Hunter-Reay takes $2.4m

Ryan Hunter-Reay Indianapolis - Arab Today Ryan Hunter-Reay received a winner's check for $2,491,194, a day after he captured the 98th Indianapolis 500 by the second-closest margin in the history of the US oval classic. The American driver on Sunday edged three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil by 0.0600 of a second after the two exchanged the lead four times in the final six laps of 200 around the famed 2 1/2-mile (4km) circuit Hunter-Reay took the largest chunk of a total purse of $14,231,760 after becoming the first US racer to win the Indy 500 since Sam Hornish in 2006. Hunter-Reay also seized the season series points lead by 274-234 over prior pace-setter Will Power of Australia entering two races this weekend at Detroit. The field of 33 drivers accepted prize money at a ceremony at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that also saw US stock car racer Kurt Busch claim the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award. Busch started 12th and finished sixth in his IndyCar debut, then became only the fourth driver to race at Indy and the Coca-Cola 600 stock car night event on the same day. An engine failure after just over 400 miles ended his evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway before he could complete all 1,100 possible miles. Hunter-Reay led the most laps after starting 19th, the lowest starting position for the greatest Indy 500 lap leader since 1975. Castroneves missed a chance to join Americans A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Snr and Rick Mears as the only four-time Indy 500 winners but took home $785,194 for his runner-up effort. Marco Andretti, Hunter-Reay's Andretti Autosport teammate, finished third and took $585,194. Colombia's Carlos Munoz, last year's Indianapolis 500 runner-up and Rookie of the Year, took $449,194 for finishing fourth while countryman Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Formula One racer who won his Indy 500 debut in 2000 but had not raced at Indy since, received $441,944. Pole sitter Ed Carpenter, who finished 27th after a crash ended his day on lap 176, received $463,694, including $100,000 for claiming the pole for the second year in a row. Source: AFP