DOVER, Del. (AP) \u2014 There is a classic scene from the first \u201cAustin Powers\u201d movie where the fictional supervillain Dr. Evil suggests stealing a nuclear warhead and holding it hostage for ransom.<\/p>\n
Dr. Evil puts his pinky near his mouth, and says the price for releasing the warhead:<\/p>\n
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\u201cOne million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a beat of awkward silence, Dr. Evil’s second-in-command Number 2 suggests a higher dollar amount for the ransom.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t you think we should ask for more than a million dollars?\u201d the villain says. \u201cA million dollars isn’t exactly a lot of money these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
The time frame for the movie was 1997.<\/p>\n
Here it is in 2026, and a million dollars isn’t exactly a lot of money in sports these days and hasn’t been in NASCAR<\/a> since the days when Jeff Gordon swept the series full throttle into the national spotlight. Yet in an era when a $10 million annual baseball salary seems like a discount, NASCAR drivers will race for the same measly $1 million prize as they have since 2003 in Sunday’s All-Star race<\/a> at Dover Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Just as No. 2 suggested, NASCAR drivers are openly asking, shouldn’t they ask for more than a million dollars for winning the All-Star race?<\/p>\n \u201cI think an increase would be great, for sure,\u201d said Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver. \u201cI mean, I think it would be awesome to make that number bigger, what that number needs to be, where it should be, I\u2019m not sure. But certainly, yeah certainly, with the time and all the things that have changed over the years, I guess it would seemingly make sense for that to adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n Adjusted for inflation, that same prize from 2003 would be worth about $1.8 million today.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Consider the rising team costs of fuel, engines, tires \u2014 well, just about everything on or in a stock car \u2014 and it seems only fair the prize should fall in line to assist with the added expenditures. The All-Star event<\/a> \u2014 and by All-Stars, NASCAR means every single driver in the field that race every single week in the series \u2014 has been defined by annual format changes that can often lead into a bit of a mystery for fans watching the race.<\/p>\n Drivers have long grumbled that an increase is overdue and a $7.7 billion TV deal<\/a> that stretches through the 2031 season means NASCAR can afford to loosen the winning purse strings. The charter deal which guarantees spots in the field gives the teams a lump sum of money, which is spread throughout the year.<\/p>\n \u201cI will say to the credit of the sport, the team owners have certainly elevated the prize money on the other races,\u201d 2012 NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski said.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Speedway Motorsports, which owns the Delaware track, said through a spokesman it was unaware of any immediate plans to raise the winner\u2019s purse.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, the payday\u2019s nice and stuff like that,\u201d 2023 NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney said. \u201cBut yeah, I feel like as a competitor, I think it should be at least double.\u201d<\/p>\n Hey, Bubba Wallace tossed out $5 million last year as a suggested prize, so NASCAR would get off easy with Blaney\u2019s suggestion and a $1 million bump.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Dover’s long-term future in the Cup Series remains in doubt<\/p>\n Dover Motor Speedway had a points race on the schedule every year since 1969 and was the site of two Cup weekends through 2020.<\/p>\n The All-Star race is being run in the Northeast \u2014 Christopher Bell won last year at North Wilkesboro Speedway \u2014for the first time in the event’s history but that’s not necessarily good news for the mile-concrete track.<\/p>\n