Palou, drivers honored during 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 victory banquet
INDIANAPOLIS — As part of a thrilling race featuring multiple caution flags, crashes and pit lane issues, Alex Palou won the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Palou and the other participants were honored as part of the race’s annual victory banquet at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.
The Rookie of the Year award went to Robert Shwartzman, this year’s pole winner. Driver payouts were also announced. A special featuring red carpet interviews aired at 7:30 p.m. Monday on FOX59 followed by the banquet.
Palou won Sunday’s race under caution when a crash occurred on the final lap of the race. Palou led 14 laps during the race, which was his fifth in six IndyCar races this season.
“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race,” Palou said after Sunday’s race. “I cannot believe it. It was tough. Tough conditions out there, especially if you were like, third or fourth in the pack.”
According to officials with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR, the purse record was broken for the fourth year in a row for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. A news release states that the race’s total purse was $20,283,000, with Palou receiving $3.8 million of the total as the race’s winner.
Officials said this year’s average payout for drivers of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES was $596,500, exceeding last year’s average of $543,000. Robert Shwartzman, a Prema Racing driver, received the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors and earned a $50,000 bonus, taking home $327,300.
“The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and winning this race makes history in more ways than one,” INDYCAR and IMS president J. Douglas Boles said in the release. “The Month of May featured a grandstand sellout crowd and intense on-track action. Alex Palou adds Indianapolis 500 winner to his long list of growing achievements and takes home the largest purse in Indianapolis 500 history. There’s no better way to end an epic month.”
Monday’s victory banquet came after Marcus Ericsson, the initial second-place finisher in Sunday’s race, was stripped of his placement after he was found to have added “enhanced aerodynamic efficiency” to his car for the race.
Ericsson, along with Kyle Kirkwood, another Andretti team member, and Callum Illot, a driver for Prema, were all penalized on Monday afternoon, according to previous reports.
Take a look at the gallery below to see some photos from this evening’s event:
A full house for Monday evening’s Indy 500 Victory Banquet.
Set up for the victory celebration after the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Callum Illot is on the red carpet for the Indy 500 victory banquet.
Sting Ray Robb is on the red carpet for the Indy 500 victory banquet.
Alexander Rossi is on the red carpet for the Indy 500 victory banquet.
Set up for the victory celebration after the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
You can watch the full Victory Celebration: From The Red Carpet special below:
This story will be updated as more information comes in from Monday’s banquet.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
