Earnhardt Jr. Tops Forbes' '08 NASCAR Drivers' Earnings List

Earnhardt Jr. Tops Forbes' '08 Earnings List

Dale Earnhardt Jr. tops FORBES' '08 NASCAR Drivers' earning list, making $35M "despite winning only one race, the LifeLock 400," according to Peter Schwartz. Earnhardt's endorsement and licensing royalties made him $23M, "as merchandise emblazoned with his new No. 88 race car was NASCAR's top seller." Earnhardt's salary and race winnings accounted for another $12M. Jeff Gordon was the second-highest earning driver at $30M, "including $16[M] from licensing and endorsement income from the likes of PepsiCo, DuPont and Electronic Arts." Both Earnhardt and Gordon "have made fortunes while turning away millions in endorsement offers, instead choosing to partner only with select sponsors." Overall, NASCAR's top 10 drivers in earnings received $180M in '08, up 4.7% from a last year's Forbes listing, "thanks to large, multiyear sponsorship deals and heavy spending on apparel and gear by loyal fans." The following lists the top 10 drivers in earnings for '08 (FORBES.com, 2/9). For a list of NASCAR fans' favorite drivers, see today's Back of the Book section.

RANK	DRIVER	'08 EARNINGS	'07 EARNINGS
1	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	$35M	$31M
2	Jeff Gordon	$30M	$32M
3	Jimmie Johnson	$23M	$23M
4	Tony Stewart	$19M	$19M
5t	Kasey Kahne	$14M	$14M
5t	Kevin Harvick	$14M	$11M
7	Kyle Busch	$13M	$10M
8	Matt Kenseth	$12M	$11M
9t	Juan Pablo Montoya	$11M	$11M
9t	Denny Hamlin	$11M	$10M