Race Weekend Central

NASCAR 101: Who Wants to Be a Dash 4 Cash Millionaire?

The XFINITY Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday kicks off the series’ Dash 4 Cash program, which consists of four races each season and awards the highest finishing XFINITY regular $100,000 for being the top finisher amongst regulars in that event.

It marks the first time Phoenix is participating in the program.

Any driver who scores two Dash 4 Cash prizes automatically clinches a playoff berth. This year, if a driver sweeps the four Dash 4 Cash events, they receive an extra $600,000 to go along with the $400,000 won from the four events.

The program began in 2009 and, so far, no driver has won $1 million from it. The focus on the Dash 4 Cash is expected to be greater this season as Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers with five or more years of experience have been banned from the events.

Another notable change is the inclusion of stages, which are in each race now. The four drivers going for the $100,000 in the race’s final stage will be set up by the highest finishers in the first two stages.

The odds have never been greater for an XFINITY Series regular to hit the jackpot.

Despite no drivers winning the million-dollar prize so far, certain drivers in the history of the program have stepped up their game when the big bucks are on the line.

Elliott Sadler has the most Dash 4 Cash wins, with four, and will have a chance to extend that legacy on Saturday. Sadler won at least one a year for three consecutive years, but he has not won any since 2013.

The only other former Dash 4 Cash winner eligible to win at Phoenix is Sadler’s JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier, who won it at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last season for the only time in his career.

Austin Dillon and Regan Smith are tied with three Dash 4 Cash wins a piece.

Dillon is entered in the XFINITY Series race at Phoenix, but is not eligible for the Dash 4 Cash as he receives points in
MENCS. Smith no longer competes in the series.

Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones have each won two Dash 4 Cash prizes. All three are entered in Saturday’s event, but none are eligible as they are all rookies in MENCS.

Other notable two-time Dash 4 Cash winners are Cup drivers Brad Keselowski, who won the prize the first two times it was awarded in 2009, and Reed Sorenson.

The low point of the Dash 4 Cash program came in 2010, when it was not awarded at all during the season due to XFINITY regulars being required to actually win the race to claim the prize. Cup drivers won all four of the events in 2010.

About the author

Michael Massie is a writer for Frontstretch. Massie, a Richmond, Va. native, has been a NASCAR superfan since childhood, when he frequented races at Richmond International Raceway. Massie is a lover of short track racing and travels around to the ones in his region. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies.

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