Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is of the opinion that a NASCAR season has too much racing in it.
Recently, Johnson had a conversation with Graham Bensinger about a lot of things regarding NASCAR. One of the issues that they spoke about was the reduction of the drivers’ earning in recent times.
NASCAR doesn’t have a stronghold in the motorsports business as it used to do in the past which has resulted in the loss of viewership and sponsorships. This loss has also affected drivers in terms of their earnings. Having been in the industry for a long time, Johnson has seen the firsthand loss of earnings in NASCAR.
“I would say through earnings, and potential for a team, it’s been down probably 50%,” Johnson said.
“From a driver contract standpoint, from 2015 to where it is now, it’s probably half.”
Another issue that Johnson shed light on is the number of races that the Cup Series organizes every season. In the current format, there are 36 races in total, 26 regular season races and 10 playoff races including the championship race.
Johnson is of the opinion that the number of races can be significantly reduced.
“..reducing the schedule down to 25-28 races, I think would be the ideal way to go about it.”