The eye-watering purse for the Indy 500 has been revealed, with a record amount of US$17,021,500 (NZ$28,121,475) split through the competing field.
Race-winner Josef Newgarden takes home an impressive $3.666 million ($6,056,654) of that, with the average payout throughout the field coming to a total of $500,600 ($827,048), up from $485,000 ($801,275) last year.
Second-place getter Marcus Ericsson also receives a nice payday for his efforts, receiving $1.043 million ($1.723 million) for his result.
“This is the greatest race in the world, and it was an especially monumental Month of May featuring packed grandstands and intense on-track action,” Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Now, we have the best end card possible for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500: a record-breaking purse for the history books.”
The crowd for Sunday’s Indy 500 was also the second-largest at the event in over two decades, with 330,000 people packing out Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The top rookie at the event, Benjamin Pedersen, receives a handsome $215,300 ($355,700) for his placing of 21st despite crashing out four laps from the end in the incident which triggered the final of three red flags. Pedersen also receives a $50,000 bonus ($82,605) for being named “Rookie of the Year” for the month of May.
The Indy 500 purse took a significant hit following Covid, reducing to $7,500,000 in 2020, with winner Takuma Sato receiving $1.370 million. In comparison, Scott Dixon received just shy of $3 million for his 2008 victory.
It bounced back in 2022 to over $16,000,000, with the 2023 edition being the most ever awarded to the field.
IndyCar next returns on June 4 on the Streets of Downtown Detroit, with Dixon joined by compatriots Marcus Armstrong and Scott McLaughlin.
Header Image and Quotes: IndyCar
