July 5, 2025, Chicago, Il, USA: Chicago , IL USA - July 05, 2025: NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series driver, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN 9 of Auckland, New Zealand NZL battles for position during the The Loop 110 in Chicago , IL. Chicago USA - ZUMAa161 20250705_aaa_a161_161 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x
July 5, 2025, Chicago, Il, USA: Chicago , IL USA - July 05, 2025: NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series driver, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN 9 of Auckland, New Zealand NZL battles for position during the The Loop 110 in Chicago , IL. Chicago USA - ZUMAa161 20250705_aaa_a161_161 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x
The unfair pay between NASCAR’s Cup series and its lower series has been a talking point for quite some time now. However, the topic is back in the spotlight after former Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie shared how he felt about the payout disparity.
On Thursday, NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass shared the amount that will be handed out to the teams at North Wilkesboro this weekend. In an X post, he wrote:
"Purses for North Wilkesboro weekend, including all payouts, all positions and all charter payouts, contingency awards, etc.:
Cup: $11,233,037
Truck: $789,700"
Under Pockrass’ post, Corey LaJoie replied with a GIF of the famous cartoon Mickey Mouse. In the GIF, Mickey is seen cutting an extremely thin, almost transparent slice from a loaf of bread and handing it over to Goofy.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 12: Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske Body Armor Flash I.V. Ford leads Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing Columbia PFG/Academy Sports Toyota and Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Rheem Toyota to the checkered flag during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Quaker State 400 on July 12, 2026 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, GA. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 12 NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon26071216407400
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 12: Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske Body Armor Flash I.V. Ford leads Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing Columbia PFG/Academy Sports Toyota and Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Rheem Toyota to the checkered flag during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Quaker State 400 on July 12, 2026 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, GA. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 12 NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon26071216407400
LaJoie used the GIF as a visual metaphor to highlight the $10,443,337 gap in the purse payout between the NASCAR Cup Series and the Truck Series.
When a fan called him out for complaining about the six-figure dollar amount for a team compared to what blue-collar workers earn, Lajoie explained his problem. An excerpt of his reply read:
"My point being the purse being skewed to 7% for trucks when the cost to compete is closer to 50-60%."
This issue is not something new in NASCAR. In 2025, Frontstretch put out a report where the Truck Series owners and managers expressed their frustration over the unfair purse payout. They argued that this current structure pays only a fraction of what the Cup Series gets and has been slowly becoming difficult for the Truck Series operations to run.
Former NASCAR team owner comments on why he cannot afford to run a charter
Back in 2020, B.J. McLeod purchased a charter for $10 million. He founded Live Fast Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, in 2023, he sold it for $40 million.
During his appearance on the 'Dale Jr Download' podcast in April, McLeod opened up about facing financial struggles to own a team in the NASCAR Cup Series. He said,
"We just simply can’t afford it, right? Like, it’s—to run every week and own a charter and do it correctly, I feel like for me personally, where I’m at in life and the things I’ve done, I don’t want to be there unless I can try to compete."
In terms of performance, LFM finished in the top 10 just twice in its two-year run (both at Daytona). The team's average finish was outside the top 20.
Owning a charter got expensive for McLeod as he also had to take up the operational costs. In addition to this, attracting sponsors for a backmarker team was tough.
Read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Chionia Libania Colaco
Edited by
Yash Kotak