Great info, thanks for the stats.
Kurt Busch made The Chase last year in the Furniture Row #78 car, a remarkable achievement considering the team was underfunded, had one major sponsor, and were a one-car team. They didn't have the luxury of trying multiple setups and sharing information between teammates, yet Kurt managed to get that car in The Chase. I also see that Kurt is the only driver to have made The Chase with 3 different teams. Impressive, but I know that's just because no one can stand him, so he gets passed around from team to team like a drunk girl at a frat party.
Honestly, I'm not really a big fan of Kurt Busch. I'm just amazed at what he can do with a race car. His personal behavior leaves something to be desired. His on-track feuds are legendary, he was one of the most hated sports celebrities a couple years ago, but all things considered, Kesolowski and (last year) Harvick have been the bad boys, but they are both well-liked, so not as much talk about their behavior.
The Chase format really changed the sport, but I guess the whole "wildcard" system in stick-and-ball sports did too. I sometimes will see a stat about how a player has just broken some long standing record in the playoffs, but many times that's because they play a lot more playoff games now than they used to. And it seems like every year, they widen the playoff system to include more teams, which waters down the whole sport. But more playoff teams means more revenue, more TV coverage, and more merchandising.
NASCAR will find some way to get Danica a win, or get her in The Chase. There's just too much money involved.
The top highest paid NASCAR drivers:
#1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yearly Income: $25.9 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.9 million
Endorsements Deals: $13 million
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#2. Jimmie Johnson
Yearly Income: $23 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $16.3 million
endorsements: $6.7 million
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#3. Tony Stewart
Yearly Earnings: $18.7 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.7 million
Endorsements: $6 million
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#4. Jeff Gordon
Yearly Earnings: $18.1 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.6 million
Endorsements: $5.5 million
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#5. Carl Edwards
Yearly Income: $13.7 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $12.2 million
Endorsements: $1.5 million
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#6. Kevin Harvick
Yearly Income: $13 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $11.5 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.5 million
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#7. Danica Patrick
Yearly Income: $12.9 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $6.4 million
Sponsorship Money: $6.5 million
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#8. Kyle Busch
Annual Earnings: $12.5 million
Basic Salary + winnings: $9.6 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.9 million
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#9. Kasey Kahne
Total Earnings: $12 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $11 million
Sponsorship Money: $1 million
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#10. Brad Keselowski
Yearly Income: $11.4 million
Basic Salary/winnings: $10 million
Sponsorship Money: $1.4 million
There's a lot of wins on that list, and a lot of great drivers.
If you take Danica Patrick off the list, you still have the same number of wins and great drivers.
