Oddity in Pocono Cup Purse

[Jonesi]

1 2 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 200 195 ** 10 $206,008 Running ($212,108 in provisional results, figure he didn't have all the right stickers.)
2 1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet 200 175 * 5 $218,708 Running

I've been tracking the prize money in Cup for a few years, this is the first time I've seen the winner receive less money than second place. I know there's winners fund & champion money, but it never been enough to displace first place from the most money. It also doesn't apply here, because #8 hasn't won this year.

Any reasonable guesses? (I can figure out the "It's JR!" or "Kurt's an A......" myself thanks;-)

[Alexamateo]

My guess is it's two things. There's probably Budweiser contingincy money for the whole field to run the Bud Pole sticker on the car,(of which Kurt Busch declines), and also the fact that Jr. won the actual pole with the bonus monies that go with that.

[blakebeatty]

Schrader and Mikey debated this last night on INC, and determined it to be, as you said, a combination of contingency stickers, and Jr winning the pole.

[Jonesi]

I thought about the pole (should have mentioned it in my original post) but previously when 2nd had the pole that was never enough to surpass the winner. I'm pretty sure Penske South runs the sticker because both of their drivers were in the Busch/Bud Clash and Rusty was in it when he drove the Miller car, unlike Petty who doesn't, so his driver missed running it a couple of years ago.

[Mark in Oshawa]

How NASCAR distributes the dough makes sense to the guys driving the cars and owning the cars. Whether it makes sense to us should matter, but NASCAR obviously doesn't think so.....

[BobbyC]

The #8 has more contigency stickers than the #2, and also is entered in the elite Winner's Circle bonus program, which pays more than the Plan 1-B for which the #2 is entered. Also NASCAR's appearance money policy includes performances of the past three seasons, and the #8, by virtue of eight wins in the past three seasons versus just one for the #2, and therefore has more clout in regards to performance-related bonuses.