How has the Indy 500 prize fund performed?
Since its first run in 1911, the winner’s take-home check has risen from the $ 14,250 Ray Harroun received that year.
Over time, some serious financial obstacles have been overcome, particularly in 1957 when Sam Hanks took home $ 103,000, Danny Sullivan’s famous spin-and-win was worth $ 517,662, and we had our first millionaire victory as Emerson in 1989 Fittipaldi won $ 1,001,604.
Also read:
Emmo’s first victory check that year was more than the prize money from any run from 1911 to 1970! A driver’s profits are very dependent on the circumstances of the time, including the sanctions body’s financial health, as well as the details of the TV deal and ticket sales.
The winner of the race will receive approximately 20% of the prize money, which will then be used for the remainder of the 33-car field in a relay. Bonuses like pole position – e.g.: Scott Dixon won $ 100,000 for pole in 2021 – and guided laps also have a huge impact on the bottom line of any car’s winnings.
Prize money will be awarded by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the money going to each entrant’s car. The drivers have contracts stating what percentage of the profits they will make, while the team owner then distributes them to the team and takes his own share.
Helio Castroneves
Photo by: IndyCar Series
What Was the Biggest Indy 500 Paycheck?
In 2009, Team Penske and Helio Castroneves took home the largest paycheck in Indy 500 history: $ 3,048,005. From his $ 2.5 million winnings in 2018 Will Power told motorsport.com of his personal terms, “I didn’t get quite 50% of it, but I was pretty close!”
Perhaps the most unlucky driver in Indy history, measured by prize winnings, was Takuma Sato. His victory in front of the first deserted Indy 500, which was held in August 2020 (due to the Covid-19 pandemic), brought him “only” 1.3 million dollars. This is comparable to the $ 2,458,129 he won in front of a packed audience in 2017.
It was doubly annoying when, before the pandemic forced a reassessment, new IndyCar owner Roger Penske previously pledged a richest purse of $ 15 million to date.
Since last year’s prize purse was crooked, here’s the breakdown of the pots for 2019 from first to last:
Item |
driver |
Prize money |
1 |
Simon Pagenaud |
$ 2,669,529 |
2 |
Alexander Rossi |
$ 759,179 |
3rd |
Takuma Sato |
540,454 USD |
4th |
Josef Newgarden |
$ 462,904 |
5 |
Willpower |
$ 444,554 |
6th |
Ed Carpenter |
$ 450,554 |
7th |
Santino Ferrucci |
$ 435,404 |
8th |
Ryan Hunter-Reay |
$ 379,129 |
9 |
Tony Kanaan |
$ 369,129 |
10 |
Conor Daly |
$ 230,805 |
11 |
James Hinchcliffe |
365,129 USD |
12th |
James Davison |
$ 220,305 |
13th |
Ed Jones |
$ 233,305 |
14th |
Spencer Pigot |
$ 377,229 |
fifteen |
Matheus Leist |
$ 344,129 |
16 |
Pippa man |
$ 200,305 |
17th |
Scott Dixon |
