The NASCAR Cup Series season again begins with a bang, as the Daytona 500 will officially start the year off on Sunday.
Winning the Great American Race is one of the premier accomplishments a driver can achieve in his career, and some of the biggest names in racing have a win at Daytona under their belt.
In recent years, though, it’s been first-time winners who have made the greatest impact. Each of the past three Daytona 500 champions celebrated their first time winning the race, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claiming his first Daytona 500 victory a year ago.
Will experience win out in 2024, or will another first-timer claim the prize? Here’s what you need to know about the Daytona 500 purse and prize breakdown.
MORE: Full 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule
What is the Daytona 500 purse for 2024?
Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported that the total purse for the 2024 Daytona 500 is $ 28,035,991. That’s up by more than $ 1 million from 2023, when the purse was $ 26,934,357.
Daytona 500 purse (all payouts to teams for competing, three-year charter history, finishing position, duels, etc): $ 28,035,991
Xfinity opener: $ 3,510,021
Truck opener: $ 1,058,336
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 13, 2024
This is the second consecutive year in which the Daytona 500 purse has been publicly reported. Figures weren’t made available for 2021 or ’22, but the purse was $ 23.6 million in ’20 when the race was held weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic put the NASCAR Cup Series season on hold.
The Daytona 500 purse has risen by more than $ 10 million since 2015 when it was only $ 18 million, and the jump from last year’s figure continues the upward trend.
MORE: How Daytona 500 qualifying works
How much money does a driver get for winning the Daytona 500?
The money allocated for the winner of the Daytona 500 is far less clear than the overall purse. NASCAR stopped disclosing the winner’s prize after 2015 when Joey Logano walked away with $ 1.58 million.
Pockrass reported in 2023 that the winner was likely to get somewhere between $ 1.5 million and $ 2 million, noting that a portion of the purse goes to the Cup Series’ 36 charter teams.
While the winner will only receive a small portion of the more than $ 28 million purse, it will certainly be a meaningful prize along with the prestige that comes with winning the Daytona 500.
List of Daytona 500 winners
| Year | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | |
| 1959 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile | |
| 1960 | 27 | Junior Johnson | John Masoni | Chevrolet | |
| 1961 | 20 | Marvin Panch | Smokey Yunick | Pontiac | |
| 1962 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | Jim Stephens | Pontiac | |
| 1963 | 21 | Tiny Lund | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | |
| 1964 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises (2) | Plymouth | |
| 1965 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | Ford | |
| 1966 | 43 | Richard Petty (2) | Petty Enterprises (3) | Plymouth | |
| 1967 | 11 | Mario Andretti† | Holman-Moody (2) | Ford | |
| 1968 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | Wood Brothers Racing (2) | Mercury | |
| 1969 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | |
| 1970 | 40 | Pete Hamilton | Petty Enterprises (4) | Plymouth | |
| 1971 | 43 | Richard Petty (3) | Petty Enterprises (5) | Plymouth | |
| 1972 | 21 | A. J. Foyt | Wood Brothers Racing (3) | Mercury | |
| 1973 | 43 | Richard Petty (4) | Petty Enterprises (6) | Dodge | |
| 1974 | 43 | Richard Petty (5) | Petty Enterprises (7) | Dodge | |
| 1975 | 72 | Benny Parsons | L.G. DeWitt | Chevrolet | |
| 1976 | 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing (4) | Mercury | |
| 1977 | 11 | Cale Yarborough (2) | Junior Johnson & Associates (2) | Chevrolet | |
| 1978 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | |
| 1979 | 43 | Richard Petty (6) | Petty Enterprises (8) | Oldsmobile | |
| 1980 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Ranier-Lundy | Oldsmobile | |
| 1981 | 43 | Richard Petty (7) | Petty Enterprises (9) | Buick | |
| 1982 | 88 | Bobby Allison (2) | DiGard Motorsports | Buick | |
| 1983 | 28 | Cale Yarborough (3) | Ranier-Lundy (2) | Pontiac | |
| 1984 | 28 | Cale Yarborough (4) | Ranier-Lundy (3) | Chevrolet | |
| 1985 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | |
| 1986 | 5 | Geoffrey Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
| 1987 | 9 | Bill Elliott (2) | Melling Racing (2) | Ford | |
| 1988 | 12 | Bobby Allison (3) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | |
| 1989 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports (2) | Chevrolet | |
| 1990 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | |
| 1991 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
| 1992 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | |
| 1993 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | |
| 1994 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan-McClure Motorsports (2) | Chevrolet | |
| 1995 | 4 | Sterling Marlin (2) | Morgan-McClure Motorsports (3) | Chevrolet | |
| 1996 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (2) | Robert Yates Racing (2) | Ford | |
| 1997 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports (3) | Chevrolet | |
| 1998 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | |
| 1999 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (4) | Chevrolet | |
| 2000 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (3) | Robert Yates Racing (3) | Ford | |
| 2001 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | |
| 2002 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | |
| 2003 | 15 | Michael Waltrip (2) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2) | Chevrolet | |
| 2004 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (3) | Chevrolet | |
| 2005 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (3) | Hendrick Motorsports (5) | Chevrolet | |
| 2006 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports (6) | Chevrolet | |
| 2007 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing (2) | Chevrolet | |
| 2008 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | |
| 2009 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | |
| 2010 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | |
| 2011 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing (5) | Ford | |
| 2012 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (2) | Roush Fenway Racing (2) | Ford | |
| 2013 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (7) | Chevrolet | |
| 2014 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) | Hendrick Motorsports (8) | Chevrolet | |
| 2015 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske (2) | Ford | |
| 2016 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing (2) | Toyota | |
| 2017 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | |
| 2018 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing (3) | Chevrolet | |
| 2019 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing (3) | Toyota | |
| 2020 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (3) | Joe Gibbs Racing (4) | Toyota | |
| 2021 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | |
| 2022 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske (3) | Ford | |
| 2023 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty | Chevrolet |
