INDIANAPOLIS -- Dan Wheldon received $2,567,255 Monday night for winning the Indianapolis 500.

Wheldon won in dramatic fashion when leader JR Hildebrand crashed in turn four on the final lap.

Wheldon, who started sixth, became just the 18th driver to win the race at least twice. He also triumphed in 2005 on his way to a series championship.

Wheldon has six top-four finishes in nine career Indianapolis 500 starts, including second, second and first in the last three years, respectively.

Hildebrand, a rookie, won $1,064,895 for his second-place finish. The total purse was $13,509,485.

The checks were handed out Monday at the Indianapolis 500 victory celebration.

Wheldon is contemplating his racing future. With no ride lined up for IndyCar's next two stops -- Texas and Milwaukee -- or any other venue this year, his season could be one and done.

"I'm unemployed," Wheldon said during his day-after victory tour. "I'm sure Bryan will do everything he can to keep me in a race car, but Bryan is an astute businessman, too."

In racing parlance, that means no sponsorship money, no ride. For the moment, Wheldon has neither, and the sour economy isn't helping.

His contract with Bryan Herta Autosport expired at midnight, hours after a stunning victory gave the team a win in only its second Indy start. It was Wheldon's first win since 2008, and there's no guarantee Herta or Wheldon will compete again on the IndyCar circuit this season.

Herta's game plan was to run one race, Indy, then build its way into a full-time IndyCar team in 2012, a route he might still take. But Wheldon's win has changed things a bit.

Herta said Monday that he's already fielding some inquiries from businesses interested in working with the winning team and winning driver from Sunday's centennial anniversary race.

"I think there could be some opportunities created for us to continue," Herta said. "I'm sure that Dan will get some opportunities, and my hope is we'll be able to work together later this year."

Wheldon almost certainly would accept Herta's deal.

Yes, he had chances to sign contracts for more races with other teams, yet he chose Herta's one-off deal because he thought it was the best equipped to compete.

Herta's team, Wheldon said, gave him confidence the No. 98 car could win, and Herta's team was willing to listen when Wheldon questioned the numbers his engineer wanted to use for setting up the car on race day. On Saturday, the engineer called Wheldon back to thank him for pointing out the flaw in the calculation, which might have been the difference between winning and losing this year's 500.

To Wheldon, it seemed like a throwback to 2005, the year he dominated IndyCars with six wins and 12 top-fives in 16 starts and easily won the points title as well as the 500.

"I felt like the old Dan was back, the confident, bubbly Dan," Wheldon said. "That's why I do this."

Now everyone's trying to figure out where Wheldon will land next.

He said he would consider running in October's Gold Coast 600, a V8 Supercar road race in Australia, though he doesn't yet have a ride. He would like to compete in more IndyCar races, too, if he can hook up with the right team.

And those kinds of offers aren't always easy for 32-year-old drivers to find.

"I'm pretty sure no Formula One team is going to look at me because I'm getting a little older," Wheldon said. "Honestly, I have to evaluate all of my options now because I don't have a contract and I still feel like I've got some left in me."