How Much Does the Indy 500 Winner Get? 2025 Prize Money Breakdown and Surprising Bonuses

Fans typing “how much does the winner of the Indy 500 get?” this May are really asking about the richest payday in American open-wheel racing. Here’s the up-to-date breakdown. Record payouts keep climbing • 2023: Josef Newgarden pocketed $3.666 million after a last-lap pass for his first Borg-Warner Trophy. • 2024: Newgarden repeated and cashed an even bigger $4.288 million check, thanks to a repeat-winner rollover bonus. • 2022: Marcus Ericsson reset a long-standing record at $3.1 million, ending Helio Castroneves’ 2009 mark of $3.048 million. What the 2025 winner is projected to earn IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway never reveal exact figures until the traditional Monday night prize banquet, but multiple industry analysts expect the check to land between $4.5 million and $5 million if the purse grows at the same pace as the past two seasons. Should Newgarden score an unprecedented “three-peat,” an additional repeat-winner bonus could push his haul toward the top of that range. Why the purse is soaring Corporate sponsorships, NBC’s rising media rights, and packed grandstands contribute to record revenue. Those dollars filter into the prize fund, which ballooned from $16 million in 2022 to $18.456 million in 2024, an 15 percent jump in just two years. Expect another bump as sell-out crowds descend on the Speedway’s 250,000-plus seats. Not just the winner gets paid Every one of the 33 starters receives a slice of the purse, with position, laps led and pole position bonuses sweetening the pot. Even the last-place finisher usually clears six figures, though fielding a competitive Indy 500 entry can cost $1–2 million, meaning smaller teams often spend more than they collect. Key takeaways for searchers • The Indy 500 winner’s check has climbed roughly $600k per year since 2022. • Projections place the 2025 first-place prize around $4.5-5 million, potentially the biggest in race history. • Rising TV money and sold-out crowds keep driving the purse higher, so “how much does the Indy 500 winner get” will probably need a yearly update—just like the record books.