NASCAR is no stranger to incredible sound bites from its drivers, especially the colorful language that can be heard over the team’s radio. This year, that same language could pay off for one lucky fan.
As the 2026 ‘Chase’ ramps up, NASCAR has introduced its Swear Jar contest, turning drivers’ radio outbursts into a growing prize pool. Through the campaign, fans are asked to guess which swear words were used most through each race. NASCAR will add $5 into the virtual jar, with the total updated in real time.
The weekly winners will face off in one final guessing game in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with one fan walking away with the total from the jar. So far, the jar has accumulated $1,115 after the Cook-Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. By doing the math, 223 expletives were recorded across the board.
Some of the sport’s most popular figures, such as 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, have been known to air out their grievances on the radio one way or another. Racing at nearly 200 miles per hour in a car that could get up to temperatures of nearly 140 degrees can have you swearing up and down till the checkered flag drops.
“That’s just how I get over things,” Blaney said at Darlington. “I have to get it out into the world, then I’m over it 100%. People just think I’m a tyrant all the time.”
Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger also weighed in on the initiative, claiming someone might walk away a hefty pay day.
“Somebody’s going to be a millionaire by the time we’re done,” Allmendinger said at Darlington. “I’m working on it (swearing), it goes in waves. Iowa, I was pretty happy, I think that was the first race this year with no curse words at all during the race. Daytona, I had no curse words until I got wrecked on the back straightaway; NASCAR’s got to put the money in? Oh, they’re screwed, I’m going to try to make them broke.”
Some other drivers, like Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain, may not have to cough up as much.
“I would say this year I might’ve put $15 in the jar if you were tracking all year,” Chastain said. “It’s not to say that I don’t say the words, I just don’t push the button.”
In the past, driver radio chatter has cost team’s hefty fines. Think of Ryan Preece’s $50,000 and 25-driver points penalty when he signaled intent to wreck Ty Gibbs earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway. In the same breath, cursing on TV has also driven large fines from drivers like Tony Stewart who received a $25,000 fine and 25-points deduction for swearing on national television after his 2007 Brickyard 400 win.
This season’s ‘Swear Jar’ incentive comes the same year as the sport’s new marketing campaign. The new campaign centers around the two words: “Hell Yeah”. The phrase is present in series commercials, on billboard in the streets of New York City before the season began. NASCAR’s Vice President of Content Jess Smith says the idea comes from the multiple talks of how to create hype around the sport’s fight for the championship for the fan’s watching at home
“We were looking for buzzworthy ideas that would build excitment around The Chase and complement the other initatives launching during this part of the season,” Smith said. “The Swear Jar was a natural fit because colorful driver radio is an authentic part of our sport, but it’s never been something we’ve highlighted or turned into a game for fans. It also captures the intensity of The Chase-when the competition gets hotter, the pressure rises and every moment matters-in a fun and provocative way.”
Returning to the topic of NASCAR trying to return to its roots of the 2000s, one of the most infamous expletive-laden moments came in the 2004 EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, where race winner and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr dropped one of his infamous quotes.
“It don’t mean s— right now,” Earnhardt said. “Daddy’s won here 10 times.” The expletive cost Earnhardt 25 driver points and $10,000. Nowadays, not only is cussing a common commodity when fans check out radio scanners, it’s almost encouraged.
Drivers used 11 different curse words creatively throughout the race to vent their frustration. The ‘F’ bomb just might hold the crown as the most-used expletive when the dust settles in November.
