Rookie Alexander Rossi wins the Indianapolis 500
At the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, it was a rookie who shocked the field at the historic event.
Alexander Rossi didn't go to pit road during the final ten laps of the race, and his gamble paid off for an incredible victory in his first Indy 500, and only his second career race on an oval.
Rounding out the top three were Carlos Munoz and Josef Newgarden, who both made late pit stops, which would have been perfect if only the race lasted one more lap - as Rossi ran out of fuel shortly after crossing the finish line.
"I have no idea how we pulled that off," Rossi said shortly after his stunning win. In five career starts in the IndyCar series entering Sunday, the California native had not finished higher than tenth.
The 24-year-old is the first rookie to win The Greatest Spectacle in Racing since Helio Castroneves - who finished the race in 11th position, falling short of a fourth Indy 500 win.
Rossi's victory also left team owner Mario Andretti in shock. His grandson Marco finished in 13th, as the Indy 500 drought continues for the Andretti family since Mario's win in 1969.
Maybe more pleased than Andretti is Rossi's sponsor - NAPA - who agreed to sponsor his car just ten days before the race, per ESPN's Darren Rovell.
Meanwhile, pole-sitter James Hinchcliffe had a strong race, finishing seventh, but most will be happy to see the Canadian finish the race healthy after his season-ending crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway one year ago.
The first half of the race was largely controlled by Hinchcliffe and Rossi's Andretti Motorsports teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Townsend Bell. The latter two looked to have the fastest cars on the day, but the pair couldn't recover after colliding into each other in pit lane during a caution in lap 117.
The most notable driver unable to finish Sunday's race was defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya - who crashed into the wall after losing control during lap 64, ending his day.
Final Results
Pos. | Driver |
---|---|
1 | Alexander Rossi |
2 | Carlos Munoz |
3 | Josef Newgarden |
4 | Tony Kanaan |
5 | Charlie Kimball |
6 | JR Hildebrand |
7 | James Hinchcliffe |
8 | Scott Dixon |
9 | Sebastien Bourdais |
10 | Will Power |
11 | Helio Castroneves |
12 | Oriol Servia |
13 | Marco Andretti |
14 | Graham Rahal |
15 | Max Chilton |
16 | Jack Hawksworth |
17 | Alex Tagliani |
18 | Pippa Mann |
19 | Simon Pagenaud |
20 | Gabby Chaves |
21 | Townsend Bell |
22 | Matt Brabham |
23 | Bryan Clauson |
24 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
25 | Spencer Pigot |
26 | Takuma Sato |
27 | Mikhail Aleshin |
28 | Stefan Wilson |
29 | Conor Daly |
30 | Buddy Lazier |
31 | Ed Carpenter |
32 | Sage Karam |
33 | Juan Pablo Montoya |