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    Indianapolis 500 · Prize Money

    Indy 500 Prize Money & Purse History

    The Indianapolis 500 announces its full purse each May. Every one of the 33 starters earns a share, the winner takes the largest single payout in open-wheel racing, and the structure — pole award, last row award, lap leader bonuses — has stayed largely the same for decades.

    How much does the Indy 500 winner make?

    Alex Palou earned $3,833,500 for winning the 2025 Indianapolis 500, from a total race purse of $20,387,485. The all-time largest winner's share is $4,288,000, paid to Josef Newgarden in 2024 for becoming the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner since 2002.

    Prize-money records

    Verified records from Indianapolis Motor Speedway purse announcements.

    • Largest winner's share

      $4,288,000

      Josef Newgarden · Team Penske · 2024

      Newgarden's payout for becoming the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner since Hélio Castroneves in 2001–2002. The first winner's share to clear $4 million in race history.

    • Largest total purse

      $20,387,485

      2025

      The first Indianapolis 500 to award a purse over $20 million across the 33-car field. Driven by sustained growth in event revenue post-pandemic and added sponsor contingency awards.

    Indy 500 purse and winner's share by year

    2020–2025. All figures from announced Indianapolis Motor Speedway purse releases.

    Indianapolis 500 total purse and winner's share by year
    YearWinnerWinner's shareTotal purse
    2025

    Alex Palou

    Chip Ganassi Racing

    First Indy 500 purse to clear $20 million.

    		$3,833,500of $20.39M purse$20,387,485First Indy 500 purse to clear $20 million.
    2024

    Josef Newgarden

    Team Penske

    Largest winner's share in Indy 500 history.

    		$4,288,000of $18.46M purse$18,456,000Largest winner's share in Indy 500 history.
    2023

    Josef Newgarden

    Team Penske

    First Indy 500 purse over $17 million.

    		$3,666,000of $17.02M purse$17,021,500First Indy 500 purse over $17 million.
    2022

    Marcus Ericsson

    Chip Ganassi Racing

    		$3,100,000of $16.00M purse$16,000,200
    2021

    Hélio Castroneves

    Meyer Shank Racing

    Limited-attendance race during the COVID-19 pandemic — sharply reduced purse.

    		$1,828,305of $8.85M purse$8,854,565Limited-attendance race during the COVID-19 pandemic — sharply reduced purse.
    2020

    Takuma Sato

    Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

    Race run in August without spectators due to COVID-19.

    		$1,372,500of $7.50M purse$7,500,000Race run in August without spectators due to COVID-19.

    Earlier years are pending operator verification before publication — Grid Guy commits a year-by-year row only after cross-checking the figure against the official IMS purse announcement.

    How the Indy 500 purse is built

    The components that combine into the announced total. Most line items are partly sponsor-funded.

    • Winner's share

      The single largest line item — typically 18–23% of the total purse. The driver doesn't keep all of it: the IndyCar driver–entrant contract sets the split, and the team owner takes a share.

    • Position payouts

      Every one of the 33 starters earns a share. Even the 33rd-place finisher walks away with a six-figure payout — one reason qualifying for the 500 matters financially as well as competitively.

    • Pole Award

      A bonus to the pole sitter on top of their position payout. The pole award is sponsor-funded (PPG Industries historically) and has paid $100,000 in recent years.

    • Last Row Award

      A bonus to the three drivers starting in Row 11 (positions 31, 32, 33). Recognizes that even the back of the field had to survive Bump Day to make the show.

    • Lap leader bonuses

      Per-lap bonuses for any driver who leads at least one lap of the race. Adds up over 200 laps; can be worth tens of thousands to a driver who leads early and gets passed late.

    • Borg-Warner Trophy bonus

      BorgWarner has presented a separate bonus to the winning driver since the 1980s — currently $40,000 — on top of the IMS purse share. The winner also has their face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy itself.

    Is the Indy 500 the richest race in motorsport?

    By total purse, the Indianapolis 500 is the richest open-wheel race in the world. The 2025 race awarded $20,387,485 across the 33-car field — the first Indy 500 purse to clear $20 million.

    Comparisons across motorsport are tricky because each series pays differently. The Daytona 500 (NASCAR) has historically paid a winner's share comparable to the Indy 500 but distributes a smaller total purse to a larger field. Formula 1 doesn't pay per-race prize money — F1 revenue flows to constructors annually based on championship finishing position, not race winners. The 24 Hours of Le Mans pays a fixed entry fee and a competitive purse that's a fraction of Indianapolis.

    Does every Indy 500 starter get paid?

    Yes — all 33 starters earn a position payout. In recent years, even the 33rd-place finisher has walked away with a six-figure share. That's one reason making the field matters financially as well as competitively: a guaranteed Indy 500 starting spot alone is worth more than winning many other races on the IndyCar calendar.

    Prize-money FAQ

    How much does the Indy 500 winner make?+
    Alex Palou earned $3,833,500 for winning the 2025 Indianapolis 500 from a total purse of $20,387,485. The all-time largest winner's share is $4,288,000, paid to Josef Newgarden in 2024. The driver doesn't keep the full amount — the IndyCar driver-entrant contract sets a split between driver and team owner.
    What is the total Indy 500 purse?+
    The 2025 Indianapolis 500 paid a total purse of $20,387,485 across the 33-car field, an all-time record. The purse is announced by Indianapolis Motor Speedway the day after qualifying weekend, with the position-by-position breakdown published on race night.
    Does every Indy 500 starter get paid?+
    Yes. Every one of the 33 starters earns a position payout, even the 33rd-place finisher. In recent years the smallest starter's share has been a six-figure number. That's one reason qualifying for the 500 matters financially as well as competitively — making the show alone is worth more than winning many other IndyCar races.
    Is the Indy 500 the richest race in motorsport?+
    The Indianapolis 500 has the largest total purse of any open-wheel race in the world. The Daytona 500 (NASCAR) has historically paid a comparable or slightly larger winner's share but a different purse structure. Formula 1 doesn't publish per-race prize money — F1 revenue is paid to constructors annually based on championship position, not race winners.
    What is the Borg-Warner Trophy bonus?+
    BorgWarner pays a separate $40,000 bonus to the Indianapolis 500 winner on top of the IMS purse share, and adds the winner's likeness to the Borg-Warner Trophy itself. The trophy has been presented to the winner since 1936.
    How is the Indy 500 purse split between driver and team?+
    Indy 500 prize money is paid to the entrant (the team owner), not directly to the driver. Drivers are paid a contractually agreed split of their share — historically around 50/50 for top-line drivers, but the exact split varies by contract and is private. The team's share funds the next year's program.

    Keep exploring the 500

    • 2026 Indy 500 hubStarting grid, qualifying, race-day status
    • How to Watch the Indy 500Start time, TV channel, streaming, radio
    • Indy 500 Winners — all-timeEvery past champion and the 4× winners club
    • Indy 500 Pole HistoryPole sitters and Luyendyk's 236.986 mph record
    • Indy 500 Race RecordsFastest race avg, closest finish, laps-led leaders
    • Indy 500 TraditionsYard of bricks, milk bottle, Borg-Warner, Carb Day
    • 2026 INDYCAR StandingsLive driver championship
    • 2026 INDYCAR CalendarEvery round, date, and track
    • Le Mans Prize MoneyThe contrast: the ACO doesn't publish a Le Mans purse — Grid Guy explains why

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    Data sourced from the Jolpica F1 API and OpenF1 API. Updated after each race weekend.

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