10 Worst Pay Drivers in NASCAR History

Worst Pay Drivers in NASCAR History

Danica Patrick

10. Kevin Conway

Kevin Conway became one of the most infamous pay drivers during the 2010 Cup Series season. He technically won Rookie of the Year, but that happened largely because his only real competitor ran very few races. Conway struggled badly throughout the season and was later involved in disputes with teams over sponsorship payments tied to his rides.

9. Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick brought enormous marketing power and sponsorship into NASCAR, which helped her land top-tier rides with Stewart-Haas Racing. However, critics argued that her results never matched the hype. She never won a Cup race and recorded only a few top-10 finishes across her career despite strong equipment.

8. Mike Borkowski

Mike Borkowski had one of the shortest and most chaotic NASCAR careers in the late 1990s. He gained notoriety during a single race weekend where he wrecked multiple competitors, creating widespread criticism from drivers and teams and ending his career almost as quickly as it started.

7. Derrike Cope (Late Career)

Derrike Cope is actually a Daytona 500 winner from 1990, but his later career became controversial. In the 2000s and 2010s he frequently entered underfunded cars or pay-driver style operations that struggled just to qualify for races, leading many fans to view his later career differently from his early success.

6. Brian Scott

Brian Scott spent time driving for competitive teams like Richard Childress Racing and later Richard Petty Motorsports thanks largely to strong sponsorship backing. Despite those opportunities, he never won a Cup race and had limited success relative to the equipment he drove.

5. Joe Nemechek (Later Years)

Joe Nemechek was once a respected Cup winner, but the later stages of his career involved driving self-funded or sponsor-backed backmarker cars. While he stayed in the sport for many years, he was often multiple laps down and rarely competitive.

4. Kevin Lepage

Kevin Lepage was a longtime journeyman who often secured rides through sponsorship deals. His reputation took a massive hit after the infamous Talladega incident in 2008, when he merged into the racing pack from the apron and triggered a huge crash.

3. Natalie Decker

Natalie Decker became one of the most debated modern pay drivers in NASCAR’s lower series. While she had strong sponsorship backing, her career featured frequent crashes and inconsistent results, which led to criticism from fans and analysts.

2. Cody Ware

Cody Ware raced primarily for Rick Ware Racing, the team owned by his father. Although he occasionally showed improvement, many critics argued that his Cup opportunities were tied heavily to team ownership and sponsorship rather than results in lower series.

1. Quin Houff

Quin Houff’s Cup Series stint with StarCom Racing in 2020 and 2021 became infamous among fans. He frequently ran at the back of the field and was involved in multiple incidents, leading to heavy criticism and making him one of the most talked-about pay drivers in recent NASCAR history.