You’d think NASCAR’s new $7.7 billion media rights deal meant the stakeholders’ pockets were as happy as can be. But that’s not been the case at all. On the contrary, the sport has been facing serious challenges in hiring recruits. And the issue might just be due to NASCAR’s action-packed schedule and ever-increasing running costs. In such a scenario, it’s no surprise that the sport is in dire need to turn things around.

While Formula 1 teams are expanding their profits and employee numbers by the minute, the same can’t be said for America’s beloved motorsport. But if a sport as expensive as Formula 1 can achieve corporate success, why are NASCAR teams struggling to hire new employees to carry the baton forward?

How NASCAR’s schedule is causing major burnout for team crews amidst reducing wages

As we head into a time of abundance when it comes to NASCAR’s per-year valuation over the next 7 years, the case has not been the same for the team staff. From crew chiefs to mechanics to even drivers, running a full-time season in NASCAR is no easy feat. With over 38 confirmed race weekends in 2024, the fact that most NASCAR workers are feeling burnt out already is no surprise. When Pete Pistone shared this on Twitter, it sparked a debate between many of the sport’s closest stakeholders.

Even motorsport series such as Formula 1 have received backlash for the 23-race calendar, with the community citing similar reasons to NASCAR’s current situation. But even if the sport stays within America’s borders, unlike F1, the number of races has become difficult for most NASCAR icons to manage with growing families needing their time. And it’s not just time that’s discouraging gearheads from joining the ranks of America’s greatest racing series.

While Dale Earnhardt Jr might be worth over $200 million, gone are the days of prosperity when it comes to the kind of pay a Cup Series crew member would get. Although the media rights deal is a step in the right direction, it’s no secret that the sport is beyond its glory days.

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The pay scale in comparison to the hours spent traveling is not satisfactory for most employees, and many prominent NASCAR entities came forward to advance the idea originally started by Pistone. However, when a team owner is concerned, the story rings differently. While there are many flaws in NASCAR’s current pay scale, the comparisons with corporate jobs were quickly shut down by Tommy Joe Martins.

Team owners claim their hands are tied

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Tommy Joe Martins, who is an iconic super late model driver and co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, wasted no time in pointing out that the teams were helpless in the matter. While it’s true that drivers like Kyle Busch and teams like Hendrick Motorsports get multi-million dollar contracts, the story rings differently for the various family-owned teams that are nowhere near as powerful.

He added, “We’re all doing the best we can here. We all want to pay fair wages and have enough people. If sponsors/drivers/agencies refuse to pay more money, and the costs for literally every part/piece/tire continually go up, how does that work out for any of us?”

Earlier, many esteemed journalists had compared NASCAR wages to that of working in a corporation like Amazon, citing the latter to be more rewarding. But this didn’t sit well with Martins, who believed the opportunity a job in NASCAR gave to satiate the passion for racing trumped any demands of higher pay. He shared, “If you want to make money, there’s plenty of jobs that’ll pay you WAY more to do things you probably don’t want to do. If you WANT to do this, you find a way.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Larson Believes Nascar Multi-Billion Dollar Media Rights Deal Is a Step in the Right Direction

It’s safe to say the jury is still out on NASCAR’s hiring crisis and what the logical step is to satisfy every party involved. With the sport heading into a new media rights era, the tide could change in an instant.