Kurt Busch Tops $9.6Million in Winnings
Written by John Davison · December 3, 2004
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Kurt Busch (No. 97 Sharpie/IRWIN Tools Ford) will receive $5,356,181 in point fund money at Friday night’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Awards Ceremony in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Once Busch accepts the official check, his season winnings will total $9,677,543.
BUSCH COLLECTS MORE THAN $5 MILLION IN NEW YORK
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion tops $9.6 million in 2004 winnings
Busch’s point fund payout comes from NASCAR and series sponsor Nextel, which is completing its first season as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series sponsor.
Prior to Friday night’s celebration, Busch also received a total of $105,000 in various contingency awards during the annual Myers Brothers Breakfast on the Waldorf-Astoria’s historic 18th-floor Starlight Roof.
Busch’s 2004 race winnings total $4,200,332. His career winnings stand at $22,860,894.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 runner-up Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) will receive a point fund payout of $2,404,137 from NASCAR and Nextel. Third-place finisher Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) will receive a point fund payout of $1,766,527 from NASCAR and Nextel.
2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Awards
2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Driver Race Winnings Special Awards NASCAR/Nextel Leader Bonus Season Total Career Total
1 Busch, Kurt $4,200,332 $105,000 $5,356,181 $16,030 $9,677,543 $22,860,894
2 Johnson, Jimmie 5,692,624 170,000 2,404,137 8,960 8,275,721 19,931,839
3 Gordon, Jeff 6,437,665 227,000 1,766,527 8,190 8,439,382 66,964,439
4 Martin, Mark 3,948,497 1,523,087 7,420 5,479,004 46,135,779
5 Earnhardt, Dale Jr. 7,201,380 195,000 1,510,480 6,650 8,913,510 29,555,869
6 Stewart, Tony 6,221,710 385,000 1,218,217 5,880 7,830,807 34,905,161
7 Newman, Ryan 5,152,666 100,000 1,096,480 5,110 6,354,256 18,304,885
8 Kenseth, Matt 6,223,892 75,000 1,102,077 4,340 7,405,309 26,501,894
9 Sadler, Elliott 5,158,362 35,000 1,047,672 3,920 6,244,954 19,429,249
10 Mayfield, Jeremy 3,892,573 1,023,269 3,500 4,919,342 22,515,017
11 McMurray, Jamie 3,676,311 1,000,000 4,676,311 8,653,059
12 Labonte, Bobby 4,570,545 630,852 5,201,397 40,843,154
13 Kahne, Kasey 4,759,022 50,000 606,589 5,415,611 5,415,611
14 Harvick, Kevin 4,739,012 582,325 5,321,337 19,709,874
15 Jarrett, Dale 4,539,334 558,062 5,097,396 46,915,666
16 Wallace, Rusty 4,447,302 533,798 4,981,100 43,670,500
17 Biffle, Greg 3,583,342 509,535 4,092,877 7,293,323
18 Burton, Jeff 3,695,075 359,235 4,054,310 35,642,417
19 Nemechek, Joe 3,872,415 473,139 4,345,554 19,327,669
20 Waltrip, Michael 4,245,688 448,876 4,694,564 27,640,029
21 Marlin, Sterling 4,117,753 339,690 4,457,443 32,970,362
22 Mears, Casey 3,250,317 212,306 3,462,623 6,101,801
23 Gordon, Robby 4,025,545 200,174 4,225,719 14,452,181
24 Rudd, Ricky 3,717,099 188,042 3,905,141 36,120,592
25 Vickers, Brian 3,044,898 90,988 3,135,886 3,399,370
Totals 24,895,631
Driver Race Winnings Special Awards NASCAR/Nextel Leader Bonus Season Total Career Total
1 Busch, Kurt $4,200,332 $105,000 $5,356,181 $16,030 $9,677,543 $22,860,894
2 Johnson, Jimmie 5,692,624 170,000 2,404,137 8,960 8,275,721 19,931,839
3 Gordon, Jeff 6,437,665 227,000 1,766,527 8,190 8,439,382 66,964,439
