via Getty
LOUDON, NH – JULY 18: Kyle Busch, driver of the (18) Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, before the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on July 18, 2021, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
via Getty
LOUDON, NH – JULY 18: Kyle Busch, driver of the (18) Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, before the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on July 18, 2021, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Motorsports is a brutal business and one that requires a lot of risks when compared to other traditional sports. Kyle Busch was known to be the highest-paid driver in the 2021 NASCAR season. However, fast forward to today, he mentions that NASCAR drivers aren’t getting enough dough in comparison to other sports.
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NASCAR journalist Jim Utter recently shared what Kyle Busch said, “@KyleBusch: “Drivers ain’t makin’ what they used to.”
Read More: Look: Ross Chastain’s Dig At His Own “Payback” from NASCAR Colleagues Goes Viral
In the 2021 season, Busch reportedly earned a salary of 17.8 Million Dollars, and after adding in race win and endorsement deal money his total net worth tanked up to an astounding 80 Million Dollars. However, with his current contract deal underway, he seems to not have been able to get the same dough he used to two years ago.
NASCAR Fans react to statement by Kyle Busch
Fans seemed to be in agreement with Busch’s statement while some blamed it on NASCAR and the way the organization handles things.
It is baffling to know Formula One drivers such as Sir Lewis Hamilton and NBA players like LeBron James earn in the north of $40 Millon a year minus the endorsements, etc. Meanwhile, the boys here at NASCAR aren’t even minutely close to those figures. Many fans took to argue the disparity in the pay scale for athletes in NASCAR in comparison to several other forms of sport.
While some baseball and football players are making 30+ million a year lol. Huge discrepancy in the sport with salaries of other sports. Maybe nascar should make some more dumb rules and run more sponsors, businesses and fans away from the sport. Seems to be working!
— CRAIGO (@CRAlG0) September 10, 2022
You can thank Brian France and company for that.
— Elliot (@elliot2383) September 10, 2022
that’s crazy to think about thinking other sports are having guys get record contracts
— mitch turbisky revenge tour/kenny pickett breakout (@EmeighSteven) September 10, 2022
The signs have been there…several years back a lot of drivers had their chartered private jets to get to and from the track. Today a lot of these guys ride with victory air for their rides home.
— Kyle Anthony (@KyleA29) September 10, 2022
Well of course not. NASCAR has plummeted in popularity. That means the value of sponsoring a car/driver plummets as well.
— StugotsJr. (@StugotsJr28) September 10, 2022
And we wonder why there was such a youth movement.
— Paul Stadler ☮️ (@stadler91) September 10, 2022
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If you want to get paid to be a race car driver, F1 is the place to be. Both Max and Lewis earn north of 50 million a year.
— The Racing Reporter (@reallynascar) September 10, 2022
Watch This Story: Kyle Busch – Net Worth Salary and Endorsements in 2022
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A lot also has to do with the fact that NASCAR has seemingly lost a huge part of its audience over the past several years. That combined with a loss in interest for sponsors to field their money in the sport has seen a steady decline in average salaries throughout the sport. Admittedly, a NASCAR driver making north of 10 million dollars is not something less, but only when put up in comparison to other sports, it feels like a minuscule amount.
Do you agree with what Kyle Busch had to say about the salaries in comparison to other sports? Let us know what is in your mind regarding this issue down in the comments below.