$ 359,204 |
18th |
Helio Castroneves |
$ 200,305 |
19th |
Sage Karam |
204,305 USD |
20th |
JR Hildebrand |
$ 200,305 |
21 |
Jack Harvey |
$ 200,305 |
22nd |
Oriol Servia |
203,305 USD |
23 |
Marcus Ericsson |
$ 384,629 |
24 |
Jordan King |
$ 200,805 |
25th |
Charlie Kimball |
$ 200,305 |
26th |
Marco Andretti |
$ 334,129 |
27 |
Graham Rahal |
$ 334,129 |
28 |
Felix Rosenqvist |
$ 353,279 |
29 |
Zach Veach |
$ 334,129 |
30th |
Sebastien Bourdais |
$ 342,129 |
31 |
Kyle Kaiser |
205,305 USD |
32 |
Ben Hanley |
$ 200,805 |
33 |
Colton Herta |
$ 351,129 |
And here is the all-time list, including the winner’s prize pool and reward:
year |
Total purse |
winner |
Winning prize |
1911 |
$ 27,550 |
Ray Harroun |
$ 14,250 |
1912 |
$ 52,225 |
Joe Dawson |
$ 20,000 |
1913 |
$ 55,875 |
Jules Goux |
$ 20,000 |
1914 |
$ 51,675 |
Rene Thomas |
$ 20,000 |
1915 |
$ 51,200 |
Ralph DePalma |
$ 20,000 |
1916 |
$ 31,350 |
Dario Resta |
$ 12,000 |
1919 |
$ 55,275 |
Howdy Wilcox |
$ 20,000 |
1920 |
$ 93,550 |
Gaston Chevrolet |
$ 21,400 |
1921 |
$ 86,850 |
Tommy Milton |
$ 26,400 |
1922 |
$ 70,575 |
Jimmy Murphy |
$ 26,200 |
1923 |
$ 83,425 |
Tommy Milton |
$ 28,500 |
1924 |
$ 86,850 |
LL Corum / Joe Boyer |
$ 20,050 |
1925 |
$ 87,750 |
Peter DePaolo |
$ 28,800 |
1926 |
$ 88,100 |
Frank Lockhart |
$ 35,600 |
1927 |
$ 89,850 |
George Souders |
$ 30,625 |
1928 |
$ 90,750 |
Louis Meyer |
$ 28,250 |
1929 |
$ 95,150 |
Ray Keech |
$ 31,950 |
1930 |
$ 96,250 |
Billy Arnold |
$ 36,900 |
1931 |
$ 81,800 |
Louis Schneider |
$ 29,500 |
1932 |
$ 93,900 |
Fred Frame |
$ 31,050 |
1933 |
$ 54,450 |
Louis Meyer |
$ 18,000 |
1934 |
$ 83,775 |
Bill Cummings |
$ 29,725 |
1935 |
$ 78,575 |
Kelly Petillo |
$ 30,600 |
1936 |
$ 82,525 |
Louis Meyer |
$ 31,300 |
1937 |
$ 92,135 |
Wilbur Shaw |
$ 35,075 |
1938 |
$ 91,075 |
Floyd Roberts |
$ 32,075 |
1939 |
$ 87,050 |
Wilbur Shaw |
$ 27,375 |
1940 |
$ 85,525 |
Wilbur Shaw |
$ 30,725 |
1941 |
$ 90,925 |
Floyd Davis / Mauri Rose |
$ 29,200 |
1946 |
$ 115,450 |
George Robson |
$ 42,350 |
1947 |
$ 137,425 |
Mauri Rose |
$ 33,425 |
1948 |
$ 171,075 |
Mauri Rose |
$ 42,800 |
1949 |
$ 179,050 |
Bill Holland |
$ 51,575 |
1950 |
$ 201,035 |
Johnnie Parsons |
$ 57,458 |
1951 |
$ 207,650 |
Lee Wallard |
$ 63,612 |
1952 |
$ 230,100 |
Troy Ruttman |
$ 61,743 |
1953 |
$ 246,300 |
Bill Vukovich |
$ 89,496 |
1954 |
$ 269,375 |
Bill Vukovich |
$ 74,934 |
1955 |
$ 270,400 |
Bob Sweikert |
$ 76,138 |
1956 |
$ 282,052 |
Pat Flaherty |
$ 93,819 |
1957 |
$ 300,252 |
Sam Hanks |
$ 103,844 |
1958 |
$ 305,217 |
Jimmy Bryan |
$ 105,574 |
1959 |
$ 338,100 |
Rodger Ward |
$ 106,850 |
1960 |
$ 369,150 |
Jim Rathmann |
$ 110,000 |
1961 |
$ 400,000 |
AJ Foyt |
$ 117,975 |
1962 |
$ 426,152 |
Rodger Ward |
$ 125,015 |
1963 |
$ 494,030 |
Parnelli Jones |
$ 148,513 |
1964 |
$ 506,575 |
AJ Foyt |
$ 153,650 |
1965 |
$ 628,399 |
Jim Clark |
