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INDY 500: Montoya earns $1.2 Million of record Indianapolis 500 purse

29 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
INDIANAPOLIS -- Juan Montoya earned $1,235,690 of an event-record purse for winning the 84th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Prize figures were announced during the races Victory Celebration Sunday night.

The total 2000 Indianapolis 500 purse was $9,476,505, beating the previous record of $9,047,150 set in the 1999 race. The purse is comprised of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing Northern Light Series awards, as well as other designated awards.

Montoya, from Bogota, Colombia, won over 32 other starters and led 167 of the 200 laps. His Target/Chip Ganassi Racing G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone crossed the yard of bricks 7.184 seconds ahead of Buddy Lazier. Montoya also was named Bank One Rookie of the Year for his finish.

Lazier, the 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion, earned $567,100 for his finish in the Delta Faucet/Coors Light/Tae-Bo/Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone entry. It was his second runner-up finish and his fifth top-10 finish in the last five years. His finish carried him to the top of the Indy Racing Northern Light Series season point standings.

Finishing third and fourth were two A.J. Foyt Racing entries, Eliseo Salazar and Jeff Ward, respectively. Salazar earned $468,900, and Ward won $355,000.

Eddie Cheever Jr., 1998 Indianapolis 500 champion, finished fifth, earning $360,000 in his #51 Excite@Home Indy Race Car Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone entry. Cheever was also announced as the winner of the 2000 Scott Brayton Drivers Trophy. His winnings included $25,000 and a crystal trophy from Tiffanys for best exemplifying the character and racing spirit of late driver Scott Brayton.

Sixth-place finisher Robby Gordon gained $214,355 while Jimmy Vasser, Montoyas teammate, won $207,505 for his seventh-place showing. Rounding out the top 10 were Stephan Gregoire, $305,900, eighth; Scott Goodyear, $347,800, ninth; and Scott Sharp, $312,000, 10th.

Pole sitter and early race leader Greg Ray earned $388,700 for his 33rd-place finish. His winnings were boosted by the $100,000 earned for the PPG Pole Award.

The 85th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 27, 2001.

Text provided by Paul Kelly

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