$7,801,384 purse announced for the first NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Atlanta

Ahead of the 2024 Cup Series Playoff season in Atlanta, NASCAR has announced the purse for the weekend. Senior journalist Bob Pockrass has disclosed the amount via social media.

The concept of the purse was introduced in NASCAR's inaugural season in 1948. This amount varied according to the size and importance of the venue. For example, the payout at Daytona or Indianapolis will be substantially larger than that of a short track like Richmond or Bristol.

Before the charter system was introduced in 2016, NASCAR drivers could negotiate with team owners for a percentage of the purse amount for the race weekend. However, in the new system, the prize money is now awarded to the winning team, which then decides how the amount is distributed.

Ahead of the first race in the elimination-style season, the sanctioning body has disclosed the purse for both the Cup and Xfinity Series. The Cup has $7,801,384, while the latter has $1,480,058 as prize money. Senior correspondent for NASCAR on FOX, Bob Pockrass, has also shared the same details on X.

Here's a look at the post, captioned:

Purses for Atlanta weekend, includes all payouts, all positions, year-end points fund contribution, contingency awards and for Cup, per-race payouts and historical performance payouts for charters: Cup: $7,801,384 Xfinity: $1,480,058

While Kyle Larson is expected to be the top seed in the Playoffs, the 2024 regular season champion Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott are also top contenders for the title this year.

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With a record-breaking $28 million purse, the Daytona 500 topped the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season list

Daytona is considered the crown jewel in NASCAR. With a prize money of $28,035,991, the purse for the 2024 Daytona 500 race is one of the highest in motorsport's history.

Although the winner's share is not disclosed under the new charter system, the amount is estimated to be somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million. Michael McDowell, considered one of the most popular winners at Daytona in recent years, highlighted the importance of the 'Great American Race' to NASCAR.com:

“It’s the biggest race of the year for us and for the team from a payout standpoint. Winning the race and making the playoffs, financially what that does for you, it sets up the next few years – not just that year. If you’re going to win a race, this is the one you want to win, as far as the financial part of it goes.”

Apart from the iconic race in Florida, the other high-paying events on the 2024 NASCAR calendar were the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the recently concluded Cook Out Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway.

The former had a total payout of $9,874,821, while the latter had a prize money of $8,644,143 for the Cup Series. As for the Xfinity series, the amount was $1,383,384 and $1,303,907, respectively.