Skip to content
 
Indy 500 Winner Felix Rosenqvist Landed Record $4.34 Million Payday

Indy 500 Winner Felix Rosenqvist Landed Record $4.34 Million Payday

The closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history helped propel the 110th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to a fifth consecutive purse record, with more than $30.9 million awarded.

For a race already steeped in prestige, history, and spectacle, the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge raised the stakes yet again.

This year’s edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” delivered its richest purse ever on Sunday, with a record-breaking total payout of $30,906,400. At the center of that milestone was first-time winner Felix Rosenqvist, whose dramatic victory for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian earned the Swedish driver a record $4.34 million.

The historic payday capped one of the most memorable finishes in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. Rosenqvist surged from third to first during a one-lap shootout to the checkered flag, going wheel-to-wheel with Meyer Shank Racing teammate Marcus Armstrong through the four turns before slingshotting past Team Penske’s David Malukas in the race to the fabled yard of bricks.

The final margin of victory – just 0.0233 seconds – marked the closest finish ever recorded in the history of the famed race’s 110 editions.

For the 34-year-old Rosenqvist, the victory represented a defining career moment. For the Indianapolis 500, it underscored the event’s continued commercial and cultural momentum, as the purse record was broken for the fifth consecutive year.

This year’s average payout for NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers reached $936,500, comfortably surpassing last year’s average of $596,500 and reflecting the race’s rapidly expanding financial significance. For a second year in a row, and the third time since 2016, the race was a complete sellout, with a raceday attendance over 350,000 fans.

The growth has been striking: In 2025, the Indianapolis 500 purse totaled $20,283,000, with the winner earning $3.8 million. In 2024, the purse stood at $18,456,000, while the winner collected $4.3 million, including a $440,000 rollover bonus from BorgWarner for earning back-to-back victories.

The 2023 purse was $17,021,500, with the winner receiving $3.7 million, while 2022 delivered a $16,000,200 purse and a $3.1 million winner’s payout. Before that, the largest purse in Indianapolis 500 history was $14.4 million, set in 2008.

Billionaire businessman Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar from the Hulman-George Family in 2019, and set about restoring former glories, and a strong financial future, for the famed event.

“The Indianapolis 500 continues to make history, in more ways than one,” said INDYCAR and IMS President J. Douglas Boles. “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 books 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.”

Beyond Rosenqvist’s landmark victory, the month also delivered a standout Indy 500 debut for Mick Schumacher – the son of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. Competing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Schumacher earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance throughout May, collecting a $50,000 bonus and bringing his total take-home prize to $218,800.

The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of awards from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, along with designated and special awards distributed annually during the Victory Celebration, held this year at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.

In a year already defined by sellout crowds, record lead changes, and the closest finish the race has ever seen, the 110th Indianapolis 500 proved that its allure – both sporting and financial – has never been stronger.

PHOTOS: Penske Entertainment

Charles Bradley