NASCAR's Most Valuable Teams

To date, all 13 races have been won by five of the sport's most valuable teams; six have come from Hendrick Motorsports, which tops Forbe's list this year. No. 2: Roush Fenway Racing. Richard Childress Racing is third. Since Forbe's valuations last year, four of the top 15 most valuable teams have disappeared, either through mergers or an exit from the sport, leaving a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots. Forbe's estimate the average top 10 team fell in value by 6% to $148 million in 2009 from $158 million last year. Partly to blame: Sponsors renewing deals with teams now have more leverage than ever to negotiate a better deal. Hendrick Motorsports is ranked #1, worth $350 million followed by Roush Fenway Racing ($270m), Richard Childress Racing ($167m), Joe Gibbs Racing ($144) and Richard Petty Motorsports ($131). See full story at Forbes.com

The Most Valuable NASCAR Teams

Rank	Team Name [Sprint Cup/Nationwide Cars]	Current Value ($mil)1	% Change	Projected Revenue ($ mil)2	Operating Income3
1	Hendrick Motorsports [4/2]	$350	4%	$195	$15
2	Roush Fenway Racing [5/3]	$270	-14%	$165	$10
3	Richard Childress Racing [4/2]	$167	28%	$114	$14
4	Joe Gibbs Racing [3/2]	$144	-22%	$94	$6
5	Richard Petty Motorsports [4/0]	$131	NA	$88	$4
6	Penske Championship Racing [3/1]	$111	11%	$82	$14
7	Michael Waltrip Racing [3/1]	$100	16%	$70	$2
8	Stewart-Haas Racing [2/0]	$80	96%	$53	$9
9	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing [2/1]	$70	NA	$54	$2
10	Red Bull Racing Team [2/0]	$55	3%	$44	-$2
.	AVERAGES (All figures in millions)	$148	-6%	$96	$7

NA: Not Applicable. 1 Estimates based on past and pending deals, sponsorship agreements and scale of operations.