INDIANAPOLIS (NewsNation) — With 33 cars, 200 laps and some of the best driving in the world, the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 is expected to be one of the biggest events of the year.
Out of this year’s drivers, seven of them will be competing in the Indy 500 for the first time and eight of them are former winners. A lot of eyes are on one returning driver who has the chance of making history: Hélio Castroneves. Castroneves could become the first driver ever to win the race five times. His fourth victory last year was a feat that just three other drivers have been able to accomplish.
The race itself is 500 miles long and Indy cars don’t use regular gas, they use E-85, which is currently about $3.31 a gallon. With each car using 125 gallons to complete the race, that brings the total cost of gas for the race to almost $14,000.
Once all that gas is used, one winner will emerge ready to claim his portion of the $10 million prize. The winning car will receive about 20% of the purse. The rest is distributed among the 32 drivers who remain. Bonuses for pole position and the number of laps led also have an impact on how much each car wins.
In 2019 the Penske Racing Team and Castroneves took home the biggest paycheck in Indy 500 history, more than $3 million.
