Alexander Rossi, center, celebrates with vehicle owner Michael Andretti, left, after winning the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 29, 2016.
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“I have no idea how we pulled that off”, said Rossi in victory lane.
Coming off a season-best third-place finish in the recent Grand Prix of Indianapolis, the 29-year-old Canadian secured the first pole of his Verizon IndyCar Series career in a thrilling Indy 500 qualifying session.
“I’m just so thankful for doing this on the 100th running”, Rossi said. Gaga gave Andretti and team owner Michael Andretti kisses on the cheek before the start of the race.
“This is unbelievable and I have no doubt it’s going to change my life”.
Rossi, a relief driver for Manor Racing in F1, came back to America this year to drive for Bryan Herta in a partnership with Andretti Autosport. Team co-owner and race strategist Bryan Herta asked his rookie driver Rossi to make an nearly impossible fuel mileage run that turned into a remarkable victory.
Watched by a sun-kissed sell-out crowd of close to 400,000, who helped pump an estimated $350 million into the local economy, and topped off by an American victor to highlight a Memorial Day holiday weekend, this year’s Indy 500 was by at all levels an unmitigated high-octane success.
Instead, Marco Andretti never contended on a day at least three of his teammates were among the best in the field. The first driver to win again after his debut win in 2001. Driving out of his pit stall, Bell made contact with Castroneves and hit Hunter-Reay.
NAPA has already extended through this weekend’s Detroit street race doubleheader on ABC, and Andretti thinks there’s a reasonable chance the logos will still don Rossi’s auto for the June 11 race at the Texas oval.
The rookie, whose winnings included $50,000 for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, coasted across the finish line on an empty fuel tank in his Andretti Herta Autosport-Honda, beating teammate and 2013 Rookie of the Year Carlos Munoz who earned $788,743 for his efforts. Each time a driver peeled off, Rossi inched forward, taking the lead with 4 laps to go.
The Canadian driver who spent the past year fighting back from the life-threatening leg injury, completed a remarkable comeback Sunday by posting a four-lap qualifying average of 230.760 miles per hour on the final run of the day to barely edge American Josef Newgarden for the pole.
A year after a near-fatal crash in practice for last year’s race. She sped down the raceway with legendary driver Mario Andretti during ceremonial laps before the 100th running of Indy 500. I just wish we had the opportunity to race those guys straight up at the end.
“I want to thank DW”, Herta said. It appeared no one could stretch their fuel mileage far enough to complete the race.
“For half a lap short of fuel.”, he said. “When I was in Formula One and Formula 3 even, all the way through”. Polesitter James Hinchcliffe, looking to complete the ultimate Indy comeback story after almost losing his life at the track one year ago, was forced to “settle” for seventh place after struggling for grip in the race’s late stages.
A rookie won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. He’d been in Monaco this time past year, unsure of what his future held. “I’m focused on (this weekend’s IndyCar race in) Detroit and still enjoying the fact that we won the Indy 500”.
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Herta chose to gamble with Rossi on fuel strategy, and it’s the only thing that made him a late contender.
