Lunar New Year Stunt Races Money Guide 2026: Best 3X GTA$ Strategy, 8–10 Minute Method & 300K/Hour Breakdown
- Niels Gys
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
TL;DR – Lunar New Year Stunt Races Money Method
Only grind these during 3X (or 6X GTA+) weeks. Otherwise it’s financial cosplay.
4+ players, Non-Contact ON. You are here to earn, not reenact bumper cars.
Set laps so the first finisher hits 8–10 minutes. Not 4. Not 15. Eight to ten.
If someone is about to finish too early, slow-roll before the line like a dramatic villain.
Use the Penumbra FF (or 300R if you must). Stable landings = consistent cash.
Expect roughly 150k–300k per hour during bonus weeks if you rotate efficiently.
Short version: Stretch the race, don’t crash, don’t finish too fast, collect festive money, leave when the bonus ends.
Before you launch yourself into festive orbit, grab a Logitech G923 Racing Wheel and pretend this is motorsport, not financial exploitation. Then read our Best Way to Make Money in GTA Online 2026 guide and do it properly.
How To Turn Fireworks, Lanterns and Mild Chaos Into Actual Money
Right. Gather round.
Rockstar has once again decorated Los Santos with lanterns, fireworks and the vague scent of cultural festivity, then quietly hidden a sack of money inside stunt races.
The Lunar New Year Stunt Races are currently paying 3X GTA$ and RP. If you’re on GTA+, it’s 6X. Which means, for a brief and shining moment, racing is not a hobby for people who enjoy losing to twelve-year-olds named “xXBoostKingXx”. It is a financial strategy.
When the bonus disappears, so should you.
What These Races Actually Are (And Why You Care)
These are Sports-class stunt races with fireworks, absurd ramps and a nitrous system that refills when you hit checkpoints, boost pads or do stunts. Yes, the game literally rewards you for flinging a sports car through the sky like a festive brick.
You get five cars. Five. Not your 87 fully upgraded toys. Five.
300R
Penumbra FF
RT3000
SM722
V-STR
That’s it. Welcome to communism.
They are point-to-point by default, two laps standard, but you can crank laps up to ridiculous levels if you’re feeling theatrical.
Now let’s talk about what actually matters.
Money.
The Brutally Honest Truth About Race Payouts
Race payouts scale mostly with:
How long the race lasts (specifically the first finisher’s time)
How many players are in the lobby
Translation: if you finish too fast, you get paid like you worked part-time at a lemonade stand run by toddlers.
The sweet spot is this:
Make the race last 8 to 10 minutes for the first finisher.
Not 4.
Not 15.
8 to 10.
Why?
Because payouts step up in time brackets. The game quietly goes, “Ah yes, you’ve wasted enough of your life, here’s more money.”
The Optimal Money Strategy (Do This. Not Vibes.)
Here’s the plan.
Get at least 4 players. More is better.
Set Non-Contact. Because being rammed by a stranger named “420DriftGod” is not a business model.
Adjust laps so the fastest driver naturally hits 8 to 10 minutes.
If someone is about to finish at 5:30, tell them to slow-roll before the finish line like a Bond villain timing an explosion.
Yes, you literally get paid more for not finishing too fast.
It’s magnificent. It’s stupid. It’s perfect.
The Money Math (Because We Are Professionals)
Let’s assume a rough baseline of about $1,000 per minute in standard race conditions before bonuses.
So:
8-minute race≈ $8,000 base
With 3X bonus≈ $24,000
With 6X (GTA+)≈ $48,000
Now let’s say you run 6 efficient races per hour including loading.
3X week:6 × 24,000 ≈ 144,000 per hour
6X week:6 × 48,000 ≈ 288,000 per hour
With good multiplayer scaling and consistent podiums, you can push that into the 180k to 350k per hour range during triple weeks.
Is it Cayo Perico money? No.
Is it respectable “I just launched a sedan over Chinatown and survived” money?
Absolutely.
