According to insiders familiar with the matter, NASCAR is currently discussing a substantial investment, amounting to millions of dollars, for a new driver incentive program set to launch in 2025. The program aims to reward the sport’s most prominent spokespeople for actively promoting NASCAR. Earlier this year, private discussions commenced with both teams and drivers regarding this proposed initiative, contingent upon agreement by the relevant stakeholders, and is scheduled to coincide with the commencement of new media rights agreements after the current deals with NBC Sports and Fox Sports expire in 2024. Thus, there is still considerable time to finalize the details of the system.

The company based in Daytona Beach is reportedly preparing to allocate a considerable sum, potentially starting at $20 million, for the program’s initiation. Funding for the incentive system is expected to be sourced, at least partially, from NASCAR’s media rights earnings. The sport generates $820 million annually from media rights through Fox and NBC. Still, there are projections of a higher average annual value for the new agreements set to begin from 2025 onwards.

The specific structure of the driver incentive system is yet to be fully determined, but one concept under consideration is a rankings-based approach. This would involve granting credits to drivers based on various services they perform throughout the season, with payouts distributed by their rankings and contributions at the end of the year.