500 Flashback: Rookie Rossi Pulls Off Stunning Indianapolis Win

By Susan Wade

Michael Andretti and his famous family had tried for three generations to shake their Indianapolis Motor Speedway jinx.

Ironically, he got a measure of satisfaction Sunday when 24-year-old rookie Alexander Rossi – who never had seen the iconic racetrack until Easter Sunday, in March – won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Running on fumes and prayer, Rossi mastered the 100th running of the Memorial Day classic in the No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/ Curb Honda for Andretti Autosport before an estimated crowd of about 400,000.

The California-reared Rossi became the first rookie since three-time winner Helio Castroneves in 2001 and the 10th rookie overall to win this race.

And Rossi, whose plan to pursue driving glory in Formula One took a dramatic detour this past offseason, did it all in extraordinary fashion. He ran out of Sunoco E85R fuel after taking the checkered flag and needed a tow around the track to Victory Lane, where he sat in the car, overcome with emotion.

“I have no idea how we pulled that off,” he said after dousing himself with the traditional milk, the 500 Festival queen’s puckered lipstick image still tattooed on his cheek. “At one point, we were 33rd [last], and we rolled the dice. I’m so thankful. I’m so blessed to be here.”

Rossi’s victory salvaged what his team owner thought was another ill-fated attempt here.

“The start of the race looked really good. Ryan [Hunter-Reay] and Townsend [Bell] were running really good up front. We thought that they were going to be the guys to beat at the end. Unfortunately, they had their problem there in the pits. I could not believe it,” Andretti said.

What made him roll his eyes as he flashed back to that Lap 117 mishap was a pit-exiting chain-reaction crash that also involved Team Penske headliner Helio Castroneves. Bell pulled out of his stall and ricocheted off Castroneves, who was traveling down the outside pit wall. That spun Bell into Hunter-Reay, cutting in front of him and sending both Andretti cars sliding back into their own pit wall.

All three remained in the race until the finish. But that snuffed out the torrid battle that Hunter-Reay was waging, first against pole-sitter James Hinchcliffe and later Bell. The two Andretti drivers had combined to lead 64 early laps. The collision – which Bell characterized as “three cars in two spaces” – dismayed Andretti, whose family’s star-crossed history at Indianapolis has become as legendary as they have.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it when I saw the take each other out – couldn’t believe it. At that point, I thought our day might be over for a shot at winning. But then all of a sudden, Carlos and Alex were coming up through and I thought, ‘Eh – maybe we still have a shot at it,” Andretti said. “After that last pit stop and I knew Alex was going to try it . . . we had two cars that had a shot at winning with two different [fuel] strategies.”

It paid off for Rossi, while Munoz settled for second place. Munoz, forced to pit for fuel on Lap 196 of 200, handed the lead to Rossi. That extended to six straight Indianapolis 500s that the winner has taken the lead for the final time with four or fewer laps to go.

That left Munoz scratching his head but Andretti counting his blessings.

“I knew I didn’t have enough fuel. I don’t know how my teammate did it without stopping,” two-time runner-up Munoz said, vowing to “look and see what he did.”

Andretti, who has felt plenty of heartbreak of his own, said, “To come home 1-2 is just incredible. My hat’s off to [race team partner] Bryan Herta. He was the strategist there.”  

Rossi said he “was sputtering out of [Turn] 4, for sure.” He said Herta was urging him through the radio during hat last lap to “pull the clutch in and coast.” Rossi responded, “What?! . . . OK.”

Said Herta, “I can’t overstate how hard it was for Alex to do what I was asking him to do on the radio: to drive a fuel number that was almost impossible but still keep pace and keep track position. We had a few debates about it, but he kept pushing. He kept digging. He did exactly what we asked him to do.”

Nevertheless, Rossi said he believed as early as Lap 5 that he could win Sunday, despite what he called “a bit of a conservative start.” He said, “I was able to overtake cars. I was overtaking big cars. I knew if that was the case, we definitely had the opportunity to go forward. There was a couple of setbacks we had, pit stops that put us back. Every time we fell back, we were able to come forward. I knew we were strong. The pace was there.”

Still, he conceded that “the emotional roller coaster of this race is ridiculous” and said he alternated between being “stoked” and “heartbroken.” He joked, “I need to see a psychiatrist after this.”

Rossi said Herta has “a calming demeanor on the radio” and encouraged him to exercise patience. Brian kept reminding me the way we were going to win this race was by hitting the fuel number. It was very difficult because at the time I had cars in front of me that I knew were quicker. It was very hard  . . . to look at the big picture. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without Bryan on the radio, offering the support and wisdom that I needed.

