Finally, NASCAR is resuming after a long Olympic break. There are only four races left before the playoffs, and the first stop for the teams is the mighty Richmond Raceway. Yes, drivers race their blood, sweat, and tears for glory and the rush. But also for the attractive prize money.

NASCAR insiders recently revealed the race purses for the Richmond race. What is shocking is the difference in the amount in the Cup series and the Truck series. That’s not all; there are also some new penalties going on in the race. FOX News’s Bob Pockrass shares all the details.

Firstly, what has alarmed everyone going into the Richmond weekend is the storm. An actual storm!

According to the race track officials, Hurricane Debby, which initially impacted northern Florida and southern Georgia, is projected to reach Virginia later this week, potentially disrupting the NASCAR Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Bob Pockrass took it to X to share the entire prize pool, which is up for grabs in the upcoming race. He wrote, “Purses for Richmond weekend, including all payouts, all positions, all charter payouts based on participating and historical performance, contingency awards.”

Well, there is also some good news for the Cup series drivers. The monetary incentives of the Richmond race have been revealed, as Bob Pockrass’s post included, “etc.: Cup: $7,925,121 Truck: $744,784″

However, what’s alarming is that the Cup Series pool is almost 10 times more than the Truck.

The pay parity between the two series has been a topic of debate in the past but has not yielded a change. If the track is the same and the risk drivers put themselves through is also the same, then why the parity?

This is not just the case in Richmond; it’s the same situation on all the tracks. Like in the last Bristol race, the prize pool for the cup was $8,182,531 and that for the truck was $761,274. Also at the Vegas weekend, the Cup series took home $9,386,054, while Truck only garnered $736,214.

In all cases, it is more than 10 times the difference. There will of course be differences due to the difference in popularity; however, this vast difference seems a bit unfair. To make matters worse, there are new penalties added ahead of the crucial Richmond race.

NASCAR updates rules ahead of the Richmond race

The Richmond race is definitely going to be dramatic, as at this point in the series every race counts. In the already strenuous race to the playoffs, NASCAR updated a new at-track penalty rule. The rule is: “At-track penalties that may be imposed as a result of a Pre- Race violation and must be served after the affected vehicle receives the green flag on the racetrack and enters pit road under green flag conditions are the following: Pass-through, stop-and-go and holding a vehicle for a lap or time penalty.” 

This is not the only rule update. NASCAR has also updated the rule regarding the assistance allowed for a car during red flag conditions. The update is: “Following red flag conditions, pushing assistance will be provided to vehicles unable to start. The pushing distance will be limited and determined solely by NASCAR to allow the vehicle an opportunity to start. Vehicles requiring additional assistance may be penalized with a Tail of the Field penalty.” And guess what?

It didn’t sit well with NASCAR fans, and some of them are even calling out NASCAR for Kyle Larson’s favoritism.

The NASCAR Cup series is at a crucial point as table-toppers fight for the coveted playoff points and the ones in the bubble are in a battle for a spot. Who will take the win in Richmond? Only time will tell. Who do you think is set to win? Let us know in the comments below.