Kevin Harvick Demands a $2 Million Ultimatum for Drivers as NASCAR Steals NCAA Showdown Idea

Kevin Harvick, who has two All-Star Race victories under his belt, has experienced the firsthand thrill of claiming the enormous $1 million cash prize. However, in the recent trend of inflation and the growing demands on the teams and the drivers, Harvick has voiced his opinion that the prize money for the All-Star Race should be increased.

Over the course of years, legendary drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon have won the NASCAR All-Star Race multiple times and got to take home the hefty cash prize with them. One of those drivers is Kevin Harvick himself, but the veteran thinks that the current All-Star pay may be insufficient especially with today’s inflation and the rising costs associated with professional racing, “Well, with inflation, I feel like the All-Star Race might underpay. I think, you know, it paid a million dollars in what, 19? When we did the…95,” he said on his Happy Hour podcast.

Podcast guest Mamba Smith proposed a new idea to have at least one $ 2 million dollar race, with the All-Star being the main priority which would remain more prestigious than the other. He hinted at a reference to NCAA March Madness, where a single elimination tournament is held followed by a final four teams playing for the championship and the winner claims the grand prize.

Harvick seemed to agree with this idea and emphasized the potential for more involvement and interaction which could attract new fans into the sport, “Yeah, I hope that that activation has, just like March Madness, right? With all the brackets that get submitted and, you know, the interaction that goes with it. But I think this is a great opportunity to get the fans involved. We talk about it all the time, and I’m glad somebody has stepped out of the box in order to make that happen.”

But while $1 million is the touted price,

How much does the All-Star race winner actually take home?

In the world of speed, one question that everyone asks is, does the All-Star race winner take home the full $1 million prize? It’s no small amount and inflation can alter the monetary value over time.

Consider this, in 2003, $1 million may have seemed like a truckload of money. But in 2023, the same prize money, adjusted for inflation, was worth around $1.64 million, and suddenly the million-dollar prize doesn’t seem as enticing as it did 20 years ago.

But does the winning driver walk away with the full cash? Probably not. Each driver’s contract is different and money is divided according to the contract between the team and the driver. So the driver walks away with a part or most of the cash prize and the rest is taken by the team.