The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s most prestigious race and winners are compensated as such. It’s long been America’s highest-paying motorsports event, and now it’s reached another record-breaking level.
Whoever wins the Cup Series race will take home $31,045,575, edging out William Byron’s 2025 prize of $30,331,250 for the highest payout in U.S. history. The Xfinity Series winner will take home $3,782,120, up from $3,762,952 a year ago. As for the Truck Series winner, they will collect $1,276,300, an improvement of $13,400 over 2025.
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The Daytona 500 begins the Cup Series season in earnest after the non-point paying Cook Out Clash last week. Byron is aiming to win at Daytona for a third consecutive year, which no Cup Series driver has ever done before.
Byron’s quest begins when the Daytona 500 begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Daytona 500 prize money: How much is record-breaking purse for 2026?
