Full Throttle

First the premise:

Every V8 Supercar Championship Series and Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series driver will be required to have a minimum $500,000 (465,000 USD) insurance coverage in order to compete in either category.

The board of V8 Supercars Australia has made the insurance mandatory as of next week’s third round of the Championship – the Hamilton 400 in Hamilton, New Zealand. The insurance will also include drivers who compete in the two endurance races of the year, the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. (NOTE: the remainder of this news item can be read at my other “place of business“)

Now the question: Does NASCAR require its drivers to carry any type of insurance?

I know individual crew members get full benefits and 401(k) plans from their teams but drivers, to my best knowledge are responsible for purchasing their own life insurance. (along with health care and retirement but don’t get me started down that trail of woe - ed)

The assumption here is the drivers are on their own based on NASCAR’s extreme inability to take any responsibility and are quick to play the “drivers are independent contractors” card.

Not that I have any over-riding concern for people that own private jets and helicopters, arrive at races in million-dollar motorhomes and live in multi-million dollar McMansions at Lake Norman or, in at least one case, Manhattan.

Just curious is all, just curious.