Denny Hamlin - Drivers are underpaid

LewTheShoe said:
Financing the race team operating budget is traditionally an ownership function, not a driver function, duh. And what is or isn't a "gravy train" is a matter of perspective and point of view. I believe racers are almost universally underpaid, although the few at the very tip of the iceberg are doing fine. Compared to other sports, Nascar drivers are significantly underpaid relative to several major stick-and-ball leagues... primarily NBA, MLB, the major soccer leagues, and maybe NFL. There are many reasons for this... business models, organizational structures, popularity of the sport, and others.

OTOH, comparing the many branches of the motorsports tree, Nascar has long been the most lucrative and financially vibrant branch. According to the annual Forbes analysis, last year Nascar had 13 drivers at or above the $12 million range. In contrast to this, F1 has probably three in that range, probably three in MotoGP, and zero elsewhere in racing. I'm sure Nascar will have fewer this year... Tony Stewart has retired, Carl Edwards has retired, Danica has substantial sponsorship shortfalls.

And perhaps still fewer next year, but it's still a damn good job, driving stock cars for a major Nascar team. It's likely to remain a damn good job, because the driver makes a huge difference in results in Nascar. @Acs may not believe it, but all he has to do is compare results... JJ versus KK, the 42 versus the 1, the 18 versus 11 or 20. By contrast, F1 is two-by-two according to team. Owners will gladly pay for that, unless they absolutely cannot pay for it. That's not a bad place to be, IMO.

The only "gravy train" in Nascar is the amount of TV money flowing to the racetracks, IMO. The cozy and incestuous relationship between Nascar and ISC is the real culprit here, as @gnomesayin pointed out.
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I agree that the money being paid to Nascar by FOX and NBC represents the gravy train as it is a boatload of money that is currently covering a multitude of ills. IDK what anyone deserves to get paid but I will say the nearly 30 million a year Matt Stafford is being paid yearly seems awfully high and the 10 million a year that Connor McDavid is getting paid seems like a bargain, IMO.

I also agree that being a Nascar driver is a great gig although there are a lot of unseen demands that would be tiresome to say the least. IDK what a driver like Jeffrey Earnhardt is paid but if he grossed 500K per year I would think it was plenty for what he does but that is just me. From what Allenbaba has said a lot of drivers will have to work for much less so if someone like Ryan Newman was currently making 4 million a year it sounds like his next contract would be about 1 million. I am assuming guys like Jones, Suarez, Elliott, Blaney and Byron next year will make less than someone like AJ Dinger who has an existing contract. I may be 100% wrong on this as there is not enough info available to formulate a solid opinion.
 
I am pretty sure the Owners Union has already had meetings on how to decrease drivers salaries.
The first step would be to not renew contracts with the higher paid ones. ie: Kenseth
That puts All drivers on notice.
 
Team Penske said:
I am pretty sure the Owners Union has already had meetings on how to decrease drivers salaries.
The first step would be to not renew contracts with the higher paid ones. ie: Kenseth
That puts All drivers on notice.
Click to expand...

The problem for Nascar drivers is that there is not a great demand for them. The NHL is screaming for starting caliber goalies and pulling their hair out trying to get top 2 and top 4 defensemen and if you happen to be a right handed shot you have hit the lottery. Replacing a Nascar driver with another driver with talent and potential is not rocket science.
 
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