NASCAR: Purse increased for this weekend’s Talladega wreckfest
When it comes to races that destroy a lot of NASCAR race machinery, nothing beats the Talladega Superspeedway. The wrecks at Talladega are big, and it’s not unusual for 50% or more of the starting field to go home as twisted metal and wrecked fortunes.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
To compensate teams for their financial loss, the purse for the Talladega Cup race is larger than most other NASCAR races, the Daytona 500 being one exception.
Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass recently revealed on his X handle that the total purse for the Talladega Cup race stands at $11,055,250, with $1,651,939 earmarked for the Xfinity Series event. The payout will be allocated across teams based on performance, charter status, and several other contributing factors.
Notably, this year’s prize pool marks a jump from the same race last season, driven by the sport’s recently inked TV deal – fans love to watch all the carnage and TV viewership for Talladega is usually high.
For last season’s 2024 GEICO 500 at Talladega wreckfest won by Tyler Reddick, NASCAR paid out a prize purse of $8,234,125 for the Cup Series and $1,479,274 for the Xfinity event. That’s an increase of $2,821,125 and $172,665, respectively this year.
Last season, Tyler Reddick won the opening Talladega race by charging from third out of Turn 4 and dodging a last-lap crash, eventually making a three-wide pass on Brad Keselowski and Noah Gragson. It marked his first win of the year and sixth overall.