Denny Hamlin - Drivers are underpaid

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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Denny Hamlin: ‘NASCAR drivers should be making NBA, NFL money’; calls for redistribution of revenue

CHARLOTTE – Denny Hamlin lobbied for the revenue distribution model to be shifted in NASCAR’s premier series, giving teams and drivers the opportunity to make more money.

To ensure the long-term economic viability of race teams whose budgets can exceed $100 million annually, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver believes the reliance on corporate sponsorship should be “bonus money,” and that teams should be able to survive on purse money.

Under terms of a consolidated national network TV era that began in 2001, tracks receive 65 percent of revenue from rights fees revenue, teams receive 25 percent, and NASCAR gets 10 percent. NASCAR signed Fox and NBC in a 10-year deal, which is in its third season, that has been estimated at more than $8 billion.

“The pie has to be shifted for sure,” Hamlin said at a charity event Wednesday morning to promote International Walk to School Day with sponsor FedEx. “The TV dollars coming into NASCAR is higher than it’s ever been, but we’re seeing fewer and fewer teams, and it just can’t survive. So it economically doesn’t make sense. The pie, the amount of TV money that the race teams share, has to go up, in my opinion.”

read the rest..... http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2017/10/04/denny-hamlin-nascar-drivers-should-be-making-nba-nfl-money-calls-for-redistribution-of-revenue/
 
TV definitely has too much pull. Financially and otherwise.
 
Using that logic law enforcement, firefighters, etc. should be making NBA and NFL money as well. Those players make that money because they generate multiples upon multiples upon multiples of dollars that NASCAR drivers generate for their respective teams and leagues.

That said, I agree with Denny that a redistribution of TV money is something that should be considered.
 
The_hand_that_will_rule_the_world.jpg
 
I agree that the revenue distribution is wayyyyy off. It boggles the mind why 75% of the tv money doesn't even reach the teams. Why the tracks need 65% of the money to not even update their facilities is bonkers.

That said, the drivers won't be getting NBA star money any time ever. In today's NASCAR driver skill makes less and less of a difference in team success. Why would I pay Denny $10m a year when I can pay Erik Jones $1m a year and re-invest that other $9m into engineering and R&D to make a car that is just flat-out superior? We follow drivers like celebs and tune in Sundays to see the outcome of our favorite races as if they were in doubt, when in reality everything was decided last January in a lab by a Quintin (or in TRD's case Akibono Hantai-san) staring at a computer screen of wind tunnel data.
 
For perspective, JGR President Dave Alpern said last year that sponsorship still accounts for 85% of JGR's annual revenue.

That's not a whole lot coming in from other sources, including the big TV networks NASCAR sold their souls to.
 
They probably are but the sport can't even begin to afford NFL level salaries let alone NBA ones.
 
it's about economics, not risk. By that logic, military folks should be among the richest people in the world

Nascar drivers will never be paid what star players in the nfl/mlb/nba/nhl are paid

to touch on the risk part a bit more. i think the nfl is far more dangerous to play than driving in nascar due to all the concussions in the nfl
 
Hamlin is realizing how much more drivers are making now versus just a few years ago. I guess he wants to speak up now before his next contract comes up.

The tracks are putting in some TV money into the purses. They never release those figures. The thing is attendance is down, TV ratings are down, so sponsorship is down. There's no way to make the money go up without NASCAR making the right changes to get the fans back.
 
Says the guy with a house the size of a castle... If you have your Daytona 500 winning car in your living room and have a full size basketball court in your lake front house, I think you're doing alright.
 
Denny before you speak more on this, talk to Matt about how those high salaries are working for him.
 
Snowman said:
Says the guy with a house the size of a castle... If you have your Daytona 500 winning car in your living room and have a full size basketball court in your lake front house, I think you're doing alright.
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"I’m not including myself. I’m including probably the back half of the field that those drivers are risking the same amount I am, and they should be paid a hell of a lot more.”
 
He's right. It's because the Drivers don't have a Union with a Collective Bargaining Unit like the other pro sports leagues.
 
aunty dive said:
"I’m not including myself. I’m including probably the back half of the field that those drivers are risking the same amount I am, and they should be paid a hell of a lot more.”
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The second string shouldn't make near the amount of money as the first string... IMO NASCAR's structure doesn't allow that to happen. Even if Go Fas Racing got some crazy amount of TV money, one would think they would invest it in their race team instead of giving their drivers a raise.
 
