“I’ll keep on checking”: When Alex Palou addressed the whereabouts of his $500K prize money

Alex Palou was interviewed after the 2024 $1 million challenge at the Thermal Club in California, which was uploaded to the David Land YouTube channel on April 10, 2024.

The Spaniard was asked about his plans for spending the prize money and Palou cheekily replied that he hadn't received it yet.

“What you do with that half a million?,” asked the reporter.

Alex Palou replied:

“I haven't got it yet. So, yes. Everybody keeps on asking and I'm like, well, I haven't received that yet. So, yeah, I'll keep on checking on the account.”

The 2024 IndyCar $1 million challenge took place on March 24, 2024, and Alex Palou won. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver won the second heat and set the fastest lap time in both heats, starting on pole for the All-Star race and taking the win.

The $1 million challenge is a feature race of the IndyCar season, and the race weekend doesn't count towards the IndyCar championship. The race takes place at the Thermal Club, a private property that includes a track spread over 490 acres.

The total purse for the race at the Thermal Club was $1.765 million, which was distributed among the entries depending on the finishing position. The winner of the race got $500,000, which was the amount Alex Palou received. The second and third-place finishers got $350,000 and $250,000 respectively.

The fourth and fifth-placed finishers respectively got $100,000 and $50,000, while others from the sixth place onwards received a prize money of $23,000. For the 2025 IndyCar season, the race at the Thermal Club has been scheduled as a championship race, with points being allotted towards the championship.

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“Make fun of Dario”: Alex Palou details Franchitti as motivation for the 2025 IndyCar season

Alex Palou drives for Chip Ganassi Racing and has won three championships with them (2021, 2023 and 2024).

However, the Spaniard has never won on an oval track despite having had 81 IndyCar races. Palou aims to equal Dario Franchitti’s record of four IndyCar championships in 2025 as he said (via motorsport)

“I’ll try and win the Indy 500 next year and the championship and tie with Dario and be like, ‘Hey, I’ve done it as well’. So, that’s the next goal. I’m not thinking about anything else than that just to be able to make fun of Dario; that’s the goal.”

Indycar Series Test - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Palou continues to pursue his dream of winning the Indy 500 and suggested in the Motorsport interview how he felt that the job wasn't complete, as he hasn't won the greatest spectacle in racing yet.