“If a NASCAR champion, a two-time NASCAR champion, can’t drive an Xfinity car for free… how do you expect a kid that’s got no experience to come up with the money?” Joey Logano once made a bold statement about NASCAR’s pay gap. In 2024, the three-time Cup Series champion revealed that while he gets paid to race in the Cup Series, he has to pay to compete in Xfinity or Trucks.

At the time, some fans thought he was exaggerating. But now, as NASCAR moves to Las Vegas for the next round of the 2025 season, the same issue is back in the spotlight. NASCAR may have added $2 million to the Cup Series purse for Las Vegas, but that doesn’t mean young drivers are seeing a fair share of the pie. Fans aren’t happy, and they’re making their voices heard.

Notably, for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, the Cup Series will race for a hefty $11,055,250. This is nearly a $1.7 million jump from last year’s Las Vegas event. This might sound impressive to some, but not all series are benefiting. While Cup teams enjoy a boost, the Xfinity Series actually lost $149,339 compared to last year. This year, teams will compete for $1,651,939 in the Xfinity series. That’s a drop from last year’s $1.8 million purse. Despite being the second-tier series, its prize money is shrinking.

Things get more challenging when it comes to the lowest national series, i.e., Trucks. The Truck Series will race for just $782,900, barely $46,686 more than last year’s purse. Considering the cross-country travel costs for teams, this amount is shockingly low. It’s no wonder that fans are furious. As NASCAR announced its Las Vegas prize money, fans wasted no time in calling out the sport’s financial structure.

One fan took to social media to express frustration, saying, “Jesus, that Truck purse is embarrassing. How does NASCAR face these teams at the pay window (figuratively speaking)?” The complaint highlights a serious issue—while NASCAR’s premier division enjoys massive paydays, the Truck Series struggles to survive. With teams traveling across the country for races, expenses pile up quickly. Fuel, equipment, and crew salaries add up, yet the prize money barely helps teams stay afloat.

Notably, the money, or lack of it, is a serious challenge for NASCAR. According to Forbes in 2024 NASCAR’s sponsorship money almost dropped by 13% compared to 2023. In the ongoing season also veteran drivers like Denny Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team are constantly struggling to keep a season-long primary sponsor. If some of the biggest names in the sport are facing this issue, what does that mean for the smaller teams and up-and-coming drivers?

There are multiple examples of how teams and drivers are struggling. Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano didn’t hold back in 2024 when he revealed just how broken the system is. “I get paid to drive a Cup car. That’s great. But if I want to drive an Xfinity car or a Truck, I have to pay,” he said. That statement stunned fans. How can a NASCAR champion be expected to pay out of pocket just to compete in NASCAR’s lower divisions? This also highlights the recent surge in the number of sponsorship-driven drivers in NASCAR.

But what makes things shockingly interesting is Kyle Larson’s comments. While speaking with Kenny Wallace in 2024, he made a shocking claim: “I bet you the top four drivers in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series are making more money than a third to half of the Cup Series guys.” Think about that for a moment. That’s a staggering reality. NASCAR, the biggest stock car racing series in the world, is being outpaid by dirt racing in some cases.

Larson and Logano’s comments highlight a troubling reality—NASCAR’s financial structure is not what it used to be. Notably, NASCAR has increased the payout via media deals, but will it be enough to sustain teams? For now, one thing is certain: if NASCAR doesn’t fix its financial structure soon, the next generation of talent might never get the chance to shine. And now, fans are also voicing out loud.

Fans are furious over NASCAR’s payment system

As NASCAR announced its Las Vegas prize money, fans wasted no time in calling out the sport’s financial structure. Many found it shockingly absurd that the lower series doesn’t even get ten percent of what the Cup series gets. One fan took to social media to express frustration, saying, “The disparity between the three series is absurd.” Another user echoed the sentiments and said, “That’s insane. The Truck Series is supposed to thrive with that, especially with teams making cross-country trips.”

The numbers back these sentiments. While the Cup Series goes beyond $11 million, the Truck series gets less than a million. To give it some perspective, the winner in the Cup series race almost takes 8 to 10 percent of the total prize money, which stands almost equal to what the Truck Series’ prize pool is. Now, think about it and try to understand how a rookie driver would make money. Logano summed up the problem perfectly when he said, “Unfortunately, that’s where our sport is. And that’s why it’s so hard for kids to make it these days.”

Meanwhile, some fans also pointed out how NASCAR has decreased the prize money for the Xfinity race. “Xfinity gets like no money,” a user wrote. Notably, last year’s Xfinity race at Las Vegas had a purse of $1,801,278. This year, that number dropped by nearly $150,000. Instead of increasing pay across all levels, NASCAR seems to be prioritizing the Cup Series while leaving its developmental divisions behind. Meanwhile, some users compared NASCAR’s payout with other motorsport events.

“High Limit Racing pays better than that for a weekend!” a user wrote. This sentiment has its backing from Kyle Larson himself, who believes that Sprint Car drivers make more money than a NASCAR driver. When a dirt racing series offers better payouts than NASCAR’s Truck and Xfinity Series, something is wrong. Fans know it. Drivers know it. And yet, NASCAR’s financial structure remains unbalanced.