The round of 12 is the next challenge for our NASCAR drivers and the first stop is the Kansas Speedway. NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin is the favorite going into the race. After all, he is the all-time highest Cup Series race winner at the track, bagging four checkered flags. All his last six appearances on the track have been top-5 finishes. However, Hamlin’s last win of the season came in April at Dover. A win at Kansas for the #11 would be a good morale boost after a struggling playoff start.

However, making things difficult for him would be Kyle Larson, who is the most recent winner on the track, where Hamlin finished 5th. The #5 is also coming from a dominant race win at Bristol looking to bag a back-to-back win. However, what must make the win more desirable is the prize money. Well, only for the Cup drivers! NASCAR insider recently revealed the races’ purses for all three series. The disparity has left fans in shock!

NASCAR’s eye-opening difference in pay at Kansas

Entering the Kansas race, Larson is dominating the playoff table. Christopher Bell follows the #5 in the second position and the regular-season champion, Tyler Reddick, is in the 3rd. But the race would be more crucial for the drivers in the bubble. Currently, Austin Cindric is in the 9th position with -4 points, followed by Daniel Suarez in 10th with -6 points, and lastly, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe make the final two spots, both are -7 points below the cutoff line.

Kansas race would be crucial to set a tone for the round of 12 as well as provide an opportunity to take the biggest piece out of the race purse. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass recently revealed the prize money for the races. The disparity between the divisions is pretty glaring. As Pockrass took to X, he wrote, “Purses for Kansas weekend, incl all payouts, all positions, plus contingency awards, contribution to year-end points bonuses, all charter payouts for racing and historical performance: Cup: $9,222,964 Xifnity: $1,777,248 Truck: $670,619”

It is surprising that while Cup drivers are out there vying for almost $10 million, Truck drivers are looking at a prize pool that’s less than 10% of that! It’s wild to think about how that total is split, meaning the winner in Truck takes home a lot less. It’s understandable that the Cup Series gets more attention, but it still feels a bit unfair. After all, all these drivers—whether they’re in Cup, Xfinity, or Trucks—are racing on the same tracks and facing the same challenges.

Although exact driver payouts are generally not publicly available, the amount that each driver and his team gets is based on several factors, such as finishing position, pre-negotiated salaries, incentives met, etc. The winning team gets the maximum amount, which is further divided amongst the stakeholders and the drivers. Whereas the remaining amount is divided amongst the other 36 charter teams based on their finishing positions and charter agreements.

The recently revealed difference has left fans pitying the lower series drivers.

Fans voice concerns over the harsh difference

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It is critical to note that the low parity is not unique to Kansas. Even in the recent Bristol race, for example, it was evident with Cup drivers taking the biggest share. While the Cup Series took home $9,222,417, the Xfinity was left with $1,680,574  and the Truck was allotted $720,063. The continued trend has fans worried about the lower divisions. One fan wrote, “It seems crazy that Xfinity is valued so lowly compared to Cup. I don’t see how Trucks & Xfinity can co-exist long-term with purses like this” 

The same was the case with Daytona, where the Cup drivers had a race purse of $9,193,568, and for the Truck Series, it was $672,572, an even higher difference compared to Bristol. Another fan echoing the same emotions wrote, “Each time, this list rolls out. It just seems so imbalanced. Xfinity is getting a cheap deal. Even in sponsorship of the series.”

While many pity the Truck Series, it is technically not the lowest division of NASCAR. Imagine how much the ARCA Menards Series (formerly NASCAR K&N Pro) drivers would be making. If you look at the Berlin race purse of this season, the winner bagged $5,000, the second-place holder got $3,000, and the third-place finisher won $2,250. After the Kansas prices were revealed, many wondered about the ARCA prize money. A concerned fan wrote, “Arca purses? Take a guess everyone!” Another fan took a wild guess and had a hilarious answer. He wrote, “Arca: $50 and Stale bag of chips 😂”

NASCAR stopped disclosing the winner’s prize after 2015. However, the last we know is that Team Penske’s Joey Logano walked away with $1.58 million after winning the Daytona 500 race, which is a lot compared to the whole truck race purse. A fan, shocked at how much his favorite driver is making, wrote, “Gah damn. Didn’t realize they were pulling that much in lol”

What do you think of this difference in pay? Let us know in the comments below.