How do top NASCAR contracts compare to Juan Soto's new deal?

Juan Soto is set to move across town after one season in the Bronx, having signed a 15-year, $765 million (worth up to $805 million) contract with the New York Mets. The deal is the largest deal in the history of professional sports, eclipsing the 10-year, $700 million deal that Shohei Ohtani signed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

In terms of total value, Soto's deal even eclipses deals such as Lionel Messi's with Barcelona ($674 million), Patrick Mahomes' deal with the Kansas City Chiefs ($450 million), Lewis Hamilton's new deal with Ferrari ($446 million), and Cristiano Ronaldo's deal with Al-Nassr ($432 million).

There are several NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have made more than a few million dollars over the course of their careers, including some who are still making eight figures – and some who have made nine. But none of them have contracts that come close to what Soto's is, courtesy of Steve Cohen's deep pockets.

NASCAR contracts, earnings vs. Juan Soto's new Mets deal

In terms of career earnings, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson leads the way with $150 million. Other drivers who have eclipsed the nine-figure mark include four-time champion Jeff Gordon with $130 million, Tony Stewart with $120 million, Kevin Harvick with $110 million, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with $100 million.

Bear in mind, these drivers all retired from full-time competition relatively recently, and they have all spent at least two decades competing in the sport on some level.

For NASCAR, salaries are not publicly revealed like they are for most other sports. But among active drivers, Kyle Busch leads the way with roughly $95 million in career earnings, and he is currently said to be NASCAR's top earner at a reported $16.9 million annually at Richard Childress Racing.

He had a similar salary at Joe Gibbs Racing before he left the team after the 2022 season, a move that came primarily due to the departure of longtime primary sponsor M&M's.

Ohtani's contract is worth $70 million annually, though because $680 million of the $700 million is deferred, the present-day value of that $70 million is roughly $46 million. That was still the largest average annual value of all-time for an MLB player's salary before Soto signed for $51 million.

Multi-year NASCAR deals are usually for two to three years. With Busch set to enter his third season with Richard Childress' team next year, it's safe to say that his deal is for just under $51 million over three years.

It's still a heck of a lot of money. Only two other active drivers, one of whom just retired after the 2024 season, are reported to be bringing in eight figures annually: Denny Hamlin at $13.1 million and Martin Truex Jr. (now retired) at $10.4 million.

And of course, even the majority of the guys bringing in seven-figure sums are set for life.

But nothing in the NASCAR world comes close to what Soto just signed with the Mets, as they continue to pursue their first World Series crown since 1986.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 16 with the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox is set to provide live coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.