Record $6.6 Million Purse
for May 25 Coca-Cola 600 As
Total Prize Money for May
Events Approaches $14.7
Million
CONCORD, N.C. (April 29,
2008) - NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series drivers will battle
for a record $6.6 million
during the May 25 Coca-Cola
600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
while total posted awards
for the track's schedule of
May events is nearly $14.7
million.
Nine races will be run at
Lowe's Motor Speedway and
The Dirt Track @ Lowe's
Motor Speedway between
Friday night, May 16, and
Sunday evening, May 25, and
each carries a record purse
with a total of $14,692,658
up for grabs.
Already one of the richest
races on the NASCAR circuit,
the
$6,648,557 in total awards
for the Coca-Cola 600 is
$78,929 more than was posted
for last year's event and
$4,219,759 more than
competitors raced for in the
600-mile event 10 years ago.
"Things have changed so
drastically that it's hard
to compare prize money from
the early years of the sport
to today, but here's a fact
that caught my eye," said
H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler,
president and general
manager of Lowe's Motor
Speedway. "Two-time NASCAR
champion Ned Jarrett ran 352
races between 1953 and 1966,
winning 50 times, and his
total career winnings were
$289,146. That's $59,429
less than the total posted
awards for the winner of
this year's Coca-Cola 600."
Competitors participating in
the NASCAR Sprint All-Star
Race and the Sprint Showdown
on Saturday night, May 17,
will compete for a record
$4,308,251 with the All-Star
Race winner guaranteed a
minimum of $1,012,975.
In addition to the posted
prize money, $1,780,853 in
television awards for the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
will be distributed through
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Car/Champion Owner Program.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
drivers will battle for a
record $1,287,710 during the
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 on
Saturday night, May 24. The
North Carolina Education
Lottery 200 presented by
Circle K NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series event on Friday
night, May 16, adds $560,747
to the total prize money.
The Advance Auto Parts World
of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
returns to The Dirt Track @
Lowe's Motor Speedway on
Friday night, May 23, for
the Rite Aid Outlaw
Showdown. The late model
stock cars of the Goodyear
FASTRAK Challenge are also
on the card and the two
divisions will race for
$76,540 in posted awards.
The inaugural Pennzoil
Victory Challenge features a
$10,000 purse which will go
to the winner's designated
charity while 600 Racing's
new Thunder Cars will race
twice with drivers battling
for $10,000 in each of the
34-lap events on the
1.5-mile superspeedway.
Tickets for all May events,
including the May 17 NASCAR
Sprint All-Star Race and the
May 25 Coca-Cola 600, can be
obtained online at
www.lowesmotorspeedway.com
or by calling the speedway
ticket office at
1-800-455-FANS.
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