Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and a contender in the playoffs for 2022, Kyle Larson is one of the most recognizable faces in stock car racing. After a clean sweep of the weekend at Watkins Glen International, where he won both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races, Larson finished off his regular season with a DNF at Daytona International Speedway yesterday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was unable to finish the Coke Zero Sugar 400 yesterday after suffering from engine issues after 20 laps of the race.
While it did mean that the Elk Grove, California native would drop a couple of spots in the playoffs standings, he is comfortable above the cut line to qualify for the same. Driving the #5 hendrickcars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports since 2021, Kyle Larson has been one of the biggest comeback stories in the highest echelon of stock car racing. The now 30-year-old was dropped by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2020 after Larson used a racial slur at an online iRacing event.
The resulting backlash from his team and sponsors meant he sat out half of the 2020 season without a drive. Rick Hendrick, team owner at Hendrick Motorsports, saw the talent he had behind the wheel of a car and decided to give the Asian-American another chance the following year with one of his own companies sponsoring his car. The resulting comeback saw Larson dominate the field and take the championship with an astonishing 10 victories over the course of 2021.
Kyle Larson has not looked back on his career ever since and continues to impress in the sport, alongside his part-time appearances in the dirt racing scene as well. Along with qualifying for the playoffs this season, he has appeared in 27 dirt races in 2022, out of which he has visited Victory Lane in 8 of them.
So how much does Kyle Larson make in a year at Hendrick Motorsports?
Kyle Larson is one of the most highly-paid drivers on the field in 2022 after he proved his caliber behind the wheel of a car last year. It is estimated that Rick Hendrick pays the father-of-two $8-$10 million a year to drive the #5 hendrickcars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
His other sources of income include sponsor endorsements with the likes of Oakley, Pristine Auctions and Durst amongst various others that pay him around $1 million annually. As of 2022, Kyle Larson has an estimated net worth of $12 million.