Salary
Average Salary: $500,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $12,500,000
A developmental NASCAR driver makes between $100,000 and $300,000 in base salary and around another $200,000 in prize money. Less taxes and about $25k for disability insurance and you’re looking at around $200,000 total.
A Spring Cup driver can make over 20 million a year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. cleared $28.2 million in salary, prize money and endorsements. Quite a bit more than his predecessor, Dale Earnhardt Sr. made as a driver in his day, then again, his dad did die in a tragic crash on the Daytona 500 (Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in second in that race).
If you can make it on the track, you’ll be making money. However, there’s no middle ground with racing. Either you get a car and get someone to believe in you or you make nothing at all and don’t race. Feast or famine. Just make sure your set your family up with a really great life insurance for you in case you don’t come home one day.