Takuma Sato’s historic Indianapolis 500 win has received universal praise, including from Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Fernando Alonso. Following the 500, drivers and teams celebrated, and all drivers walked away a little richer. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, walked away from a horrific crash on Sunday, the same can’t be said about his car. He’ll get a new one for Detroit.
These stories and more in the IndyCar Notebook as the IndyCar Series circus picks up and heads four and a half hours northeast to Detroit for back-to-back races, June 3-4.
Alonso wins the 2017 Indy 500 ROY
The annual Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration, allowed drivers, teams, and fans to cut loose a little before heading to Detroit for back-to-back races. The gala featured Alonso and other drivers congratulating Sato on his win. Alonso didn’t leave empty-handed, he was named the 2017 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year at the event. He also received the Fastest Rookie Award at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Spaniard’s valiant first time Indy effort, saw the rookie start from 5th and lead the race four times totaling 27 laps. Alonso’s Indy experience ended 20 laps premature when his Honda engine gave way on the front straightway.
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Drivers cash in on Indy prize money
The Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration is a time for joy, relaxation, reminiscing, and gifts. While Sato has the Borg-Warner trophy to keep company and Alonso walked away with the ROY, all 33 drivers will leave Indianapolis with a sizable payday. The $13.1 million plus prize purse was given out at the celebration, with race winner Sato taking home $2.45 million. Other drivers took at least $200,000, with several earning $200,305. Other notable amounts include, Dixon taking in $446,629, and Alonso with $305,805.
Alonso drinks milk too
In his last Indy 500 press conference before returning to Formula 1, Alonso ended it by thanking the media, before downing a kid-sized carton of milk. In the presser, the McLaren Honda Andretti driver addressed the race result, the Monaco Grand Prix, and other topics.
Twitter: Although @alo_oficial finished the #Indy500 P24, he couldn’t resist drinking milk as he finished his final news con… https://t.co/4GEjDhMQsn (@IndyCar)
Dixon will get a new car for Detroit
Dixon walked away from an early-race crash that saw him and his #9 Chip Ganassi Racing machine launched after contact with Jay Howard. Although the New Zealander was sporting crutches during the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration, he is expected to compete in Detroit. Although definitely not in the same car since during the crash it disintegrated leaving mostly the survival shell.
Now onto Detroit.
