Denny Hamlin’s call for $18 million a year to keep Cup Series cars on the track has sparked controversy, especially from former NASCAR driver Landon Cassill. Hamlin, a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, criticized NASCAR’s refusal to raise the prize money for teams. Cassill responded with a sharp critique.
Running a high-octane racecar involves numerous costs, including salaries, capital expenditures, acquiring a stock car, maintenance, research and development, and repairs after crashes. Despite financial support from sponsors and weekly charter money, teams often find themselves underfunded. In a conversation with Kenny Wallace, Hamlin emphasized the need for $18 million to operate a team.
“It costs us $18 million a year to put a car on the racetrack. We’ve asked NASCAR to just cover our cost, nothing more. Just cover our cost to go put on this show for you, and the answer has been repeatedly no,” Hamlin said via Kenny Wallace on YouTube.
Hamlin, who drives for JGR and co-owns 23XI Racing, understands the financial challenges of running a Cup Series team. However, Cassill criticized his demands, pointing out that many expenses are self-imposed for competitive advantage.
“NASCAR is not making you hire 100 engineers, rent private jets, and spend $250,000 on a pit box. This is a competitive business, it’s a competitive sport, it’s a professional sport. We spend those things because it gets us a competitive edge. Because it gets us faster racecars and faster racecars get us in the victory lane,” Cassill said via The Money Lap on X.
“But NASCAR’s position in hearing these team owners sort of complain about how much it costs, NASCAR can very easily take this position that, ‘We’re not making you spend $18 million,'” he added.
Hamlin also discussed the charter system, introduced in 2016, which guarantees entry into Cup Series races and a share of the prize money based on performance. Despite its initial appeal, flaws have emerged, and even top teams are financially strained. With rising costs, sponsor interest has waned, affecting daily operations.
Hamlin revealed that despite NASCAR securing a historic $7.7 billion media rights deal and record revenues, the sport is cutting expenses instead of supporting struggling teams. He criticized NASCAR CEO Jim France for repeatedly denying team owners’ requests for financial assistance, citing the 2016 deals.
“They [team owners] went to Jim asking for help and received quite simply sorry you cut your deal back in 2016 and you’re gonna live by what that deal is. This was five or six years ago, they came to Jim saying, ‘At least give us a break on our hard cards.’ Nope, ain’t going to do nothing for you. Live by the deal that you cut,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin stressed the importance of getting the new charter deal right to avoid future regrets. As the current season nears its end, all eyes will be on Hamlin and other team owners as they navigate the new charter system.
