“It Worries Me”- Insider Calls Out NASCAR’s $4 Million Ask Delivering Massive Career Heartbreak to Racing’s ‘Talented’ Faction

NASCAR’s foundations rest on privilege. Since the France family established the stock car racing series in 1948, the sport has catered to an elite faction. Independent contractors doled out their own money to put a car on the racetrack – and sitting in the 21st century, nothing has changed. The reason why the Race Team Alliance clamored for change lies with the bucks. Even top-tiered teams like Hendrick Motorsports confessed to not breaking even on their profits for years.

Now, the dire reality is dawning upon people. We all know the young talents in the lower series like Connor Zilisch. The 18-year-old phenom made fans’ jaws drop by winning at Watkins Glen on his Xfinity debut. However, several drivers of equal caliber are trying to get into NASCAR – but in vain, as a few insiders lament.

Money fights with talent in NASCAR

Chandler Smith can be regarded as the cream of the Xfinity Series. Previously, he competed for Kyle Busch Motorsports and picked Craftsman Truck Series race wins. Then in 2023, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing for Xfinity – starting with a Richmond victory. This year, his run has been phenomenal – 2 wins, 22 top-tens, and 17 top-fives. Yet you will be surprised to learn that this prodigy’s NASCAR career screeched to an early end this year. JGR has confirmed its 2025 Xfinity line-up and it excludes the 22-year-old – because he lacks sponsorships. “You got to bring a big, big, big pocketbook with you,” Smith admitted.

In a recent episode of ‘Door, Bumper, Clear,’ co-host and spotter Brett Griffin pointed out the influx of fresh talent. “Between the ages of 17 and 22 in this sport right now, we’ve had the most talent we’ve ever had.” But he also highlighted the bitter reality that Smith is facing. “It worries me…I hate to say this out loud, but if you don’t have $3-4 million a year behind you either in sponsorship or family money, you’re not going to get there.” Freddie Kraft also chimed in, underlining JGR’s situation. “The money’s getting the ride over the talent. You’ve got guys like Chandler Smith, Ryan Truex that are race-winning drivers at Gibbs right now that are out – because of guys coming in with money.”

Ryan Truex had a breakthrough year, winning in Daytona and Dover. Yet due to lack of sponsorship, he will need to drop to a part-time Xfinity role under JGR next year. Kraft continued about how money defeats talent in NASCAR. “Unless you have that kind of money which you’d like to set on fire…then by all means do it, because that’s what you’re doing. Even if you win the race – you go out there and dominate, lead every lap in a subpar truck. Somebody’s going to call you, ‘Man we would like you to drive our truck. Do you have a $100,000? …or do you have $2 Million.’ So it doesn’t matter how much talent (you have).” Griffin ominously added, “If we don’t fix this in 10 years, we’re in deep, deep s**t.”

These costs are meant for different factors. Just running the car during the week takes up nearly $400,000. Apart from this, there are travel expenses and entry fees. Drivers also need access to proper training setups, and racing simulators as well.

Despite the already bitter situation, money is not the only thorn in talent’s path.

The number of eyes matter

Trending

Despite 2023 Disaster, Chase Elliott Risks Angering Rick Hendrick by Choosing Alex Bowman’s HMS Banned Tactic

“There’s Going to Be a New Player”- Kyle Petty Warns the Entire NASCAR Garage With Bold Prediction About Spire Motorsports Star

Kurt Busch Finally Breaking Radio Silence After Criminal Charges Forced 3-Month-Long Hiatus Has NASCAR Fans Breathing Easy

Joey Logano Leaks NASCAR’s Threat to Kick Teams Out of Daytona 500 After Chevy’s Defiance to $400,000 Fine

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Was Caught Off-Guard by Ken Schrader’s Boozy ‘Bargaining’ Tactic

Since NASCAR drivers rely heavily on sponsorships to survive, they differ from other sports athletes. Instead of just focusing on how to drive, they also focus on their image. This showbiz side of the sport makes it compulsory for drivers to maintain popularity and good standing among fans. Even there, NASCAR is a competition for them – it has 3,1 Million followers on Instagram.

Hendrick Motorsports, the most popular Cup Series team, has only 501,000 fans on the same platform. So Chase Briscoe, one of the outgoing Stewart-Haas Racing drivers, agrees that without a solid social media foundation, your future in NASCAR is limited. Briscoe faced a career scare soon after Tony Stewart announced shuttering his team in May. For 2025, he will replace Martin Truex Jr in the JGR No. 19 entry. Although his future is secure, he frankly stated the marketing side of NASCAR.

“How many followers you have is a big thing on how sellable you are and how attracted people are to you,” Briscoe said. “I think 15 years ago, nobody cared how many Twitter followers or Instagram followers you had, but now certainly they do and, for sure, the sponsors do. Just the landscape of how we do things has evolved.” He also added, “Essentially, we’re race car drivers, but we’re also a marketing company and to be a marketing company you have to be good on social media, so that’s kind of what we’ve turned into.”

Evidently, talent is not all that will get you into a NASCAR team. Money and popularity accompany it – unless a driver has all three, the journey is tough.