Indy 500 prize money explained: How much money does the winner receive?

Elizabeth Blackstock 26 May 2025 10:17 PM

Josef Newgarden Team Penske Indy 500 PlanetF1

Josef Newgarden earned $4,288,000 for winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500.

The Indy 500 is upon us, and that means it’s just about time to crown a new race winner and enter a new name in the history books.

But how much money do Indy 500 winners make? And how big is the prize purse for 2025? We’ll have all the answers here in one place.

Indy 500 prize purse: A history

The Indy 500 is hailed as the greatest spectacle in racing, and any great spectacle should come with an equally great prize purse!

That’s been true since 1911, when race founder Carl G. Fisher decided that his race track should only host one race per year — and that that race should be the biggest race he could make it.

That first year, winner Ray Harroun was awarded a $14,250 paycheck from an overall purse worth $27,500. Adjusted for inflation, that would be over $450,000 today!

While the prize purses have largely grown year over year, there have been some major fluctuations thanks to wars, economic downturns, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

2025 Indy 500 prize purse: How much will the 2025 Indy 500 winner make?

The prize purse for the 2025 Indy 500 once again soard to new heights, with winner Alex Palou making a whopping $3.8 million from a total purse of $20,283,000!

This is slightly less than Josef Newgarden made for winning the race in 2024, but Newgarden had included a $440,000 roll-over bonus from BorgWarner for winning back-to-back.

Further, Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing has been awarded $50,000 for taking home Rookie of the Year honors, on top of his $100,000 check for winning pole position.

The full purse distribution is as follows:

1st: Alex Palou – $3,833,500
2nd: David Malukas – $667,300
3rd: Pato O’Ward – $951,000
4th: Felix Rosenqvist – $769,500
5th: Santino Ferrucci – $707,500
6th: Christian Rasmussen – $683,000
7th: Christian Lundgaard – $671,000
8th: Conor Daly – $682,500
9th: Takuma Sato – $298,500
10th: Helio Castroneves – $137,000
11th: Devlin DeFrancesco – $663,000
12th: Louis Foster – $673,000
13th: Nolan Siegel – $632,000
14th: Colton Herta – $630,500
15th: Ed Carpenter – $118,500
16th: Will Power – $632,500
17th: Graham Rahal – $607,500
18th: Marcus Armstrong – $607,500
19th: Jack Harvey – $116,500
20th: Scott Dixon – $632,500
21st: Ryan Hunter-Reay – $274,000
22nd: Josef Newgarden – $657,500
23rd: Sting Ray Robb – $607,400
24th: Kyle Larson – $102,000
25th: Kyffin Simpson – $607,500
26th: Robert Shwartzman – $327,300
27th: Rinus Veekay – $158,800
28th: Alexander Rossi – $634,000
29th: Marco Andretti – $102,000
30th: Scott McLaughlin – $607,500
31st: Marcus Ericsson – $610,500
32nd: Kyle Kirkwood – $607,500
33rd: Callum Ilott – $155,300
N/A: Jacob Abel – $153,300

2025 Indy 500 prize purse: How is the purse distributed?

The Indy 500 is the biggest pay-day of the year for IndyCar teams, with the ultimate purse being distributed between all the drivers who competed in the race — but some drivers get more money than others.

Roughly 20% of the Indy 500 prize purse goes to the winner, with the remainder distributed to the rest of the field.

This year, with the introduction of the IndyCar charter system, chartered teams will receive more money than non-chartered entrants.

While drivers are financially rewarded for their finishing position, drivers can make additional money by qualifying on pole position, hitting certain speeds during practice, engaging with sponsors, and more.

More on the 2025 Indy 500:

👉 Indianapolis 500: Who are the 13 F1 drivers that have won the Indy 500?

👉 Indy 500 2025: When is it and how can I watch on TV and live stream?

What was the biggest Indy 500 prize purse in history?

The biggest prize purse in Indy 500 history was an overall pot of $18,456,000 split between the 33 race starters at the 2024 Indianapolis 500.

Winner Josef Newgarden took home a whopping $4,288,000 for the honor!

Who was the first driver to earn $100,000 for winning the Indy 500?

In 1957, Sam Hanks won the Indianapolis 500 and took home $103,000 for doing so! It was the first time a driver won over $100,000 in the race (and now, that’s roughly the same amount a driver makes for securing pole position!).

Born in 1914, Hanks had considered retiring from racing the year prior but was convinced to try his hand at the 1957 Indy 500 thanks to urging from his car owner George Salih.

Hanks was glad he did! He won the race and rounded out the year behind the wheel of stock cars before he went on to retire.

Who was the first driver to earn $1 million for winning the Indy 500?

The first driver to net over $1,000,000 for winning the Indianapolis 500 was Emerson Fittipaldi, with his 1989 victory.

For that race, Fittipaldi netted $1,001,604 — almost $200,000 more than Rick Mears had made the year previously!

Fittipaldi was the first-ever Brazilian winner of the 500, as well as the first non-American driver to win the race since Graham Hill in 1966 and the first foreign-born driver since Mario Andretti in 1969.

Fittipaldi snatched the lead on the final lap after a hard battle with Al Unser Jr.

His prize purse that year was greater than the combined purses from 1911 to 1970!

