Paddock Buzz: Alexander Rossi Cleared To Race Sunday

Alexander Rossi returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday for Indianapolis 500 Media Day.

The annual media availability featured drivers seated together on couches rather than the traditional podium setup.

“I spent a lot of time on couches the last few days, so I rate this one an eight out of 10,” Rossi joked.

Rossi (photo, top) was cleared to drive in the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Thursday afternoon after he crashed heavily into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier during Monday’s practice. His damaged car then sustained secondary contact when Pato O’Ward braked to avoid the incident and spun into Rossi in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Rossi suffered minor injuries to a finger on his left hand and his right ankle and underwent outpatient procedures Monday evening. By Thursday, the wraps and walking boot were gone as he confirmed he is ready to race in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet for ECR in Sunday’s 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by Only Bulls).

“I will have to be on crutches because it’s a non-weight-bearing injury,” Rossi said. “Fortunately, to drive a race car, you don’t have to bear weight. Range of motion is good. Pain is minimal. I’m good to go.”

Rossi, who starts second in the race, explained the evaluation process required for medical clearance to practice the car during Friday’s Miller Lite Carb Day two-hour final practice session (11 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

“I had to drive in a sim,” he said. “Get in and out of the car in an appropriate amount of time. I had to show that I could react quickly enough with my right foot in the race car with the pedal and my boot on. That was done over several increments and durations with all of the stuff that will be on me.

“As thorough as you can be without actually being on the racetrack.”

ECR prepared a backup car that’s the same chassis Rossi drove in last year’s Indianapolis 500. He climbed from 12th to lead 14 laps before his car caught fire during the second pit stop on Lap 73.

“This was truly going to be our race car until some other things shifted,” Rossi said. “This was built all offseason in preparation for this month to be my race car anyways.”

O’Ward Comfortable in Backup Car

O'Ward also moved to a backup car after Monday’s crash.

He remains confident in his race-winning chances because the chassis is the same one he drove to victories last season at Iowa Speedway and on the streets of Toronto.

“I think I've had a test here with it,” O’Ward said. “I don't have any worries about it. I know it's going to behave like it's supposed to.

“It’s a very good car. I really like this car. I don't know why they actually removed it from me.”

O’Ward starts sixth Sunday in his seventh Indianapolis 500 appearance. He finished runner-up in 2022 and 2024 and placed third last year.

“Every car is different,” O’Ward said. “Every car has its little differences to one another regardless of the setup being the same or not. There are differences.

“I've had a past with this car. I’m not worried. It's been a great car to me. It's been a great car for the team.”

Kirkwood Not Focused on Points; Newgarden Is

Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood each believe they have cars capable of charging through the field Sunday.

Newgarden, the Indianapolis 500 winner in 2023 and 2024, starts 23rd in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Kirkwood starts 25th in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda for Andretti Global.

Kirkwood (photo, above) enters Sunday second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings, 27 points behind championship leader and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou. Newgarden sits fifth, 75 points behind.

That deficit does not include the 12 bonus points Palou earned for winning the NTT P1 Award in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The top 12 qualifiers received points, with 12 awarded for first down to one for 12th.

Kirkwood said he is not focused on points this weekend because the Indianapolis 500 carries greater importance.

“Monday, we’ll focus on points,” Kirkwood said.

Newgarden, a two-time series champion in 2017 and 2019, expressed frustration about the missed points opportunity.

“I just hate losing out on the points,” Newgarden said. “That’s the toughest thing to me, that it’s 12 points up for grabs that we let wash away.”

Newgarden believes his car can contend for a third Indianapolis 500 victory despite the starting position. He charged from 32nd to sixth last year before retiring on Lap 135 with a fuel-pressure issue.

He won from 17th in 2023.

“I think we’re in a similar position that we’ve been in the last couple of years here,” Newgarden said. “We’ve got a great team, as always, we’ve got a good car underneath us, and I feel really positive about what we have. Race Day is its own thing. That’s when the car has got to be at its best.”

Kirkwood shares that confidence after opening the season with five top-five finishes in six races.

“As the year’s gone on, I actually feel a little less pressure,” Kirkwood said. “Every event I’ve gone to, I felt like we could win. That means something for the championship.”

Newgarden and Kirkwood finished 1-2 in the season’s lone oval race March 7 at Phoenix Raceway. Kirkwood said oval racing was a weakness for the team in prior seasons. Road courses also posed challenges, though Kirkwood finished fifth March 29 at Barber Motorsports Park.

“We know we can still get there,” he said. “You’ve just got to be perfect the whole race. I do feel confident we can still win this race from the position we’re in.”

Castroneves, Kirkwood Differ on Track Choosing Winners

Helio Castroneves said the 2003 Indianapolis 500 shaped his belief that Indianapolis Motor Speedway chooses its winners.

Castroneves won the 2001 and 2002 races in his first two “500” starts and nearly became the first driver to win three consecutive races. He started from pole, led 58 laps and finished second to teammate Gil de Ferran after traffic disrupted his momentum late in the race.

