Indianapolis 500 Purse Increases In Each Of The Last Five Years

In 2025, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $20,283,000, and the year’s winner payout was $3.8 million. In 2024, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $18,456,000 and the winner earned $4.3 million, which included a $440,000 roll-over bonus from BorgWarner for earning back-to-back wins. In 2023, the Indianapolis 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 continues to make history, in more ways than one,” IndyCar and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “The Month of May featured a back-to-back grandstand sellout crowd – our largest crowd since the 100th Running in 2016 – and intense on track action with the most lead changes ever in the Indy 500. Felix Rosenqvist added his name to the history of the Indianapolis 500 in stellar fashion, with the closest finish in Indy 500 history and now the largest purse. There’s no better end to a memorable month.”

Former Formula One Driver Wins Indianapolis 500 Rookie Of The Year

Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance during the Month of May. Schumacher earned a $50,000 bonus for being named Rookie of the Year, adding to a total take-home prize of $218,800.

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 Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis Monday night with several thousand guests and all 33 drivers that competed in Sunday’s race in attendance.

This year’s Indianapolis 500 purse was nearly equal the Daytona 500 purse, which was the largest purse in that event’s history – $31,045,575.

It was the first career Indianapolis 500 victory for Felix Rosenqvist in his eighth career “500” start. Rosenqvist won by .0233 of a second over David Malukas, the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. The previous closest finish came in 1992 when Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by .043 of a second. The race featured an event-record 70 lead changes. The previous record was 68, in 2013.

Rosenqvist is the third Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, joining Kenny Brack (1999) and Marcus Ericsson (2022). Brack led 66 laps in 1999, Rosenqvist 25 laps on May 24 and Ericsson 13 laps in 2022.

It was Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian’s second Indianapolis 500 victory; the team’s two NTT IndyCar Series victories have both come in the Indy 500. Helio Castroneves earned his record-tying fourth Indy 500 win for the team in 2021.

This year's finish marks the fifth time in “500” history that the driver leading the race lost on the last lap. Malukas lost the lead on the last lap to Felix Rosenqvist. Other last lap finishes with a lead change were in 2024 when Pato O'Ward lost the lead on Lap 200 to Josef Newgarden, 2023 when Marcus Ericsson lost the lead on Lap 200 to Newgarden, 2011 when JR Hildebrand lost the lead to Dan Wheldon on the final lap and 2006 when Marco Andretti lost the lead to Sam Hornish Jr heading to the checkered flag.

But Rosenqvist’s win was the most dramatic of all as he used the outside line for the entire final lap and put the nose of his car ahead of Malukas’ Chevrolet less than one second before crossing the finish line to win the race.

“Unreal; I still don’t believe it,” Rosenqvist said. “It kind of worked out the right way when I got back to third, and then I just had to flat-out lap on the high line, and it stuck. “It was just the coolest way you can finish and win an Indy 500.”

An incredible .4360 of a second separated the top five finishers. Rosenqvist’s average speed was 162.021 mph.

Rosenqvist led the field to green flag on the Lap 196 restart after the 10-minute red flag period, with O’Ward second and Armstrong third. But Armstrong powered to the front in the four-wide restart with a bold outside move in Turn 1, with Malukas riding his aerodynamic coattails to second.

But then Schumacher brushed the SAFER Barrier to bring out the final caution on Lap 197, setting up the one-lap dash for glory. Malukas appeared on his way to collect the cash, before Rosenqvist stunned the sellout crowd of 350,000 by swiping the win away from the Team Penske driver at the very last second.

This year’s Indianapolis 500 was sold out for the second-straight year and the third time since 2016.