Rossi’s Rotten Year Continues After Indy 500 Crash

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer

If 2020 couldn’t get any worse for former Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi, it just did as he crashed out of the 104th Indy 500 on Lap 144, finishing 27th.

Up until Lap 125, Rossi’s No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda was an absolute rocket, running towards the front pack and looked like it was going to be another strong Indy 500 outing. However, things changed once pit road was open because IndyCar reprimanded Rossi due to an unsafe pit release.

Rossi barely exited in front of Takuma Sato, but it was enough for the series to sent him to the rear of the field after running in second, drawing a huge ire on the Californian racer.

PENALTY for an unsafe release for @AlexanderRossi!

Last year's #Indy500 runner-up will try to charge through the field NOW on @NBC: https://t.co/THKlb49aWT pic.twitter.com/ha8dhLe1Bl

— Indy 500 on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) August 23, 2020

“I don’t even want to talk about the penalty right now because I’m going to have a long conversation with someone about that,” said Rossi. “Takuma was moving on restarts, doesn’t get a penalty. We’ll talk about it but I don’t have an opinion. Obviously, it’s frustrated but there’s two sides of that story.”

The patience level for Rossi was non-existent as he urged Max Chilton to get going as the race resumed on Lap 131. Not wasting time, Rossi was sailing his way through traffic which has become his trademark at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

OH MY GOODNESS, @AlexanderRossi!

JUST WATCH THIS. #Indy500 // @NBC // https://t.co/THKlb49aWT pic.twitter.com/BBrNW626je

— Indy 500 on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) August 23, 2020

However, the attempted rally was short lived as Rossi, who was running in 17th, lost control and slammed the wall coming to the backstretch. He was okay, but it’ll be the first time he’ll fail to finish an Indy 500 as his worst finish in four previous starts was seventh in 2017.

It's over for @AlexanderRossi.

Trying to race his way back to the front, he crashes out of the #Indy500 on @NBC: https://t.co/THKlb49aWT pic.twitter.com/MvINVIPrkO

— Indy 500 on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) August 23, 2020

“We were never planning on being that far back. I just lost it,” Rossi after his accident. “A lot of dirty air back there and it was tough in Turn 2 all day. Up front where we should’ve been, our car was awesome and thought we had a car to win.”