Want to get paid more? Put on show instead of sand bagging at talladega, sign autographs instead of ranting on Twitter about the pennies you make from souvenirs, maybe ditch the pc accountant like personalities... Maybe then the races will get more eyes glued to tv and asses in the seats and sponsors on the cars, and you won’t get your ass kicked by an insignificant golf tournament.
 
FLRacingFan said:
For perspective, JGR President Dave Alpern said last year that sponsorship still accounts for 85% of JGR's annual revenue.

That's not a whole lot coming in from other sources, including the big TV networks NASCAR sold their souls to.
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Yep, this is definitely a problem IMO.
 
Snowman said:
The second string shouldn't make near the amount of money as the first string... IMO NASCAR's structure doesn't allow that to happen. Even if Go Fas Racing got some crazy amount of TV money, one would think they would invest it in their race team instead of giving their drivers a raise.
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Hamlin didn't say the back half of the field should make the same money as the front-runners.

I find it helpful to read the text in order to fully understand it.
 
Acs said:
I agree that the revenue distribution is wayyyyy off. It boggles the mind why 75% of the tv money doesn't even reach the teams. Why the tracks need 65% of the money to not even update their facilities is bonkers.

That said, the drivers won't be getting NBA star money any time ever. In today's NASCAR driver skill makes less and less of a difference in team success. Why would I pay Denny $10m a year when I can pay Erik Jones $1m a year and re-invest that other $9m into engineering and R&D to make a car that is just flat-out superior? We follow drivers like celebs and tune in Sundays to see the outcome of our favorite races as if they were in doubt, when in reality everything was decided last January in a lab by a Quintin (or in TRD's case Akibono Hantai-san) staring at a computer screen of wind tunnel data.
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Why do you bother with this sport at all?
 
aunty dive said:
Hamlin didn't say the back half of the field should make the same money as the front-runners.

I find it helpful to read the text in order to fully understand it.
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I didn't say same, I said near.

I too find it helpful to read the text in order to fully understand it. ;)
 
Fordracing7 said:
They all CHOOSE to be there, they know the risks and rewards. I don't care what they're opinions on money are.
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Yes ... heaven forbid that one of these automatons should even have an opinion, much less express it.

I would have preferred a run-down of the 11 car's corporate sponsors and some gratitude for the hard work of the wonderful people at the shop.
 
as a rule, most cup drivers have much longer careers and less after effects. Another bad stick n ball comparison IMO.
 
joe h said:
Want to get paid more? Put on show instead of sand bagging at talladega, sign autographs instead of ranting on Twitter about the pennies you make from souvenirs, maybe ditch the pc accountant like personalities... Maybe then the races will get more eyes glued to tv and asses in the seats and sponsors on the cars, and you won’t get your ass kicked by an insignificant golf tournament.
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Lol no. Thats how the owners get richer not the drivers

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Sounds like Denny and the other drivers need better agents. If they aren't getting the money they feel they deserve they can always stop and go back to the local tracks they came from. Nothing is making them race cars for a living. It has been proven that if they want to vacate their seat a younger driver who makes less will be more than happy to fill it.
 
The choker wants more money. Interesting.
 
Denny has a huge endorsement with Jordan as well.

Dude is not going to starve anytime soon. His net worth is well over 30 million.
 
It is not my intent to agree or disagree with Hamlin.

But I cannot fault any owner that has figured how to make a profit at racing. A owner has to really love racing with a passion, or be a damn fool.
I don't know of any buisness models that should attract pure investors.
The cost drives away everyone but the insane.
 
As far as I know the market determines what drivers from Jeffrey Earnhardt to Jimmie Johnson get paid so IDK where Hamlin is coming from. If he is unhappy with his earnings he is free to move on to another profession that pays more.
 
Acs said:
I agree that the revenue distribution is wayyyyy off. It boggles the mind why 75% of the tv money doesn't even reach the teams. Why the tracks need 65% of the money to not even update their facilities is bonkers.

That said, the drivers won't be getting NBA star money any time ever. In today's NASCAR driver skill makes less and less of a difference in team success. Why would I pay Denny $10m a year when I can pay Erik Jones $1m a year and re-invest that other $9m into engineering and R&D to make a car that is just flat-out superior? We follow drivers like celebs and tune in Sundays to see the outcome of our favorite races as if they were in doubt, when in reality everything was decided last January in a lab by a Quintin (or in TRD's case Akibono Hantai-san) staring at a computer screen of wind tunnel data.
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This is so damn true!! I love the sport but it's really not about the driver it's really that damn car
 
I have talked to people at the shop and they say Denny spends a lot of money lol.. they said he going to go broke if he don't stop spending so much :sad:
 
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