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Input: Denny Hamlin  is one of 12 drivers that advanced to the second round of the 2017 playoffs. (Photo: Matthew O'Haren  USA TODAY Sports)
As team sponsorship dollars continue to dwindle   NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin  said  he  thinks racecar drivers who risk their lives should be paid on par with NBA and NFL athletes.
âWeâre way underpaid as racecar drivers â  Hamlin  said  via ESPN and NBC Sports  at a charity event Wednesday in Charlotte. âThereâs no doubt  doing what we do  the schedule that we have and the danger that we incur every single week  NASCAR drivers should be making NBA  NFL money.
âI'm sure this will be in some headline somewhere where  Denny  says drivers aren't paid enough  but I'm basing it off all other sports. I'm not including  myself . I'm including the back half of the field â those drivers are risking the same amount I am and they should be paid a hell of a lot more."
PHOTOS:  DENNY HAMLIN  THROUGH THE YEARS
âThe pie has to be shifted for sure â  Hamlin  said. âThe TV dollars coming into NASCAR is higher than itâs ever been  but weâre seeing fewer and fewer (sponsored racing) teams  and it just canât survive. So it economically doesnât make sense. The pie  the amount of TV money that the race teams share  has to go up  in my opinion.
According to Forbes   Hamlin  was the third-highest paid driver in 2016. Hamlin  who opened 2016 by winning the Daytona 500 and finished the season ranked sixth in the final standings  earned $15.2 million from salary  bonuses  prize money  endorsements and licensing. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson  who won his seventh championship last year  was the top earner with $21.8 million.

Denny Hamlin : 'NASCAR drivers should be making NBA NFL money'