Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson on Forbes list of highest-paid athletes
The latest list of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes according to Forbes magazine is out, and NASCAR landed only two drivers on it this year.
The highest-paid NASCAR driver, which comes as no surprise to anyone, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Forbes listed his total pay as $23.5 million, which ranked tied for No. 71 on the list with NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys. Earnhardt's total take for the last 12 months was broken down into $15 million for salary/winnings and $8.5 million in endorsements.
The only other NASCAR driver to make it was Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Johnson clocked in at No. 82 with $22.2 million in total pay ($16.2 million in salary/winnings and $6 million in endorsements).
Checking in at No. 1 on the list was soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo at $88 million ($56 million in salary/winnings and $32 million in endorsements).
Other notables included NBA superstar LeBron James ($77.2 million total) at No. 3; reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton ($53.1 million) at No. 7; and defending Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton ($46 million) at No. 11.
Earnhardt and Johnson were the only two drivers to land in the top 100 last year as well, although both were slightly higher on it. Earnhardt was at No. 55 ($23.6 million) and Johnson was at No. 61 ($22.7 million).
