For years, NASCAR has remained tight-lipped about the winner's payouts, leaving fans to speculate about the money. However, Denny Hamlin might have just revealed the secret. 

During his appearance on the Dale Jr. Download podcast on June 10, Hamlin was questioned by Earnhardt Jr. about the amount he was paid after winning at Nashville. 

"No idea," the Joe Gibbs Racing driver replied honestly on the podcast.

The NASCAR star then explained how the money is split into different buckets, which made it difficult to calculate the exact amount.

"I don't know. It's a freaking math equation. It is, you know, because obviously the NASCAR money is split into all these different buckets now, right?  So, it's a math equation, but 280 grand, 300, I don't know," Hamlin added.

In the past, NASCAR used to reveal the race purse along with the winner's payout in the official results. It was a system they followed since 1948. So, one could find out the exact amount being deposited in the winner's bank account. 

However, since 2016, things have changed with the introduction of the new charter system. The organization stopped publishing the amount a driver would be paid for winning a race.

Since then, the purse has been divided into various buckets, as Hamlin stated. And the amount is now paid to the teams rather than directly to the drivers. 

Back in 2024, Joe Gibbs Racing team president revealed how the purse money is divided. 

Joe Gibbs Racing Executive Pulls Back the Curtain on the Distribution of the Prize Money

The new charter system established 36 ownership charters, which were valued differently from each other. The value is mostly based on things like the team's historic significance and standing over several seasons. 

Dave Alpern, the Joe Gibbs Racing team president, explained in a YouTube video the details of the purse buckets.

“The first is fixed, which is just as it sounds, a fixed amount that’s the same for every team. The second is the race purse. Your finishing position pays a certain amount every week based on how you finish the race," he said.

Several other factors were thrown into the mix as well. These included guaranteed revenue, a points fund with cash payouts, and the race purse, which is given out based on a driver's finishing position. 

"There’s a year-end points fund that’s based on your point standings at the end of the year. And the fourth is called historical, which looks at primarily a three-year weighted average of how your team has done historically, and those are the four ways that we get paid out our NASCAR Purse," Alpern explained.

The amount left over after being distributed into these buckets is then shared among the team, which includes the employees back at the factory. 

Follow the Daytona Racing Digest for more NASCAR updates!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit