Tow money is a small payment a track makes to a car that entered and competed but did not make the feature, intended to offset the cost of hauling to the track rather than to reward a finishing position.
Amounts are small and set track by track. Lee County Speedway’s 2026 sheet pays Late Models $650 to win with $80 tow, A Mods $525 with $50, Stock Cars and Sport Mods $400 with $45, and Sport Compacts $200 with $35 — and it specifies the car must run on track to collect the tow pay. Touring series call the same thing non-transfer pay: a High Limit Racing preliminary paid B-Main non-transfers $500 down to $100, and C-Main non-transfers $75. Plenty of tracks pay nothing at all if you miss the show. Don’t confuse tow money with start money, which is the minimum a car earns for actually starting the feature.
Tow money never makes you money, but it decides whether a bad night costs you a tank of fuel or costs you the entire trip.