The 2026 Indianapolis 500 purse shot up by 50% over the previous year, with race winner Felix Rosenqvist getting a record $4.34 million and 22 drivers earning more than $1 million.
The purse totaled $30,906,400, up from 2025’s previous record of $20,283,000. Rarely had more than the winner exceeded $1 million in winnings.
Josef Newgarden won $4.3 million in 2024, including a $440,000 rollover bonus from BorgWarner for winning two years in a row.
“The Indianapolis 500 continues to make history, in more ways than one,” IndyCar and IMS President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “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.”
Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing earned Rookie of the Year after finishing 18th, with a $50,000 bonus bringing his total to $218,800.
The Indy 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar series awards plus other designated and special awards.
Indy 500 money winnings: How much did Felix Rosenqvist get for winning the Indy 500?
Rosenqvist won a record $4.34 million from a total purse of $30,906,400. The previous records were $4.288 million by Josef Newgarden in 2024, and the 2025 total purse of $20,283,000.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How much money did Felix Rosenqvist get for winning the Indy 500?
Reporting by Scott Horner and Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
