IndyCar: Indianapolis 500 Purse still pales vs. Daytona 500 purse (Update)

This article has been updated below with the table showing how much each driver received from this year’s 2025 Indy 500 purse.

The Indianapolis 500 purse record was broken for the fourth year in a row for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with first-time winner Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing earning $3.8 million from a total purse of $20,283,000.

This is the largest purse in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on the heels of four consecutive record-breaking years. This year’s average payout for NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers was $596,500, which also exceeds last year’s average of $543,000.

The Indy 500 is supposed to be the biggest race in the world yet the total purse for the 2025 Daytona 500 was a record-breaking $30,331,250 — AutoRacing1.com

In 2024, the 500 purse was $18,456,000, and the year’s winner payout was $4.3 million, which included a $440,000 roll-over bonus from BorgWarner for earning back-to-back wins. In 2023, the 500 purse was $17,021,500, and the winner earned $3.7 million. In 2022, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $16,000,200, and the winner earned $3.1 million. Prior to 2022, the largest Indianapolis 500 purse was $14.4 million for the 2008 Indianapolis 500.

“The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and winning this race makes history in more ways than one,” INDYCAR and IMS president J. Douglas Boles said. “The Month of May featured a grandstand sellout crowd and intense on-track action. Alex Palou adds Indianapolis 500 winner to his long list of growing achievements and takes home the largest purse in Indianapolis 500 history. There’s no better way to end an epic month.”

Pole-winner Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance during the Month of May. Shwartzman earned a $50,000 bonus for being named Rookie of the Year, adding to a total take-home prize of $327,300.

The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NTT INDYCAR SERIES awards, plus other designated and special awards. Purse awards are presented annually at the Victory Celebration, held this year at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis Monday night.

Palou’s earnings account for nearly 20% of the total purse.

Despite the massive payout, Palou’s total falls short of last year’s top prize. Josef Newgarden took home $4.3 million in 2024, thanks in part to a $440,000 bonus from BorgWarner for winning back-to-back Indy 500 titles despite his car being deemed illegal.

This year’s second-highest earner is McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, received nearly $1 million after being promoted to third place on the podium due to a post-race penalty for Andretti driver Marcus Ericsson.

Meyer Shank’s Racing Felix Rosenqvist has been awarded $769,500 for finishing fourth, while Santino Ferrucci will also receive more than $700,000 in prize money.

Marco Andretti and Kyle Larson had the dubious distinction of receiving the smallest check – just $102,000 making their efforts to field a car for them in this year’s race a big money loser.

Meanwhile, Prema’s Robert Shwartzman earned a $50,000 bonus for winning the rookie of the year award, taking his total take-home prize to $327,300.

2025 Indy 500 prize money per driver