Rookie Alexander Rossi rallied to win the 100th Running of Indianapolis 500.
Rossi is the first rookie to win the 500 since Helio Castroneves in 2001.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MAY 29: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 Andretti Herta Autosport Napa Dallara Honda celebrates in victory circle after winning the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 29, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
“I have no idea how we pulled that off,” said Rossi.
The rookie started in the 11th spot and steadily made his way to the front during the action-packed race. He even ran the last 36 laps without a pit stop, which is about four laps past the fuel window for Honda engines.
Carlos Munoz finished second, giving Andretti Autosport a 1-2 finish. Josef Newgarden was third, Tony Kanaan fourth and Charlie Kimball fifth.
There were several crashes throughout the day that caused officials to issue yellow flags.
Defending Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya was the first, crashing in lap 64 and ruining his hopes to win back-to-back years.
Sage Karam was the second. He crashed into a wall in turn one. The race was stalled while crews cleaned the track of debris.
Andretti teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Townsend Bell crashed into each other while exiting pit road during lap 120.
Below are the unofficial final results:
- Alexander Rossi
- Carlos Munoz
- Josef Newgarden
- Tony Kanaan
- Charlie Kimball
- J.R. Hildebrand
- James Hinchcliffe
- Scott Dixon
- Sebastien Bourdais
- Will Power
- Helio Castroneves
- Oriol Servia
- Marco Andretti
- Graham Rahal
- Max Chilton
- Jack Hawksworth
- Alex Tagliani
- Pippa Mann
- Simon Pagenaud
- Gabby Chaves
- Townsend Bell
- Matthew Brabham
- Bryan Clauson
- Ryan Hunter-Reay
- Spencer Pigot
- Takuma Sato
- Mikhail Aleshin
- Stefan Wilson
- Conor Daly
- Buddy Lazier
- Ed Carpenter
- Sage Karam
- Juan Pablo Montoya
