POPULARITY CONTEST.

• Author: Campbell, Spencer
• Position: NC TREND: Pro sports

WHO ARE THE STATE'S MOST SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES? DEPENDS ON HOW YOU MEASURE IT.

Denny Hamlin caused a bit of a stir in October when he opined that "NASCAR drivers should be making NBA, NFL money." Hey Hamlin, you already are: The driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Huntersville-based Joe Gibbs Racing Inc. took in $13.1 million in salary and winnings in 2016, according to a review of professional athlete salaries. That's more than Carolina Panther Luke Kuechly and Charlotte Hornet Kemba Walker earned--and both are All-Stars. It's difficult to make sense of pro sports salaries because more than just performance factors into contracts. Marketability, for instance. We asked Manhasset, N.Y.-based Marketing Evaluations Inc. to calculate the Q Scores--percentage of fans who feel positively about a player--of some of our state's highest-earning athletes. The following chart compares Q Scores and salaries (excluding endorsements). NASCAR drivers are, on average, the most recognizable. Point: Hamlin. Counterpoint: Hamlin was one of the least popular athletes on our list.

QSCORE SALARY (MILLION) DALE EARNHARDT JR. 30 $13.1 NASCAR KEMBA WALKER 25 12.0 Charlotte Hornets JIMMIE JOHNSON 24 16.4 NASCAR LUKE KUECHLY 24 12.8 Carolina Panthers CAM NEWTON 23 20.2 Carolina Panthers JULIUS PEPPERS 21 3.8 Carolina Panthers MATT KENSETH 19 10.5 NASCAR WEBB SIMPSON 19 3.2 PGA Tour DENNY HAMLIN 18 13.1 NASCAR KYLE BUSCH 16 13.3 NASCAR KEVIN HARVICK 16 12.0 NASCAR KASEY KAHNE 16 10.3 NASCAR DWICHT HOWARD 14 23.5 Charlotte Hornets DALE EARNHARDT JR. Not only was he NASCAR's most popular driver, NASCAR Earnhardt is popular, period. The average positive Q Score is 16--Junior's is double that. He retired at the end of last season at the tender age of 43. KEMBA WALKER The Hornets' best player might be an All-Star, Charlotte Hornets but his salary lags behind other NBA bailers of his stature. Will that change after the 2018-19 season, when Walker becomes an unrestricted free agent? JIMMIE JOHNSON Johnson surpassed Earnhardt as the top-earning NASCAR driver in 2016--though Junior sitting out the final 18 races of the year due to concussion symptoms definitely helped Johnson's cause...