“The spotters were fantastic. I knew everything that was going on. I focused on my job: making sure the car was in the right spot all the time,” he said, describing the car as “unbelievable to drive.” He said, “I didn’t have to think about balance issues or inconsistencies. It’s a testament to all the people in the background.”

As Andretti and Herta both well know, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is more than bricks and beams and metal and asphalt. For many, it has taken on a menacing, defiant personality, like some heartless bully daring a driver to succeed. Rossi called the entire IndyCar Series “a whole different can of worms than anything I’ve been a part of. It’s incredibly competitive. You have to be perfect all three days [two qualifiers and race day].” Daunting, yes, it is, but the place isn’t impossible to solve. Rossi qualified in the middle of Row 4, 11th on the 33-car grid.

“There’s a lot that goes on that people don’t really see. It’s incredibly challenging, the championship,” Rossi said. “From the first race in St. Pete, I felt immediately at home in this [series]. It’s been a new experience for me. It’s been a new experience for the merger of Bryan Herta Autosport and Andretti Autosport. . . . Now this – it’s phenomenal. There’s a lot that I have learned. I have a lot to learn still. I need to continue working hard to carry that forward.”

He said that new and awestriking label of “Indianapolis 500 Winner” is “a huge honor and privilege, something I’m going to carry with a great sense of responsibility. We need to push this forward. It was an incredible event for the 100th running of the Indy 500. We need to do everything in our power to continue the momentum, make it even bigger next year.”

Rossi doubles as the reserve driver for F1’s Manor Racing but said he said, “I can certainly say I’m not in  Grand Prix car anytime soon. I’m a reserve driver. I sit around and pretend to look important. There is no driving involved [except] I drive to the track in a rental car.”

His dream since he was 10 years old was to excel in Formula One, and for that he moved from Nevada City, Calif., to Europe at age 16. He won a test with BMW Sauber after winning the 2008 Formula BMW World Finals. He became involved with Team Lotus as a development driver. Then in 2014, he hooked on with an F1 team.

He had spoken with Andretti – who called Rossi “our hot, young American prospect in F1” – early last year about a possible deal then. But an offer to race in GP2 competition lured him back to Europe. He raced GP2 and got to race in five Formula One races, in Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Texas. Rossi also has driving experience at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well. But, he said, “things didn’t go quite according to plan for 2016 in Europe. Thigs worked out incredibly well for me to come here.”

Speaking from experience, Andretti told him, “When you come over here, you’re going to really enjoy the racing. Over there, it’s a lot more politics and it’s just not as fun. Over here, it’s all about racing, and it’s fun if you’re a driver. I think he sees what I was talking about now.”  

He acknowledged that it’s “no secret” that this series is not where he had expected to be racing. However, Rossi said, “I’m ecstatic to be here.”

As he took his easiest ride of the day around the two-and-a-half-mile oval, in the pace car with his team owners for a victory cruise, Rossi told the fans, “Thank you for coming and sticking around. And thank you for being part of this moment. It’s more than words can express. I’m so blessed to be here.”

Rossi, who maintains residences in Indianapolis and the Kingston section of London, will be the 70th racer to have his likeness embossed on the Borg-Warner Trophy.

In another touch of irony, Rossi followed an historical pattern with his timing. Ray Harroun, the first Indianapolis 500 winner in 1911, was, of course, a rookie. And in 1966, rookie Graham Hill won the 50th edition. Other rookie winners were Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927), Louis Meyer (1928), and 2015 king Juan Pablo Montoya (2000).

Rossi’s 14 lead laps were second-fewest by a rookie winner. Hill led just 10.

Andretti said he wasn’t even a little bit jealous of Rossi for the ease with which he sailed to victory.

“No, I was happy for him,” Andretti said. “In my driving career, it just wasn’t meant to be. We led a lot of laps here, but we never led the right one. No, I was just so happy for our team, not jealous at all. Just proud to have these guys, proud to be a part of it with all of them. This is absolutely a team effort, all five cars.”

Bell ended up 21st, Hunter-Reay 24th, and Michael Andretti’s son, Marco Andretti 13th.  

Tennessean Josef Newgarden was third, Brazilian Tony Kanaan fourth, and California natives Charlie Kimball and J.R. Hildebrand were fifth and sixth, respectively.

This article appeared originally on Competition Plus.com.