2024 Indy 500 prize purse distribution:

1. Josef Newgarden — $4,288,000
2. Pato O’Ward — $1,050,500
3. Scott Dixon — $835,000
4. Alexander Rossi — $688,000
5. Alex Palou — $614,000
6. Scott McLaughlin — $781,500
7. Kyle Kirkwood — $568,000
8. Santino Ferrucci — $568,500
9. Rinus VeeKay — $563,500
10. Conor Daly — $159,000
11. Callum Ilott — $538,500
12. Christian Rasmussen — $128,000
13. Christian Lundgaard — $537,000
14. Takuma Sato — $119,500
15. Graham Rahal — $537,000
16. Sting Ray Robb — $228,300
17. Ed Carpenter — $510,500
18. Kyle Larson — $178,000
19. Romain Grosjean — $517,500
20. Hélio Castroneves — $102,000
21. Kyffin Simpson — $158,300
22. Agustín Canapino — $511,000
23. Colton Herta — $513,000
24. Will Power — $543,000
25. Marco Andretti — $102,000
26. Ryan Hunter-Reay — $102,000
27. Felix Rosenqvist — $514,000
28. Linus Lundqvist — $508,500
29. Katherine Legge — $158,800
30. Marcus Armstrong — $156,300
31. Tom Blomqvist — $156,300
32. Pietro Fittipaldi — $507,500
33. Marcus Ericsson — $507,500

Historic Indy 500 victor prize money

1911: Ray Harroun – $14,250
1912: Joe Dawson – $20,000
1913: Jules Goux – $20,000
1914: Rene Thomas – $20,000
1915: Ralph DePalma – $20,000
1916: Dario Resta – $12,000
1919: Howdy Wilcox – $20,000
1920: Gaston Chevrolet – $21,400
1921: Tommy Milton – $26,400
1922: Jimmy Murphy – $26,200
1923: Tommy Milton – $28,500
1924: L.L. Corum/Joe Boyer – $20,050
1925: Peter DePaolo – $28,800
1926: Frank Lockhart – $35,600
1927: George Souders – $30,625
1928: Louis Meyer – $28,250
1929: Ray Keech – $31,950
1930: Billy Arnold – $36,900
1931: Louis Schneider – $29,500
1932: Fred Frame – $31,050
1933: Louis Meyer – $18,000
1934: Bill Cummings – $29,725
1935: Kelly Petillo – $30,600
1936: Louis Meyer – $31,300
1937: Wilbur Shaw – $35,075
1938: Floyd Roberts – $32,075
1939: Wilbur Shaw – $27,375
1940: Wilbur Shaw – $30,725
1941: Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose – $29,200
1946: George Robson – $42,350
1947: Mauri Rose – $33,425
1948: Mauri Rose – $42,800
1949: Bill Holland – $51,575
1950: Johnnie Parsons – $57,458
1951: Lee Wallard – $63,612
1952: Troy Ruttman – $61,743
1953: Bill Vukovich – $89,496
1954: Bill Vukovich – $74,934
1955: Bob Sweikert – $76,138
1956: Pat Flaherty – $93,819
1957: Sam Hanks – $103,844
1958: Jimmy Bryan – $105,574
1959: Rodger Ward – $106,850
1960: Jim Rathmann – $110,000
1961: A.J. Foyt – $117,975
1962: Rodger Ward – $125,015
1963: Parnelli Jones – $148,513
1964: A.J. Foyt – $153,650
1965: Jim Clark – $166,621
1966: Graham Hill – $156,297
1967: A.J. Foyt – $171,527
1968: Bobby Unser – $175,139
1969: Mario Andretti – $206,727
1970: Al Unser – $271,697
1971: Al Unser – $238,454
1972: Mark Donohue – $218,767
1973: Gordon Johncock – $236,022
1974: Johnny Rutherford – $245,031
1975: Bobby Unser – $214,031
1976: Johnny Rutherford – $255,321
1977: A.J. Foyt – $259,791
1978: Al Unser – $290,363
1979: Rick Mears – $270,401
1980: Johnny Rutherford – $318,819
1981: Bobby Unser – $299,124
1982: Gordon Johncock – $290,609
1983: Tom Sneva – $385,886
1984: Rick Mears – $434,060
1985: Danny Sullivan – $517,662
1986: Bobby Rahal – $581,062
1987: Al Unser – $526,762
1988: Rick Mears – $809,853
1989: Emerson Fittipaldi – $1,001,604
1990: Arie Luyendyk – $1,090,940
1991: Rick Mears – $1,219,704
1992: Al Unser Jr. – $1,244,184
1993: Emerson Fittipaldi – $1,155,304
1994: Al Unser Jr. – $1,373,813
1995: Jacques Villeneuve – $1,312,019
1996: Buddy Lazier – $1,367,854
1997: Arie Luyendyk – $1,568,150
1998: Eddie Cheever Jr. – $1,433,000
1999: Kenny Brack – $1,465,190
2000: Juan Pablo Montoya – $1,235,690
2001: Helio Castroneves – $1,270,475
2002: Helio Castroneves – $1,606,215
2003: Gil de Ferran – $1,353,265
2004: Buddy Rice – $1,761,740
2005: Dan Wheldon – $1,537,805
2006: Sam Hornish Jr. – $1,744,855
2007: Dario Franchitti – $1,645,233
2008: Scott Dixon – $2,988,065
2009: Helio Castroneves – $3,048,005
2010: Dario Franchitti – $2,752,055
2011: Dan Wheldon – $2,592,255
2012: Dario Franchitti – $2,474,280
2013: Tony Kanaan – $2,353,355
2014: Ryan Hunter-Reay – $2,491,194
2015: Juan Pablo Montoya – $2,449,055
2016: Alexander Rossi – $2,548,743
2017: Takuma Sato – $2,458,129
2018: Will Power – $2,525,454
2019: Simon Pagenaud – $2,669,529
2020: Takuma Sato – $1,370,500
2021: Helio Castroneves – $1,828,305
2022: Marcus Ericsson – $3,100,000
2o23: Josef Newgarden – $3,666,000
2024: Josef Newgarden – $4,288,000