Jimmie Johnson has been the most dominating driver of Nascar’s modern era since he started racing full-time for Hendrick Motorsports in 2002. He has 66 Sprint Cup wins and six Cup titles, one short of the record shared by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Johnson is a model pitchman for the long-time backer of his car, Lowe’s, and his personal sponsors include big brands like Gatorade Gatorade and Chevy. He was crowned America’s most influential athlete in 2011 and 2012 based on … More
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Nascar driver salaries have been shaved in recent years with fewer dollars available as sponsors cut back on their financial commitments to teams. Drivers that once made $4-6 million in salary are getting re-signed to deals for $3 million in some cases. Guys on poorly funded teams are lucky to make seven figures. Licensing and endorsement money has also dried up for all but the very elite drivers. Endorsement deals that once paid $500,000 a clip are now $250,000 and many have disappeared completely.
But for the sport’s stars, the paychecks are nearly as big as ever and can reach eight figures in salary alone. The 10 highest-paid drivers pulled down … More
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With the famed No. 3 on his car and memories of the late Dale Earnhardt fresh in his mind, Austin Dillon took the fabled number out of hibernation and straight to the top at Daytona.
Dillon reawakened the days of The Intimidator and proved he can handle the spotlight thrust on his ride in the 3, winning the pole Sunday for the season-opening Daytona 500.
He took the top spot with a lap at 196.019 mph in NASCAR’s season opener in a car Richard Childress has refused to field at NASCAR’s top level since Earnhardt’s fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 race … More
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Danica Patrick has a two-year-old photo of her in the car at Daytona, on the receiving end of two thumbs up from Richard Petty.
“It’s a back shot of his butt sticking out,” Patrick said, smiling.
It had been the extent of the interaction between the pair — just a playful sign of encouragement from the Hall of Famer to one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers after she won the pole at the 2012 Nationwide Series race at Daytona … More
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