Revealed: Alex Palou’s prize money for winning the Indy 500

Alex Palou has secured a staggering $3.8 million in prize money following his maiden victory at the Indianapolis 500.

After a sold-out race, IndyCar awarded a record-breaking total purse of $20,283,000 to drivers participating in the 109th running of the iconic race. This marks the largest prize pool in Indy 500 history—an increase of over 10% from last year’s $18,456,000, and significantly higher than the $17,021,500 awarded in 2023.

Palou's earnings account for nearly 20% of the total purse, representing a major payday for the Spanish driver, who already commands a multi-million dollar salary through his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing.

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.

This year’s second-highest earner is McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who 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.

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.

At the other end of the spectrum, Marco Andretti and Kyle Larson were the lowest earners of the event, each receiving just over $100,000 following their mid-race crashes.

2025 Indy 500 prize money per driver