“I had flawless speed, driving with one hand, the other on the side like a Sunday drive,” Castroneves said. “Because of a scenario that happens with the back marker, I end up losing that opportunity. I couldn't pass him back again.

“I realized that you can have the fastest equipment, everything. The year before, I was a lap down, ended up being a lap down and took a gamble and won the race.

“That’s why I came up with that quote. It’s true. To this day, that’s exactly what I feel.”

Castroneves starts 14th in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian.

Kirkwood does not fully agree with that perspective.

“There is some truth to that, but at the same time, I believe in making your own luck, too,” Kirkwood said. “Guys make their own luck in some way, shape or form. You've got to do all the things right, and then I think it chooses you.”

Harvey Enjoying Every Moment

Jack Harvey transitioned from the driver’s seat to pit reporting for FOX Sports’ INDYCAR broadcasts during the past two years.

Harvey had no broadcasting experience before joining the network last year, but he never abandoned his driving ambitions. He competed in each of the past two Indianapolis 500s in the No. 24 DRR INVST Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

That perspective has made Harvey determined to enjoy every aspect of May before Sunday’s race.

“It’s the biggest race in the world and the only one I’m scheduled to do,” Harvey said. “I actually don’t mind all the media stuff. Every sponsor event, every media event, every interview, I’ve been milking this month for as long as I can.”

Harvey starts 33rd Sunday, marking the third time in his past four Indianapolis 500 starts that he has lined up on the last row. He climbed from 32nd to finish 24th in 2022 and from 32nd to 18th in 2023, both with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He started 26th and finished 19th last year.

Sting Ray Robb joins Harvey on the last row, starting 31st in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger-Goodheart Chevrolet, the same spot he started in his 2023 rookie season. Rookie Caio Collet will start between them (32nd) in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazona Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing.

The trio will attend the 54th annual Last Row Party on Thursday night at the Dallara IndyCar Factory in downtown Speedway, Indiana.

“Unfortunately for Jack, the last time I was at a Last Row Party, it was together,” Robb said. “We’ve got to agree not to do this again.”

“I don’t know if I’m the problem or you’re the problem,” Harvey said.

Abel Focused on Procedures

Jacob Abel was the lone driver bumped from last year’s Indianapolis 500 field. He returned this year with family-owned Abel Motorsports for his rookie “500” start.

The team last competed in the race in 2023 with R.C. Enerson, who started 28th and finished 32nd.

Abel Motorsports has focused on INDY NXT by Firestone competition since 2022 and fields four cars this season.

The organization expanded into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the Indianapolis 500 only. Abel (photo, above) starts 30th in the No. 51 Abel Construction Company Chevrolet.

He said Friday’s Miller Lite Carb Day practice session will be critical for race procedures.

“For us, it’s working together on pit stops, strategy and things like that,” Abel said.

Abel also said he still needs more experience in traffic and on pit lane entry.

“The pit lane entry here is unlike anything else,” he said. “The braking and all of that is really tricky. Trying to maximize that and working up to it as much as possible is important.”

Artemis II Astronaut To Attend Race Weekend

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will attend race weekend as an honored guest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hansen served as a mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission last month. The 10-day mission marked the first human trip into the vicinity of the moon in 54 years.

Hansen will participate in several events during race weekend, including Carb Day, the 500 Festival Parade and Sunday’s race. He also will walk the red carpet on race morning and participate in media interviews.

Odds and Ends

• Pole sitter Alex Palou received few questions during his media availability because the press conference format grouped drivers by row. Palou shared the front row with Rossi, who drew most of the attention during the allotted session.

• The IMS sign shop and facilities team completed all 33 pit-lane driver and team stencils, allowing Work United from United Rentals to install each in a record 21 minutes Thursday.

• Scott Dixon has led a race-record 677 laps in 23 starts. However, he has one Indianapolis 500 victory, coming in 2008. “I think it shows I'm pretty crap at leading the right lap,” Dixon said. He starts 10th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

• Kyffin Simpson said he studies Palou’s data to understand what makes the two-time series champion successful. Simpson joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2024 and has watched Palou win both championships and 15 of 40 races. “Man, it's annoying sometimes, honestly,” Simpson said. “You look at his data, seeing it from up close, it's frustrating sometimes. It's nice to learn from.”

• O’Ward said his new car has a name, but he plans to reveal it only if he wins Sunday’s race. “If I win the race, I’ll share her name,” he said.

• The Borg-Wiener Trophy (photo, above) debuted Thursday and will be awarded at Friday’s Wienie 500 airing at 2 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. Covered with a polished metal casing, the trophy stands 2 feet, 3 inches tall -- the equivalent of five hot dogs -- and features 55 miniature Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles. By comparison, the Borg-Warner Trophy stands 5 feet, 9¾ inches tall and features the likeness of each Indianapolis 500 winner.