Motorsports, especially NASCAR, are high-adrenaline sports, both for the team and the spectators. The rush, the thrill, is unmatchable. The overtakes, the wrecks, and the close calls push one to the edge of their seat. However, it seems that when a car wrecks, it’s a thrill for spectators but a pain for the team owners.

NASCAR spectators are no strangers to wrecks. A NASCAR race is very long, which makes accidents on the course very likely. One can only hope an accident does not occur during a race, but this is nearly impossible. During a recent interview, Tony Stewart opened up about the high cost of cars and losses incurred in a wreck. He mentioned how every race becomes crucial depending upon the wrecks and the resulting condition of the car.

How much do NASCAR cars cost?

During an episode of Bubba the Love Sponge Show, the Stewart–Haas racing team co-owner shared his pain about car costs and wrecks. The host believed that a Cup Series car costs approximately $200,000. But as it turns out, he was way off.

Answering him, Tony said, “you’re probably spending half a million dollars on a car easily, and it might be more that.” 

Tony then further revealed that when he used to drive in his prime, each driver would have 17 cars, which includes super-speedway cars, short track cars, road course cars, intermediate cars, concrete cars, and backup cars.

A NASCAR Cup Series car can cost between $200,000 and $400,000. The engine is the most expensive part of the car, costing between $60,000 and $150,000. A single set of tires could cost up to $500. The chassis ranges from $70,000 to $120,000. And around $200,000 can be set aside for rotors and brakes.

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Because of such high costs, repeated wrecks can be bad for the owners, especially in a race like Daytona. When the host jokingly claimed that in Daytona, Tony would’ve incurred losses worth $400K, Stewart revealed that during the race, three of his cars were wrecked and the bill was huge. He said, “400k, it was worse than that… we had 3 cars in one wreck”

The cost of a Cup Series car is staggeringly high and with wrecks, it becomes much more. However, Tony favors the National Hot Road Association’s drag races in terms of cost.

Are NHRA cars cheaper?

An NHRA dragster is a drag race car that can cost somewhere around $200,000. But the customizations can even surpass the $500,000 mark. The Dollars sputter when the engine starts. It’s an 11,000-horsepower engine that metaphorically emits dollars upon burning.

A drag race is very short, and the odds of a wreck are quite less. A Cup Series car can cost a fortune to the owners, but a dragster possibly won’t. Can the thrill of race be compared to the costs incurred?

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