By Buck Black Jr

But so are Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. All drivers will have a pay cut in 2010.

NASCAR is slashing the amount it will pay race teams by about 10% for the 2010 season. The move is part of a NASCAR cost-cutting initiative.

Race track operators will benefit the most from the discounted race purses.

Speedways are required to put at least 25% of their television money toward race purses. The money tracks will receive from television networks will increase by about 2.5% in 2010. Even as the tracks are handing out less at the pay window to drivers.

But attendance at NASCAR Sprint Cup races will continue to be off in 2010. So the reduced purses will help offset the loss in ticket sales.

To their credit NASCAR tracks have been offering race fanss lower ticket prices to get people in the grandstands.

For what it’s worth International Speedway Corporation owns about half of the tracks on the Sprint Cup series schedule.

NASCAR is essentially owned by the owners of International Speedway Corporation.

“NASCAR did the right thing to work with the tracks to reduce their costs in order to manage the economic realities,” said Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s corporate communications honcho.

“Tracks have done a great job reducing ticket prices and enhancing the fan experience. Likewise, we worked with the teams to contain costs.”

So it seems that the speedway operators are trying to hold their own while taking money from drivers and race teams.

Does that seem fair?