Alexander Rossi has been given the all-clear to race in the Indianapolis 500 after a week of uncertainty following a practice crash.
Rossi, the 2016 race winner, injured his middle finger on his left hand and his right ankle in a crash during practice on Monday, May 18. The injuries required surgery. Ed Carpenter Racing officials were confident that Rossi would start from the No. 2 spot, a career best.
Rossi’s Recovery and Final Checks
Rossi expressed his gratitude to the team and doctors at IU Health. According to Rossi, it took a huge amount of things to go right and a great group of people he’s incredibly thankful for in order to get back into the process.
Rossi completed the final hurdle on Carb Day, giving his car a thumbs-up. He was 31st of 33 drivers with a fast lap of 222.291 mph in his backup car.
The goal was not speed, but to ensure the car worked and Rossi was comfortable with the pedals, using a specially designed brace and protective boot. Team members wanted to make sure he was comfortable working the pedals with his specially designed brace and protective boot after he cleared a litany of tests just to get cleared to drive. The last test went off without a hitch.
Carb Day Highlights
Josef Newgarden posted the fastest lap at 228.342 mph in traffic. Christian Rasmussen was second at 227.474 mph. Newgarden will start 23rd Sunday, while Rasmussen qualified 15th.
Pato O’Ward, who was swept up in the crash, also switched to a backup car and gave it good marks.
Marcus Ericsson triggered a yellow flag when he pulled into pit lane, suspecting a loose right rear wheel, but it turned out to be fine.
Other News From the Track
Crew members for Felix Rosenqvist repaired a broken part on his car, allowing him to return to the track before practice ended.
Katherine Legge, aiming to race the “double” – 1,100 miles of racing in one day – experienced communications trouble after a flight delay. Legge will start 26th in Indianapolis and will attempt to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 on Saturday.
Rain led to the cancellation of the annual pit-stop competition. New York Dog won the second Oscar Mayer Wienie 500.