4 Martin, Mark 3,948,497 1,523,087 7,420 5,479,004 46,135,779
5 Earnhardt, Dale Jr. 7,201,380 195,000 1,510,480 6,650 8,913,510 29,555,869
6 Stewart, Tony 6,221,710 385,000 1,218,217 5,880 7,830,807 34,905,161
7 Newman, Ryan 5,152,666 100,000 1,096,480 5,110 6,354,256 18,304,885
8 Kenseth, Matt 6,223,892 75,000 1,102,077 4,340 7,405,309 26,501,894
9 Sadler, Elliott 5,158,362 35,000 1,047,672 3,920 6,244,954 19,429,249
10 Mayfield, Jeremy 3,892,573 1,023,269 3,500 4,919,342 22,515,017
11 McMurray, Jamie 3,676,311 1,000,000 4,676,311 8,653,059
12 Labonte, Bobby 4,570,545 630,852 5,201,397 40,843,154
13 Kahne, Kasey 4,759,022 50,000 606,589 5,415,611 5,415,611
14 Harvick, Kevin 4,739,012 582,325 5,321,337 19,709,874
15 Jarrett, Dale 4,539,334 558,062 5,097,396 46,915,666
16 Wallace, Rusty 4,447,302 533,798 4,981,100 43,670,500
17 Biffle, Greg 3,583,342 509,535 4,092,877 7,293,323
18 Burton, Jeff 3,695,075 359,235 4,054,310 35,642,417
19 Nemechek, Joe 3,872,415 473,139 4,345,554 19,327,669
20 Waltrip, Michael 4,245,688 448,876 4,694,564 27,640,029
21 Marlin, Sterling 4,117,753 339,690 4,457,443 32,970,362
22 Mears, Casey 3,250,317 212,306 3,462,623 6,101,801
23 Gordon, Robby 4,025,545 200,174 4,225,719 14,452,181
24 Rudd, Ricky 3,717,099 188,042 3,905,141 36,120,592
25 Vickers, Brian 3,044,898 90,988 3,135,886 3,399,370
36 Sauter, Johnny 1,333,521 39,428 1,372,949 1,654,284
37 Edwards, Carl 1,410,571 43,809 1,454,380 1,454,380
38 Blaney, Dave 1,461,638 27,634 1,489,272 10,613,812
74 Inglebright, Jim 70,550 3,033 73,583 119,323
Totals 24,895,631
Post Season Awards:
Driver Award Amount Total
Kurt Busch Sunoco $75,000
Goodyear Tire 30,000 105,000
Jimmie Johnson Outback Steakhouse 75,000
Mechanix 75,000
Clevite 20,000 170,000
Jeff Gordon Goodyear Belts & Hoses 75,000
Wix 75,000
Clevite 77,000 227,000
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mobil 1 100,000
McDonald’s/PowerAde 75,000
Clevite 10,000
Grands 10,000 195,000
Tony Stewart MBNA 85,000
USG 100,000
McDonald’s/PowerAde 200,000 385,000
Ryan Newman Bud Pole 100,000 100,000
Matt Kenseth Waste Management 75,000 75,000
Elliott Sadler McDonald’s/PowerAde 35,000 35,000
Kasey Kahne Raybestos 50,000 50,000
Total $1,157,000
Comments
2 Responses to “Kurt Busch Tops $9.6Million in Winnings”
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Can anyone tell me how much of the race winnings the typical driver contract allows the driver to keep, and how much he has to share with the team? I can’t believe it all goes to the driver. What incentive does the team have to win, other than prestige?
Another indicator that the points system needs adjusting are the season winnings totals: When Michael Waltrip finishes 20th in the points standings and has a higher race winnings total than the champ, you KNOW something is wrong! And thirteen drivers in total won more money than Busch, not counting the “special” awards.
I guess it’s the primary reason guys go to NASCAR rather than other forms of racing. It’s too damn easy to make money!
From my understanding of it every team and every driver has a different deal. I’m pretty sure the teams look at winnings as a “bonus” and the day to day cost of running a team comes from sponsorship. All winnings are “gravy” that is distributed to the team…not just the driver. It’s the percentages that no one knows as they are part of the private deals between team members and team owners.