Alexander Rossi Makes The Magic At Indy

Alexander Rossi celebrates his victory in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. [Andy Clary Photo]

by Allan Brewer

The surprise is genuine.

So are the tears that for a moment distract him from what he has just done.

A rookie, an American, a long-shot by anyone’s estimate pre-race, won the one hundredth Indianapolis 500 today….running to the finish on fumes, being towed at speed by his teammates at Andretti Motorsport Townsend Bell and previous Indy 500 champion Ryan Hunter Reay in order to make fuel and complete the race, and being told by his owner to put the clutch in and coast the final mile, which he did.

First time. First win.

First.

There has to be something magical about this victory for 25 year-old Alexander Rossi, of Nevada City, California.

On Thursday, Rossi timidly walked to the stage at the American Dairy Association Indiana’s annual rookie luncheon. He was so shy that he only spoke for a few seconds, then let host Vince Welch do the heavy verbal lifting. When the Dairy Princess Kylei Klein offered Alexander his wooden rookie plaque he looked like he would have rather taken Kylei in his arms than the trophy. He really wasn’t sure what to walk off with—the girl or the gilt.

Today, the same innocent bewilderment was on display again, only this time he knew the gold was his goal.

Rossi was a close but no cigar to be included in the Fast Nine last Sunday for the Indianapolis pole, but lost his spot in the last seconds of the Saturday qualifying session that determined the finalists. So he just put his head down, kept working, kept driving to an end that wasn’t clearly in sight.

“He listened to what we told him, he learned from his teammates,” said Michael Andretti afterwards.

I’ll say. As of early spring Alexander Rossi had never seen the huge racing complex and 2.5 mile oval at Indianapolis; had no idea (really) of what a big deal the race is to so many people, had never ever raced on an oval configuration track before. He spent the bulk of his career prior to today in Europe, driving with an aim to conquer Formula 1; but it wasn’t in the cards.

“I am still not sure what just happened,” Alexander said to the media…just after he said, “So many of you came today, I’ve never had this many before.”

So, did the one hundredth Indy 500 live up to its billing as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing?”

Of course it did; but, rather than a Hollywood tear-jerker, comeback epic starring James Hinchcliffe (who literally came back from the dead to take pole for this race) or a hanky-waving, final send-off to a favorite championship driver (Tony Kanaan, who is wildly popular here and is nearing the end of his career), it gave us a sneaky surprise ending in the utmost of suspenseful, last-gasp of breath in the marathon, mystery-man climaxes.

From the incredible vintage car lap that put one hundred years of winners and their cars on the track to open the racing day, to those final five laps when everyone who we thought would or could win pulled in for fuel one after another after another, the 100th Indianapolis 500 fulfilled its potential and more.

Rossi rightly gave owner Bryan Herta the praise for calling the fuel strategy that was just, just right and that included cruising around the oval with the clutch in for part of the way to the checkered flag. How lucky for Rossi that Herta has talked a driver home before, Dan Wheldon, through those final corners to claim the Borg-Warner trophy from behind.

Rossi also gave credit to teammates Bell and Hunter-Reay for giving him drafting tows around the oval lap after lap that let him save fuel and complete a “really stretching it” 36-lap stint over the race’s final 90 miles. “It was a team thing, really,” he said, shifting the limelight to his two primary helpers, whom had spoiled their own chances for a victory but were willingly party to Herta’s scheme to get his driver home first.

Alexander may be the model of the race car driver in an age that is about to embrace self-driven vehicles and electronic driver aids that diminish the driving art to near nil. He may be our first anti-driver: no pretense, false bravado, and macho-man theatrics. Just drive. Drive. Drive for 500 miles and win the biggest prize in racing….the very first time you try.

And when you do, you are allowed to bawl like a baby, because magic like this doesn’t come along every day.

Related Posts

• 
  Sebring 2024
• 
  Giuseppe Victorious
• 
  Car or Driver