As of 2008, the Indycar Series decided to only award race earnings to race teams based upon their finish in the Indy 500. Teams that qualify for the Indy 500 as of 2009 earned no less than $275k regardless of whether or not they were full time race teams. As of 2008 they decided to grant teams that competed in the full schedule with no less than $1.2 million. Based upon contractual agreements drivers then get a percentage of that. I have heard that drivers getting 40% of winnings is a reasonably common figure though it varies and is likely to not be much more than that. On top of race winnings, I have also heard that there was a base salary of $200k though this was reported back in 1998. Sponsorship endorsement deals also often pay drivers some chunk of change (larger with drivers with more reputable sponsors). Bottom line: An Indycar driver that is reasonable will walk away with about a $1,000,000 paycheck for the season. This figure can vary widely too. Evidence of this is reported by Forbes with the claim that Danica Patrick earned $7,000,000 in 2009. The vast majority of that coming from sponsorship deals.
Here is a slightly dated link with some more insight on the issue.
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar_revenue_sharing_plan_set_for_2008/
Oxygen
Stands for Rookie.
The front of an Indy car is called the Nose.
Indy car
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The 3.5 liter engine of an Indy Racing League Series Indy car produces more than 675 horsepower.
Michael Andretti's Indy Car Challenge happened in 1994.
Michael Andretti's Indy Car Challenge was created in 1994-09.
no
Willie T. Ribs
When drivers always say they want more downforce in the turns, what they are asking for is maximum stickiness in the corners with minimum drag on the straights.
To cover the 500-mile distance in the race, the pilots will have to complete 200 laps on the 2.5-mile oval.