According to Therichest.com, the total prize money for Indy 500 winners can be close to 20% of the total purse. The grand prize has been $1 million or more since 1989 when Emerson Fittipaldi took home $1,001,604.
Juan Pablo Montoya earned $2,449,055 from an overall purse of $13,397,315 for his victory last Sunday, May 24, in the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In driving his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet to victory, Montoya held off reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion and teammate Will Power by 0.1046 of a second – the fourth-closest finish in race history. The Penske pair battled Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon in a thrilling final 15 laps. This marks Montoya’s second Indianapolis 500 win, as the Colombian won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” as a rookie in 2000.
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