Rossi on top of world after slowing to Indy 500 win

IndyCar Series driver Alexander Rossi celebrates after winning the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – USA TODAY Sports

Reuters: Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi literally coasted to victory at the Brickyard in the 100th running of the race on Sunday but his triumph was anything but worry free.

IndyCar series rookie Rossi won the fabled race after a bold tactical move to forgo refuelling to save time and in this individualist sport relied on help from his Andretti Autosport team mates to make it to the finish.

Rossi says he ran out of gas at Turn Four of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with about 440 yards (400 metres) left.

“I was just praying that there was nobody coming up behind me,” the 24-year-old Californian told Reuters on Tuesday. “It was the longest trip from Turn Four to the start/finish line.”

He had petered down to 130 miles per hour (209 km per hour) by the time he got the chequered flag, almost 100 mph (161 kph) slower than he should have been, but still crossed the line with more than four seconds to spare.

“I kept looking at the Yard of Bricks (marking the finish), looking at my rearview mirror, saying ‘Please, may nobody come and pass me.’

“When I finally got my car over the finishing line I looked to my right and it was ‘Yeah, we did it. Thank god’,” Rossi said from the Empire State Building Observation Deck on the 86th floor about the moment that he felt on top of the world.

Standing next to the giant silver Borg-Warner Trophy whose Art-Deco design looked at home in the iconic Manhattan skyscraper, Rossi praised his fellow Andretti team drivers.

“One of the ways we found most efficient to saving fuel was being in the draft of others,” said Rossi.

“So Townsend (Bell) helped me out quite a bit by towing me around for probably about 12 laps and Ryan (Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner) helped me at the end by towing me for four laps.

“It was a huge team effort from Andretti Autosport.”

Team mate Carlos Munoz finished second as Rossi’s No. 98 Honda finally came to rest short of the pit entrance.