“I didn’t stutter”: Veteran pulls the curtain on ‘insane’ difference between NASCAR vs. CFB financial situations

NASCAR is a financially driven sport. Every year, teams and drivers scramble for sponsorships and partnerships to facilitate the smooth running of their entries. Besides running the car, there is also the question of salaries. Several sports offer better financial deals than stock car racing. Recently, veteran NASCAR spotter Brett Griffin shared his thoughts on the stark differences in pay for athletes as compared to other major sports.

Griffin, who has assumed the role of a spotter for NASCAR legends like Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer believes that in comparison to College Football (CFB) contracts, NASCAR drivers are barely touching the surface of their level. A post by renowned CFB analyst Brad Crawford outlined the deal given to American football coach Brent Venables on the final day of the winter transfer portal window.

"Brent Venables has a buyout of $44.8M if Oklahoma fired him today. If the Sooners fire him this next year, it's $35M. No better financial windfall in the country than landing an elite CFB gig, regardless of the outcome."

Upon reading about this deal, Griffin drew an 'insane' comparison between the payout side of both premier sports.

"And we have NASCAR drivers running the Daytona 500 and making zero. I didn’t stutter. 2008 guys made more than 2024 guys will make as a whole. Insane."

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, and RFK Racing Brad Keselowski are reportedly the top three most-paid NASCAR athletes on the current Cup Series roster.

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“Many drivers have gotten screwed”: Brett Griffin responds to a fan, paints the reality of modern NASCAR pay disparity

Since the antitrust lawsuit by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the perception of NASCAR's financial structure has shifted significantly. Many fans and insiders now reportedly believe the sanctioning body takes a disproportionately large share of the revenue, leaving teams and drivers with fewer resources in an already sponsorship-driven sport.

In the same thread as mentioned above, veteran spotter Brett Griffin further expressed his views on the inconsistency of pay in NASCAR. A curious fan asked Griffin to shed light on the finance side of things in stock car racing.

"In the meantime, I wonder what the increase has been in NASCAR revenue and profit over the same time frame," the fan asked.

Responding to the fan, Griffin wrote:

"Think about the increase in the value of all of their real estate footprints. Chicagoland and Fontana made more money not racing than racing. Good for them. Many Drivers have gotten screwed over the last 15 years. Some fans don’t care but you should. We need teams to be able to hire the best wheel holders out there."

Meanwhile, the Cup Series is set to return to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium after a little over five decades. Famously known as The Madhouse, Bowman Gray is set to host the pre-season Clash on February 2nd, at 8:00 PM ET. Catch the action live on FOX, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM's NASCAR channel.