DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona 500 isn’t just the pinnacle of NASCAR racing; it’s also the most lucrative event in the sport.

Since its inception, the Daytona 500 has established itself as stock car racing’s crown jewel, consistently offering a substantial prize for competitors. This year, the prize fund for The Great American Race reaches an all-time high.

According to Fox Sports, the total prize pool for the 2025 Daytona 500 is an astounding $30,331,250, representing the financial stakes for the 40 competing cars. This figure marks a significant increase from last year’s total of over $28 million, making the 2025 purse the first to surpass the $30 million threshold.

To put this into perspective, the combined payouts for the supporting events in NASCAR’s other two national series—the Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series—amount to only $3,762,952 and $1,262,900, respectively.

Reflecting on history, the first Daytona 500 held in 1959 awarded $53,050, setting the stage for NASCAR’s premier event. By the time CBS Sports aired the inaugural live broadcast in 1979, the purse had increased to $538,330, surpassing the million-dollar mark for the first time in 1985.

As we entered the new millennium, CBS Sports’ last broadcast of the Daytona 500 in 2000 featured a prize pool of $7,646,975, which more than doubled over the following ten years.