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Indy 500 Drivers With the Most Winnings

Indy 500 Drivers With the Most Winnings

The 105th Indianapolis 500, sponsored by the online financial services platform Gainbridge, is scheduled for Sunday, May 30, this year. The race is the crown jewel of the NTT IndyCar Series, and the largest single-day spectator sporting event on the globe (though this year, the in-person audience will be limited to 40% of the usual, due to COVID-19 restrictions).

In the history of the Indianapolis 500, three drivers have won four times each: A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977); Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987); and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991). Of those three, Mears totaled the most in career winnings, with $2.7 million. However, the driver who’s taken home the most cash in the course of his career — $6.9 million — is Dario Franchitti, who won the race a mere three times. These are the most exciting races in Indy 500 history.

In addition to prize money, the winner takes possession of the 5-foot-4-inch Borg-Warner Trophy, named after the Borg-Warner Automotive Co., which commissioned it in 1935. Two-time winner Louis Meyer first held the trophy on the occasion of his second triumph, in 1936.

The same year, the victorious Meyer sipped from a bottle of buttermilk to cool down after the race, and milk became part of the post-race ritual. Although the practice was abandoned between 1947 to 1955, it started up again in 1956. Every winner since then has been splashed with milk — a practice that won Indiana its place on our list of the famous, unique, and even weird traditions in the state.

Driver names and information on car numbers, career wins, and career winnings all come from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Indianapolis 500 Historical Stats.

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Emerson Fittipaldi, car #4
> Career winnings: $2,156,908
> Career wins: 1993, 1989

Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Tony Kanaan, car #11
> Career winnings: $2,353,355
> Career wins: 2013

Source: Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Ryan Hunter-Reay, car #28
> Career winnings: $2,491,194
> Career wins: 2014

Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Will Power, car #12
> Career winnings: $2,525,454
> Career wins: 2018

Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Alexander Rossi, car #98
> Career winnings: $2,548,743
> Career wins: 2016

Source: Al Bello / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Al Unser Jr., car #31
> Career winnings: $2,617,997
> Career wins: 1994, 1992

Source: Vincent Laforet / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Arie Luyendyk, car #5
> Career winnings: $2,659,090
> Career wins: 1997, 1990

Source: Clive Rose / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Simon Pagenaud, car #22
> Career winnings: $2,669,529
> Career wins: 2019

Source: Rick Mears' IndyCar at Laguna Seca 1991 (CC BY 2.0) by Stuart Seeger

Rick Mears, car #3
> Career winnings: $2,734,019
> Career wins: 1991, 1988, 1984, 1979

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Scott Dixon, car #9
> Career winnings: $2,988,065
> Career wins: 2008

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Juan Pablo Montoya, car #2
> Career winnings: $3,684,745
> Career wins: 2015, 2000

Source: Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Takuma Sato, car #30
> Career winnings: $3,828,629
> Career wins: 2020, 2017

Source: Nick Laham / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Dan Wheldon, car #98
> Career winnings: $4,105,060
> Career wins: 2011, 2005

Source: Robert Laberge / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Helio Castroneves, car #3
> Career winnings: $5,924,695
> Career wins: 2009, 2002, 2001

Source: Nick Laham / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Dario Franchitti, car #50
> Career winnings: $6,871,568
> Career wins: 2012, 2010, 2007

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