Felix Rosenqvist crossed the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday ahead of David Malukas by just 0.0233 seconds, the tightest winning margin the race has ever produced in its long history. The Meyer Shank Racing driver made a bold outside pass in the final stretch to steal a win that looked like it was heading to Malukas and Team Penske.
It was only his second career IndyCar victory in 120 starts, and it came not long after he became a father for the first time. He joins Kenny Brack and Marcus Ericsson as the only Swedish drivers to have won at Indianapolis.
Malukas settled for second, with his Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin rounding out the podium in third.
Now the money question
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has not published the official prize breakdown yet. That usually comes out within a day or two after the race wraps up. But based on where the total purse appears to be heading, Rosenqvist is set to pocket a life-changing sum.
The 2026 purse is estimated to land somewhere between $20.5 million and $22 million across all competitors. That would beat the $20.283 million record that was set just last year. Winners typically take the largest individual slice of that pot, and if the projections hold, Rosenqvist could personally earn somewhere in the range of $3.8 million to $4.2 million.
What past winners took home
Last year, Alex Palou won the race and received $3,833,500. For context, David Malukas finished second in that same 2025 race and earned $667,300, while third place finisher Pato O’Ward collected $951,000.
That means Rosenqvist, if the estimates are correct, would earn more than Palou did for winning last year. It would be by far the largest single payday of his career.
Still waiting on the official number
Until IndyCar releases the confirmed figures, the exact amount remains an estimate. What is not in doubt is that Sunday’s win, pulled off in extraordinary fashion on the final stretch of the final lap, has set Rosenqvist up for the biggest financial reward of his racing life.