Jimmie Johnson shares blunt reality of Next-Gen drivers getting paid less despite NASCAR’s growth

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson recently shed light on the dropping salaries for drivers even though the sport is growing in popularity.

Johnson retired from full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020 and joined Legacy Motor Club (LMC) as driver and co-owner in 2023. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion took over the majority ownership of LMC earlier this year. He currently drives the No. 84 Toyota part-time in the series and had his best finish in the car at third place in his most recent race at Daytona International Speedway.

During the recent episode of the 'Business of Sport' podcast, Johnson was asked if NASCAR drivers get paid more or less today.

"Less now, for sure... It's just reflective of contract cycles, and also the workload is a bit less. There are many cost savings... The OEMs control the technology, so NASCAR will allow each OEM to have three test sessions during the course of the year. The OEMs also control the wind tunnel time. The OEMs also control the tire test and development time that’s allotted. All of that, in the past was... any team could do it on their own and at will," Jimmie Johnson responded (20:30 onwards)

"If you won the championship and had high merch sales and all the avenues, I would say a top Cup driver would take in 40 million. Now, I would say it's probably 13 million, 15 million, depending on the year," he added. (22:10)

Jimmie Johnson further discussed NASCAR's increased popularity and cost-cutting in the sport after the standardized car reduced the need for big spending on research and development. He explained that teams could test as much as they wanted during his time but OEMs now control testing and teams rely more on simulators.

---

"I was very, very fortunate" - Jimmie Johnson on winning in NASCAR during 'peak earning years'

Jimmie Johnson and his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon were among the highest-paid drivers in NASCAR. The former NASCAR champions competed in the Cup Series during the 2000s and 2010s and earned around $20-30 million a year at their peak.

During the same podcast, Johnson also discussed his fortunate timing in the sport and his five Cup championships in a row between 2006 and 2010.

"Yeah, I was very, very fortunate. My timing as a driver, which I had nothing to do with, but I was able to have, I won five in a row during the peak earning years. It was good," Jimmie Johnson said. (23:05)

Driver salaries dropped at the end of the last decade, with the top 10 highest-paid drivers making 36% less since 2019, according to Forbes. The charter system and reduced sponsorship are some reasons behind the decline.