Indy 500 payout reaches an all-time high again

Alex Palou won the Indianapolis 500 a couple of days ago. He pocketed $US3.8 million from a purse of $20,283,000. It’s the largest total of all time and the biggest for the fourth consecutive year.

This year’s average payout for IndyCar drivers was $US596,500, which also exceeded last year’s mean of $543,000.

Palou’s payout wasn’t the biggest ever though. Josef Newgarden last year picked up $US4.3m for the win, of which $440,000 was a bonus from Borg Warner for earning back-to-back wins. 

The year before he took home $US3.7m. In 2022, winner Marcus Ericsson earned $3.1 million. 

“The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and winning this race makes history in more ways than one,” according to IndyCar and IMS president J. Douglas Boles. 

Pole-winner Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. For that he earned a $50,000 bonus, adding to a total take-home prize of $327,300.

The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR awards, amongst others. Purse awards are presented annually at the Victory Celebration. That is being held this year at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.

The next race in the 2025 IndyCar season is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1st.