Grinding triple money for hours? Fine. Strap on a HyperX Cloud II Headset so you can hear your friend yelling “slow down before the line,” and check our GTA Weekly Money Bonus hub to stay ahead of Rockstar’s mood swings.
Best Car: Stop Overthinking It
Use the Penumbra FF fully upgraded. It has the strongest lap performance among the allowed picks and doesn’t behave like a drunk shopping trolley when landing.
If you don’t have it, use the 300R.
Avoid treating the RT3000 as your primary money machine. It’s fine. It’s stylish. It’s not the king.
What matters here is stability. These tracks are less “precision driving” and more “angry festive rollercoaster”.
If your car lands sideways every time, congratulations, you’ve chosen poorly.
Solo vs Multiplayer
Solo
Yes, you can run these alone.
Set laps to hit 8–10 minutes. Use nitrous intelligently. Refill via checkpoints and stunts.
It’s steady money. Not thrilling. But reliable.
4 to 7 Coordinated Humans
This is the sweet spot.
Run a playlist of the Lunar races. Keep Non-Contact on. Aim for 8–10 minute finishes. Cycle fast.
You now have a smooth, efficient, mildly ridiculous money pipeline.
Random Lobbies
You are gambling.
They will:
finish instantly
crash into you for sport
leave mid-race
If you insist, turn on Non-Contact and accept chaos.
How To Max Nitrous Like A Civilized Maniac
Nitrous refills through:
Checkpoints
Boost pads
Stunt airtime
So do not drive like a nervous accountant. Drive like a mildly unhinged festival dragon.
Chain jumps. Hit pads cleanly. Maintain flow. Smooth aggression wins here, not panic.
Is This Worth Grinding?
During 3X or 6X weeks?
Yes. Absolutely.
It’s solid mid-tier income with low stress compared to running businesses that feel like unpaid internships in organized crime.
Outside bonus weeks?
No.
Go back to heists. Or warehouses. Or something that doesn’t pay you like a Victorian chimney sweep.
The Final, Non-Negotiable Instruction
When Lunar New Year Stunt Races are boosted:
4+ players
Non-Contact
8 to 10 minute finish target
Penumbra FF
Fast playlist rotation
Do that. Not something “creative.” Not something “fun.”Fun is secondary.
We are here for money.
Fireworks are just decoration.
Planning to squeeze 300K per hour from fireworks and gravity? Get a RESPAWN 110 Gaming Chair so your spine survives the grind.
FAQ
Is it actually worth grinding Lunar New Year Stunt Races for money? Yes, but only during 2X, 3X or 6X bonus weeks. With multipliers active and proper 8 to 10 minute race timing, you can realistically push 150k to 300k per hour in coordinated lobbies. Outside bonus weeks, it drops into “fun side activity” territory, not serious income.
Why does finishing slower make more money? Race payouts scale in time brackets based on how long the first finisher takes. If you blitz a race in four minutes, the game pays you like you delivered a pizza. Stretch it to eight or ten minutes and it jumps to a higher payout tier. You’re essentially gaming the system by not being too efficient.
What’s the best car to use in these races? The Penumbra FF fully upgraded is the safest money pick. It has strong lap performance and handles landings well. If you don’t own it, the 300R is a solid backup. Stability after jumps matters more than raw top speed because these tracks are basically fireworks-powered rollercoasters.
Is solo racing viable for grinding? Yes, but it’s less profitable than coordinated multiplayer. Solo lets you control lap count and timing perfectly, which makes hitting the 8 to 10 minute target easy. However, more players generally means better payouts, so a small organized group is more efficient overall.
Should I use Contact or Non-Contact? Non-Contact, always. Contact mode turns a money grind into a demolition derby hosted by strangers who think ramming equals skill. Non-Contact keeps the race clean, consistent and financially productive.
How much can I realistically earn per hour? During a 3X week, efficient rotation of 8 to 10 minute races can land you roughly 150k to 200k per hour solo and up to 300k or more per hour in strong multiplayer lobbies. During 6X weeks, it scales even higher. Once the bonus ends, the numbers fall dramatically and your time is better spent elsewhere.
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