LOUDON, NH - JULY 16: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin comments on NASCAR Money
Racing News
Denny Hamlin: “We’re way underpaid as race car drivers.”
“We’re way underpaid as race car drivers,” Hamlin told ESPN. “There’s no doubt, doing what we do, the schedule that we have and the danger that we incur every single week, NASCAR drivers should be making NBA, NFL money.”
“I’m sure this will be in some headline somewhere where Denny says drivers aren’t paid enough, but I’m basing it off all other sports.”
“I’m not including myself,” Hamlin made it clear that he’s paid fairly.
“I’m including the back half of the field — those drivers are risking the same amount I am and they should be paid a hell of a lot more.”
“There’s got to be a reset, and it doesn’t come from the drivers,” Hamlin said. “It comes from NASCAR helping the teams survive on a better basis. … There just has to be different revenue-sharing.”
NASCAR is in year 3 of a 10 year TV deal. TV revenue generates an average of $820 million a year for the sport.
That money is collected an re-distributed through the industry based on a percentage. Currently, 65% of TV revenue gets handed to the tracks, 25% to the teams and NASCAR holds onto the remaining 10%.