Daytona 500 purse, payout breakdown: How much prize money will the winner make in 2026?

There is no better sign that NASCAR is about to be in full swing than when the Daytona 500 takes center stage. 

The 2.5-mile track is one of the most historic sites in racing. Daytona hosts arguably the msot prestigious race of the year every February, with drivers coming in from all over to trek the 500 miles. 

Dubbed the Great American Race, it's known for its combative nature, with collisions and crashes becoming a staple in the annual race. The history behind the Daytoa is massive, and one luck driver will get to etch their name into its history books. 

Entering the 2026 race, it's William Byron who has been associated with the Daytona 500 in recent years. The Hendrick Motorsports phenom is the defending back-to-back champion, aiming to become the first driver ever to win three consecutive Daytona 500s in a row. 

While that's an impressive feat in itself, there is also a cash prize at the end. But just how much?

Here's what you need to know about the 2026 Daytona 500 purse.

MORE: Follow live updates, highlights from the 2026 Daytona 500

What is the Daytona 500 purse for 2026?

Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass reported that the total purse for the 2026 Daytona 500 is $31,045,575. That's a little less than a $1 million bump from the 2025 figure, which sat at $30,331,250.

This marks the fourth straight year in which the Daytona 500 purse has been publicly reported.

Figures weren't made available for 2021 or 2022, but the purse was $23.6 million in 2020 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 $13 million since 2015, when it was only $18 million. 

How much money does a driver get for winning the Daytona 500?

It's unclear how much the winner of the Daytona 500 receives from the overall purse. NASCAR has not disclosed the exact amount winners get for the last decade. 

The last time NASCAR disclosed the winner's prize was in 2015, when Joey Logano captured the win and $1.58 million that came with it.

In 2023, Pockrass reported that winners field between $1.5 million and $2 million in earnings at Daytona. That figure is dependent on a number of factors, including an allocation based on the three-year season-ending points performance of the charter.

For example, if a winner comes from Team Penske or Hendrick Motorsports, they'll likely net more money than if a winner belongs to Rick Ware Racing. 

List of Daytona 500 winners