NSSN Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – Scott Dixon picked a great year to win the Indianapolis 500.
By winning Sunday’s 92nd Indy 500, Dixon earned a record $2,988,065 from a record overall purse of $14,406,580 at Monday night’s Victory Awards Celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The previous record winner’s purse was $1,761,740 awarded to Buddy Rice in 2004, while the 2007 Indianapolis 500 field was awarded the previous record race purse, $10,668,815.
The record winner’s share restored the Indy 500 as the richest race in the world. By comparison, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman collected $1,506,045 for winning the Daytona 500 back in February. Chrysler chairman Robert Nardelli offered a $1 million bonus to any Dodge team that won the Daytona 500, but that money is not part of the official purse.
When asked about his record payout on Monday morning after posing with the BorgWarner Trophy and his winning race car at the “Yard of Bricks” at the start finish line of the Speedway, the 27-year-old driver from Auckland, New Zealand smiled.
“I don’t know what the check is going be tonight, but I heard it is pretty big, so I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Dixon said.
The event purse is comprised of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League awards, including the new IndyCar TEAM (Team Enhancement and Allocation Matrix) program, sponsor awards and other designated awards.
Dixon, a first-time “500” winner, became the first native of New Zealand to win the Indianapolis 500. Dixon now lives in Indianapolis and started the race from the pole position.
He led seven times for a race-high 115 laps and beat Panther Racing’s Vitor Meira to the finish line by 1.7498 seconds.
Meira’s efforts for the second-place finish in the earned him $1,273,215, the first time anyone other than the Indianapolis winner has won more than $1 million, far exceeding the previous second-place record payout of $739,665 for Helio Castroneves in 2003.
Marco Andretti finished third – his second top-three Indy finish in three years – and earned $782,065. Two-time Indy 500 champion Castroneves crossed the finish line in fourth place, earning $482,815, and Ed Carpenter earned $399,665 with his Indy career-best finish of fifth.
Ryan Hunter-Reay was awarded the prestigious Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year Award and its $25,000 bonus. Hunter-Reay finished sixth after starting 20th. He climbed into the top 10 by Lap 80 and stayed there the rest of the race.
“This year I think means a lot more to the rookie, Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year battle than in a bunch of years, maybe 12 years,” Hunter-Reay said. “here has been some great drivers come through the rookies, but it's been very slim in the past year.  
“This is 11 drivers, a very talented field. Man, this is a great field to be on top of. I drove my heart out all day, and the team, we made the car better and better. Hideki Mutoh kept blocking me there at the end, and I had the fire in my eyes to get bring him. I wasn't going to let the race finish with that kid in front of me, that's for sure.”
At the Victory Celebration, Meira received the Scott Brayton Driver’s Trophy, presented since 1997 to the driver who best exemplifies the character and racing spirit of the late Scott Brayton.