Rossi Bounces Back for Top-Five Finish in Nashville
Alexander Rossi turned lemons into lemonade after a poor qualifying session turned into another top-five finish at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
During qualifying group one, two red flags stopped Rossi from turning more than a single lap. The lap relegated him to a 17th-place starting position. From 17th, Rossi used each of the seven cautions to his advantage. He maneuvered the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS / AutoNation Honda further up the field, even double-stinting his Firestone tires on the bumpy track to gain position. The checkered flag was the only thing that stopped Rossi from finding another podium.
“I mean, this place is pretty wild,” Rossi said. “A huge thanks to the NAPA and AutoNation Andretti team. We were a lap down early and hung in there. We came back for a pretty good race. We had a good pace for points in the race; we made a set of Firestone Primaries go 30 to 35 laps. After the issue in qualifying yesterday and then the issue at the start of the race, I mean, this is as good as a win, so a huge thank you to the team. We’ll take this one.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Andretti Autosport next take on the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is the final oval race of the season and takes place under the stars and lights of the St. Louis facility. The race goes green at 6 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 20. The broadcast will air on USA, NBC’s Peacock, Sirius XM and INDYCAR Radio.
Start / Finish: 17 / 4
Points Earned: 32
Points Standing / Total: 8/ 330
Next Race: Saturday, August 20, World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL
How to Watch or Listen: NBC, Sirius XM and INDYCAR RADIO
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti
Andretti Autosport View All
Andretti Autosport, led by racing legend Michael Andretti, boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success.
Under the banners of Andretti Autosport and Avalanche Andretti Formula E, the Indianapolis-based team fields multiple entries across the INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights, the FIA Formula E World Championship and the IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 division. The team also competes as Walkinshaw Andretti United in the Australian Supercars category through partnership with Walkinshaw Racing and United Autosports additionally the team fields an entry in the Extreme E championship via Andretti United Extreme E.
The global racing enterprise boasts four INDYCAR SERIES championships, five Indy Light titles, one Pro Mazda championship, a Silver Class GT4 Championship and has captured victory five times at the famed Indianapolis 500. The team also holds two X Games Gold Medals and five U.S. rallycross championships.