Pay driver

A Pay driver refers to a driver who earns a position on a team not due to his or her talents, but due to the fact that he or she has a personal sponsor willing to put their name on the car (and provide an attractive amount of money for he team) for the race. As a result, it is more likely that a lesser-funded team will be more likely to employ a pay driver as opposed to a more well-funded organization.

One of the better-known pay drivers is AJ Young, the heir to EY Wheelbarrows. Young drove for Team Burr in the ARLA Elite Series as well as a brief stint for Scuderia Tutino in the TM Master Cup series before having his Master License pulled prior to the 2011 Round of Quincy. Not all pay drivers are of poor quality, as demonstrated by the stellar performances of Michael Sykes, including a win in the 2011 Round of Ohio, who carried sponsorship from S.A. Brains. Multiple-time ARLA winner Leslie Riggs is also considered a pay driver by some due to the reportedly high amount of money her sponsor b provides, and fan-favorite Yevgeny Kuznetsov is also considered a pay-driver based on his connections with many Russian-based corporations.

Some pay drivers often go on to great levels of success even after their sponsor money runs out. Both Adrien Devereux and Yuliya Nosova entered the TM Master Cup series due to their connections with Calton-Morel moreso than their latent ability. The aforementioned Michael Sykes' money ran out long before he left Bill Barclay Racing, and signed a deal with FLASH Racing, who were interested in Sykes's talent more than any money he might have.

Another example of a pay driver is a family member of a Team Member/Owner/driver, one known example is Formula Overdrive competitor Cody Keaton, whose father is the owner of Quantum KeaTech. Keaton's season in Overdrive has been terrible. Keaton also used his father's money to buy a ride with Tutino for two races in the 2012 TM Master Cup season, but unlike his Overdrive career, he had his license revoked and had a 60 point penalty for driving reckless.

Gentleman Driver
A Gentleman driver is a driver who is considered a pay driver. However he or she doesn't bring a sponsor, they just pay money for the ride, in effect sponsoring the car personally. In stock car racing this is less common than pay drivers who bring sponsorship. Perhaps the most notable example of a gentleman driver is Alexander Leanowens. Leanowens is a British noble and uses his family fortune to fund his racing career. However he has proven to be a talented driver in his own right as he has won races in touring cars.