Kyle Busch Snub Exposes the Declining State of NASCAR as Jeff Gordon & Dale Earnhardt Jr Barely Make It to the “All-Time Highest-Paid Athletes” List

NASCAR has been catering to stock car racing enthusiasts since its inception 75 years ago in 1948. However, the American racing sport has seen a lot of ups and downs during its bittersweet journey. While the sport has stood tall through the rough times, financial issues have always been a concern. NASCAR’s popularity was at its peak in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the following has gradually declined during the last decade and a half in spite of the sport boasting of some of the best racers in the world.

Despite an increase in the popularity of the sport since the introduction of the Next Gen cars, a recent Kyle Busch snub from the list of all-time highest-paid athletes exposed the declining state of NASCAR.

The list comprises superstars from nine different sports and 17 countries worldwide. Moreover, there are 13 athletes from the NBA with Michael Jordan topping the chart with an inflation-adjusted total income of $3.3 billion. Being just two years younger than NBA, NASCAR stands a long way back in the line in terms of financial success.

Kyle Busch misses out on the list

As per Sportico, only two NASCAR drivers, Jeff Gordon and Dale Eanrhardt Jr, are on the list of the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time. Surprisingly, Kyle Busch failed to make it to the list.

According to the list, Jeff Gordon is the 23rd entry on the list, with a total income of $685 million. Meanwhile, Dale Jr is in the 32nd spot with total earnings of $620 million.

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One of the major reasons behind the financial ineptness of NASCAR has been the fluctuations in the fanbase of the sport. Though, this is not the only reason.

Deciphering the financial struggles of NASCAR

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NASCAR hosts around 1500 races each year across 48 US states, along with Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Brazil. Despite so many races, athletes find it really hard to attain longevity in the sport. Firstly, it is extremely difficult for drivers to find a stable sponsorship as depicted by the recent M&M, Kyle Busch, and Joe Gibbs Racing fiasco.

Meanwhile, teams being prone to shift to young drivers has also resulted in a lack of prolonged dedication of the fans toward particular drivers and long-time financial success for drivers.

Additionally, there have been reports of NASCAR and the teams having disagreements over the financial division of the sports’ media rights deal, causing more instability in the sport, as teams struggle to sustain and make profits. Thus, a series of concerns within the sport and the overdependency on sponsorship have kept NASCAR from reaching the pinnacle of financial success.

However, the return of sellout crowds in recent times with the Next Gen cars could be a positive sign for the sport’s future, as the league aims to make a series of critical changes to make racing more adventurous.

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