Where an NFL or NBA player receives the bulk of his income from a signed contract with a team, a NASCAR driver’s money comes from a combination of salary, purse winnings from races and endorsements.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Rusty Jarrett/NKP/Motorsport Images/Shutterstock (11779708cz)HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - FEBRUARY 28: #11: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry FedEx Small Business Grant Contest at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday February 28, 2021 in Miami, United States of America.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin, 40, is a three-time Daytona 500 winner, including back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020.
The Joe Gibbs Racing star has 44 career Cup victories, and although he has competed in every Chase for the Cup playoff series in his career, his best finish in the overall title race was third.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock (10782600ac)Kevin Harvick celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race, in Bristol, TennNASCAR Cup Auto Racing, Bristol, United States - 19 Sep 2020.
Kevin Harvick
At 45, Kevin Harvick already has compiled a Hall of Fame-worthy NASCAR career. He won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship and the 2020 regular-season title, as well as the 2007 Daytona 500.
Harvick has 58 career NASCAR Cup Series victories and 119 across all NASCAR race series.
Off the track, he has served as a race broadcaster for Fox, formed his own scholarship foundation and endorsed Jimmy John’s, Mobil 1 and more.
Kyle Busch, 35, is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2015 and 2019), with 57 race victories.
The younger brother of Kurt Busch, Kyle is the all-time leader in NASCAR Xfinity Series victories with 97, and he posted a stunning 24 race victories across all three NASCAR series in 2010, which is still a record.
Known as “Candy Man” for his longtime association with Mars Candy, Kyle drives a car with M&M decals.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by John Raoux/AP/Shutterstock (11754355o)Kurt Busch waits in his garage before the start of a NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race practice session at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, FlaNASCAR Daytona 500 Practice Auto Racing, Daytona Beach, United States - 10 Feb 2021.
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch, 42, has dropped hints recently that he might retire after this NASCAR season. If he does, he will wrap up a stellar career, highlighted by the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series championship and the 2017 Daytona 500.
The versatile driver also won the 2003 IROC championship and raced in the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Daytona and NHRA events.
Busch, known for feuds with other NASCAR drivers earlier in his career, has a big sponsorship with Monster Energy.
Jimmie Johnson and the Highest-Paid Daytona 500 Drivers
Jimmie Johnson
One of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, Jimmie Johnson has seven Cup Series championships and 83 career victories.
Known as “Seven-Time” for his record-tying seven championships, Johnson dominated NASCAR for most of the 2000s. Although he is semi-retired, he still drives occasionally for Chip Ganassi Racing and will participate in the IndyCar Series.
Johnson has been featured in video games and music videos, and he was sponsored for years by Lowe’s.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Darron Cummings/AP/Shutterstock (10702659cl)Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (43) stands during the national anthem before a NASCAR auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in IndianapolisNASCAR Auto Racing, Indianapolis, United States - 05 Jul 2020.
Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace has the fewest race accomplishments of any driver on this list, with no Cup Series victories and a high finish of 20th in the Cup standings in 2020.
But off the track, Wallace’s accomplishments rank with the best in the sport. The 27-year-old is the only African American in NASCAR, and he was at the forefront of helping the racing circuit confront racism. Wallace drove a car with a special paint scheme to honor Black Lives Matter, and his fellow NASCAR drivers walked with him in solidarity after a noose was found in his garage.
Wallace now drives for a team owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan.
