After 49 races without a win and as much bad luck as an NTT IndyCar Series driver could face across three seasons, Alexander Rossi returned to victory lane in the series driving away with a dominant win at the Indianapolis Road Course.
The Andretti Autosport driver took a sigh of relief, during his postrace interview at the Gallagher Grand Prix.
“It’s a relief, man,” Rossi told NBC. “It’s been so many things for so long. I do feel for Colton, I do. But thankfully something came our way. I do want to give a shoutout to Andretti Autosport and their continued belief.”
The win was Rossi’s fist victory in the series since June 23, 2019, where he won at Road America in the No. 27.
Rossi will be moving to Arrow McLaren SP in 2023, but still has four races remaining with his Andretti team.
There’s still four races to go – a lot of really good tracks for us,” Rossi said on the broadcast. “To kind of come back at Indianapolis – at home – is really amazing.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Christian Lundgaard earned his best result of his young IndyCar career Saturday, bringing home a P2 finish and securing the podium run for his team.
Graham Rahal finished P7 for RLL while Jack Harvey was mired in P20 in the results.
“It does for sure,” Lundgaard said on the broadcast. “I think at the end of the third stint, we were catching him. It feels like a birthday present. I think the result speaks for itself this weekend. Coming in, we knew we had a strong car.”
Team Penske’s Will Power brought home a podium finish as well, going P3-P4-P5 with his teammates.
It also brings the IndyCar points lead home for the driver of the No. 12 with four races to go.
“It was definitely a rough start,” Power said on NBC. “I got pushed around in turn one. I got pushed into Pato. Then Helio went for a big move and pushed me onto the curb. But (we had) a great recovery. You can never expect a normal day in IndyCar. Everyone’s very aggressive. It’s so hard to win in this series – the toughest series in the world.”
Power only has one win this season, but leads the series with a commanding seven podium finishes on the year.
The consistency has helped Power secure the top spot late in the season, chasing his second IndyCar championship.
“That was the goal from the very beginning – to play the long game, and we’ve been doing that. I know this game so well, and it can change every day, but we’re taking what we can.”
The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the track next weekend for the second edition of its event on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. The race can be seen on NBC and is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 7.
NTT IndyCar Series results
Gallagher Grand Prix
Indianapolis Road Course
Sat. July 30, 2022
1. Alexander Rossi
2. Christian Lundgaard
3. Will Power
4. Scott McLaughlin
5. Josef Newgarden
6. Rinus VeeKay
7. Graham Rahal
8. Scott Dixon
9. Felix Rosenqvist
10. Alex Palou
11. Marcus Ericsson
12. Pato O’Ward
13. David Malukas
14. Callum Ilott
15. Takuma Sato
16. Romain Grosjean
17. Conor Daly
18. Devlin DeFrancesco
19. Helio Castroneves
20. Jack Harvey
21. Dalton Kellett
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Kyle Kirkwood
24. Colton Herta
25. Simon Pagenaud
Updated IndyCar Standings
After 13 of 17 races
1. Will Power 431
2. Marcus Ericsson -9
3. Josef Newgarden -32
4. Scott Dixon -38
5. Pato O’Ward -46
6. Alex Palou -52
7. Scott McLaughlin -81
8. Alexander Rossi -113
9. Felix Rosenqvist -132
10. Colton Herta -146
11. Rinus VeeKay -149
12. Graham Rahal -157
13. Simon Pagenaud -169
14. Romain Grosjean -172
15. Christian Lundgaard -183
