Around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway —the speedway in the capital of the state of Indiana, United States, where the legendary 500-mile race has been held since 1911— not only revolve the 33 single-seaters that qualify for the competition each year. If these are powerful and fast machines, the product of engineering, around the Indy 500 —which is part of the Indy Car Series calendar— a well-calibrated money-making machine, the product of marketing and advertising, revolves. The prize pool of this edition marked a second consecutive record by adding a total of US$1,7,021,500.
The 107th edition of the Indianapolis 500 that took place last weekend set other high records for the history of the competition, which together with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, are the most coveted by the public and drivers.
Jossef Newgarden of Team Penske, winner of the race, received the highest payment in history: 3.666 million dollarsthat is to say, 254,263 times more than the sum that Ray Harroun won in the first edition in 1911, barely 14,250 dollars at the time, which was already silver and which reaffirms that this is the automobile race that awards the highest prizes to the winners.
Indianapolis 500
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The $100,000 barrier was broken in 1957 by Sam Hanks, who took home $103,000, the $500,000 barrier by Danny Sullivan ($517,662).
The first “million-dollar” victory was for a South American, the Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, who in 1989 won $1,001,604. His check was far more than the total prize pool of all races from 1911 to 1970.
Before Newgarden, Marcus Ericsson in 2022 and Helio Castro Neves in 1989 held the record for the highest prize money.
And perhaps the most ‘unlucky’ driver in history, in terms of award winnings, is Takuma Sato. His victory in the first Indy 500 without an audience in history – run in August 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) – brought him just 1.3 million dollars. Luckily in his first win in 2017 and with a full house he obtained $2,458,129.
The prize money is awarded by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and since the amount of the purse is declared in advance of the race, the United States treasury also takes a good part in taxes that are paid beforehand.
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A pilot’s income largely depends on the circumstances at the time, including the financial health of the regulatory body, as well as the details of the television deal and ticket sales.
The race winner receives around 20 percent of the prize fund, which then goes on a sliding scale to the rest of the 33 participating cars.
There are also cash prizes for the driver who takes pole position and the one who leads the most laps.
The drivers have contracts with their teams in which the percentage of the profits that they take is established, while the owner of the car divides it among the team, in addition to taking his own part. This year the average pay for pilots is $500,600.
Indianapolis 500
In 2022, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $16,000,200 and winner of the year payout was $3.1 million. Before 2022 it was 14.4 million in the 2008 race.
“This is the biggest race in the world and it was an especially monumental month of May, with packed grandstands and intense action on the track,” Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Now we have the best possible final card for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 – a record purse for the history books.”
‘Welcome fans’
If there is something that makes the difference between the Indy Car Series and Nascar -the two most attractive automobile competitions in the United States-, with Formula 1 it is the connection between the organizers and the fans. In every way.
In the United States, at the entrances to cities, around ovals and tracks, and in restaurants and bars, the signs in large street parades and illuminated signs are striking: “Welcome Fans”, they say. While in Formula 1, José Clopatofsky once said, the organizers seem to say: “Better not come.”
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This year Indianapolis Motor Speedway welcomed more than 330,000 fans, making it the second-largest 500 crowd in more than two decades.
The fans are not just going to watch the race. Days before or months in advance, the surroundings of the oval are invaded by hundreds of motorhomes, with their respective BBQs, inflatable pools and lots of beer. You have to pay for that space, of course, but the gringos enjoy it and leave a few good dollars there.
The arena, which has a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, plus another estimated 60,000 in the infield, is the largest capacity sports venue in the world. To get an idea, it has nine times the capacity of the Nemesio Camacho El Campín stadium.
Indianapolis 500
For reserved race day seats, the stands along the front stretch and in turn one generally have tickets that cost between $100 and $150. Tickets for the penthouse above the front grandstand can be found starting at $200; In contrast, for the Miami Grand Prix that took place on May 7, tickets ranged from $660, the cheapest, to $1,885, the most expensive.
This is the approximate value for the day of the race, for the Indy 500 classifications 30 dollars are paid, and for a little less than ‘a handful of dollars’ the fans —by previously signing an exoneration clause—, can be a few meters from the pits to see firsthand everything that happens there, this in Nascar and Indy Car Series.
In Indianapolis, according to the website jeanknowscars.com, spectators consumed 24,000 gallons of Coca-Cola products and 145,000 gallons of beer, five tons of hamburger meat and 2,000 liters of sauces on race day. In the facilities that surround the oval there are 29 bars scattered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which serve only Bloody Marys and ‘margaritas’.
Indianapolis 500
Finally, although the figures are not official, it is said that the 500 Miles generate an economic impact in the city of Indianapolis of around 400 million dollars. There is no approximation to the data of what is perceived by advertising and television transmission rights, controlled by Indy Cara Media. What is true is that the Indy 500 reaches more than 300 million homes in the world, surpassing the 208 million viewers that the Super Bowl had last year, and surpassed only by the Qatar 2022 World Cup final, which according to FIFA it was seen by 517 million people.
The truth is that for Americans a dollar is worth it, and if it’s miles that arrive, the better. Or else Roger Penske, former driver, owner of the Penske Corporation conglomerate and Team Penske Racing, who modified his 19th Indianapolis 500 victory this year, the most successful squad in the entire history of the race, says so. In addition, since 2020 he is also the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was controlled by the Hulman family for 74 years.
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The origin of the ‘Brickyard’
The track was built in just five months, from March to August 1909 with 3.2 million brick blocks —there were no paving back then—, some of which are commemorative and today mark the finish line. Modern pavement only arrived in 1961, hence it is known as “Brickyard”. Since its first day, it has been unmatched and is the temple of pure speed.
Ray Harroun, in 1911, gained an average speed of 119 kilometers per hour to travel the 2.5 miles that are linked with 4 very low-banked curves and for this edition the Spanish Alex Pälou took pole position at an average of 376.939 kilometers per hour. hour between intimidating walls.
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