$ 166,621 |
1966 |
691,808 USD |
Graham Hill |
$ 156,297 |
1967 |
734,834 USD |
AJ Foyt |
$ 171,527 |
1968 |
$ 712,269 |
Bobby Unser |
$ 175,139 |
1969 |
$ 805,127 |
Mario Andretti |
$ 206,727 |
1970 |
USD 1,000,002 |
Al our |
$ 271,697 |
1971 |
1,001,604 USD |
Al our |
$ 238,454 |
1972 |
$ 1,011,845 |
Mark Donohue |
$ 218,767 |
1973 |
1,006,105 USD |
Gordon Johncock |
$ 236,022 |
1974 |
$ 1,015,686 |
Johnny Rutherford |
$ 245,031 |
1975 |
USD 1,001,321 |
Bobby Unser |
$ 214,031 |
1976 |
$ 1,037,776 |
Johnny Rutherford |
$ 255,321 |
1977 |
$ 1,116,807 |
AJ Foyt |
$ 259,791 |
1978 |
$ 1,145,225 |
Al our |
290,363 USD |
1979 |
$ 1,271,954 |
Rick Mears |
USD 270,401 |
1980 |
$ 1,503,225 |
Johnny Rutherford |
$ 318,819 |
1981 |
$ 1,605,375 |
Bobby Unser |
$ 299,124 |
1982 |
$ 2,067,475 |
Gordon Johncock |
290,609 USD |
1983 |
$ 2,411,450 |
Tom Sneva |
$ 385,886 |
1984 |
$ 2,795,899 |
Rick Mears |
$ 434,060 |
1985 |
$ 3,271,025 |
Danny Sullivan |
$ 517,662 |
1986 |
4,001,450 USD |
Bobby Rahal |
$ 581,062 |
1987 |
$ 4,490,375 |
Al our |
$ 526,762 |
1988 |
$ 5,025,400 |
Rick Mears |
$ 809,853 |
1989 |
$ 5,723,725 |
Emerson Fittipaldi |
1,001,604 USD |
1990 |
$ 6,325,803 |
Aria Luyendyk |
$ 1,090,940 |
1991 |
$ 7,009,150 |
Rick Mears |
$ 1,219,704 |
1992 |
$ 7,527,450 |
Al Our Jr |
$ 1,244,184 |
1993 |
$ 7,681,300 |
Emerson Fittipaldi |
1,155,304 USD |
1994 |
$ 7,864,800 |
Al Our Jr |
$ 1,373,813 |
1995 |
$ 8,063,550 |
Jacques Villeneuve |
$ 1,312,019 |
1996 |
$ 8,114,600 |
Buddy Lazier |
$ 1,367,854 |
1997 |
$ 8,612,450 |
Aria Luyendyk |
$ 1,568,150 |
1998 |
$ 8,722,150 |
Eddie Cheever |
$ 1,433,000 |
1999 |
$ 9,047,150 |
Kenny Brack |
$ 1,465,190 |
2000 |
$ 9,476,505 |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
$ 1,235,690 |
2001 |
$ 9,610,325 |
Helio Castroneves |
$ 1,270,475 |
2002 |
$ 10,028,580 |
Helio Castroneves |
$ 1,606,215 |
2003 |
$ 10,151,830 |
Gil de Ferran |
$ 1,353,265 |
2004 |
$ 10,250,580 |
Buddy Rice |
$ 1,761,740 |
2005 |
$ 10,304,815 |
Dan Wheldon |
$ 1,537,805 |
2006 |
$ 10,518,565 |
Sam Hornish |
$ 1,744,855 |
2007 |
$ 10,668,815 |
Dario Franchitti |
$ 1,645,233 |
2008 |
$ 14,406,580 |
Scott Dixon |
$ 2,988,065 |
2009 |
$ 14,315,315 |
Helio Castroneves |
$ 3,048,005 |
2010 |
$ 13,592,815 |
Dario Franchitti |
$ 2,752,055 |
2011 |
$ 13,509,485 |
Dan Wheldon |
$ 2,592,255 |
2012 |
$ 13,285,815 |
Dario Franchitti |
$ 2,474,280 |
2013 |
$ 12,020,065 |
Tony Kanaan |
$ 2,353,355 |
2014 |
$ 14,231,760 |
Ryan Hunter-Reay |
$ 2,491,194 |
2015 |
$ 13,397,315 |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
$ 2,449,055 |
2016 |
$ 13,273,253 |
Alexander Rossi |
$ 2,548,743 |
2017 |
$ 13,178,359 |
Takuma Sato |
$ 2,458,129 |
2018 |
$ 13,078,065 |
Willpower |
$ 2,525,454 |
2019 |
$ 13,090,536 |
Simon Pagenaud |
$ 2,669,529 |
2020 |
$ 7.5 million |
Takuma Sato |
$ 1,370,500 |