INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, May 29, 2017 – Takuma Sato earned $2,458,129 from an overall purse of $13,178,359 for his victory Sunday in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Verizon IndyCar Series veteran Sato, from Tokyo, became the first Japanese winner of the Indianapolis 500, fending off three-time winner Helio Castroneves by .2011 of a second to the checkered flag in the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda. This was the sixth-closest finish in Indy 500 history.
Sato took the lead from Castroneves for good on Lap 195 of the 200-lap race. He led twice for 17 laps.
Castroneves, who dodged multiple on-track incidents and led nine laps even after receiving a drive-through penalty, earned $770,629 for finishing second in the No. 3 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. He became one of seven drivers with three Indianapolis 500 runner-up finishes.
Toward the end of the race, Castroneves had to worry about third-place finisher, rookie driver Ed Jones, in his rear-view mirror. Jones never led in the race but ended up as the top rookie finisher in the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda, earning $535,629.
Max Chilton, who led a race-high 50 laps, finished in fourth place in the No. 8 Gallagher Honda. He earned $484,129.
Rounding out the top five was 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan in the No. 10 NTT Data Honda. Kanaan, who led 22 laps, earned $438,129.
Pole sitter Scott Dixon earned $446,629 despite placing 32nd in the No. 9 Camping World Honda. Dixon was unhurt after a frightening crash with Jay Howard on Lap 53 in which Dixon’s car went airborne and hit the inside SAFER Barrier between Turns 1 and 2.
Fernando Alonso earned $305,805, including $50,000 for being named Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Two-time Formula One World Champion Alonso was the top-qualifying rookie, in fifth, and led 27 laps – more than any other rookie – before ending up 24th after a mechanical problem on Lap 180 halted his race while running seventh in the No. 29 McLaren-Honda-Andretti Honda.
The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Verizon IndyCar Series awards, plus other designated and special awards. Purse awards were announced and presented at the Victory Celebration presented by Ice Miller and Allied Solutions on Monday, May 29 at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.
Visit IMS.com to renew tickets for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday, May 27, 2018 and to buy tickets for the remaining races in 2017 at the Racing Capital of the World – the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250, and the Red Bull Air Race.
