Rossi looks forward to full capacity again at Indianapolis 500
SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — Opening car testing for the Indianapolis 500 started Wednesday and will continue Thursday, and drivers got a feel for what they want in their cars during the month of May.
Alexander Rossi says he’s excited to be at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he’s counting on his fans to help lead him to win.
“For me, we’re going on six years since we were able to win in 2016, so every year that goes by, that desire and that passion to win again kind of exponentially increases,” Rossi said. “For Andretti Autosport as a whole, the last time that we won this race is 2017 and so a lot of effort has gone in the off-season as most teams do. You know, they put a lot of focus and time and resources into making these speedway cars the best that they can be, and really today and tomorrow is going to be the first indication of how we stack up against the competition.”
Rossi in 2016 was the first American rookie to win at Indianapolis since 1928, taking the checkered flag in front of nearly 300,000 people at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Rossi says he’s excited about the speedway returning to full capacity. The 2020 race was run without fans, and the 2021 race had a limited audience.
“You know, when you you fill this place with 300-plus-thousand people, you know, it’s the largest single-day sporting event in the world, and it’s unlike anything else, so for us it’s kind of become used to that and then come here in 2020 and do it with no one I think it changed everyone’s appreciation for what the fans bring to this event and how essential they are to making this race what it is,” Rossi said.
He’s not only depending on his fans, but also his team at Andretti Autosport.
“Everything has to be optimized in order to be successful. It takes a village. Andretti Autosport is 100-plus employees to run five cars for the 500, and every one of those people are going to have to be on their A game,” Rossi said.
This year’s Indianapolis 500 will be May 29.