Ford
198812Bobby Allison (3)Stavola Brothers RacingBuick
198917Darrell WaltripHendrick Motorsports (2)Chevrolet
199010Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet
19914Ernie IrvanMorgan-McClure MotorsportsChevrolet
199228Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord
199318Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet
19944Sterling MarlinMorgan-McClure Motorsports (2)Chevrolet
19954Sterling Marlin (2)Morgan-McClure Motorsports (3)Chevrolet
199688Dale Jarrett (2)Robert Yates Racing (2)Ford
199724Jeff GordonHendrick Motorsports (3)Chevrolet
19983Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
199924Jeff Gordon (2)Hendrick Motorsports (4)Chevrolet
200088Dale Jarrett (3)Robert Yates Racing (3)Ford
200115Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet
200222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingDodge
200315Michael Waltrip (2)Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2)Chevrolet
20048Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (3)Chevrolet
200524Jeff Gordon (3)Hendrick Motorsports (5)Chevrolet
200648Jimmie JohnsonHendrick Motorsports (6)Chevrolet
200729Kevin HarvickRichard Childress Racing (2)Chevrolet
200812Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodge
200917Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord
20101Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet
201121Trevor BayneWood Brothers Racing (5)Ford
201217Matt Kenseth (2)Roush Fenway Racing (2)Ford
201348Jimmie Johnson (2)Hendrick Motorsports (7)Chevrolet
201488Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2)Hendrick Motorsports (8)Chevrolet
201522Joey LoganoTeam Penske (2)Ford
201611Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing (2)Toyota
201741Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord
20183Austin DillonRichard Childress Racing (3)Chevrolet
201911Denny Hamlin (2)Joe Gibbs Racing (3)Toyota
202011Denny Hamlin (3)Joe Gibbs Racing (4)Toyota