Indy 500: Rookie Alexander Rossi wins 100th running – USA TODAY

Alexander Rossi celebrates after winning the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)

INDIANAPOLIS — Running on fumes on the final laps of the race, rookie Alexander Rossi ran out of fuel coming out of Turn 4 — and still managed to win the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Rossi, a 24-year-old native of California, coasted to the line ahead of Carlos Munoz, Josef Newgarden and Tony Kanaan as late-race fuel strategy led to a wild and tense finish.

A year ago, he was watching this race from Monaco.

WINNER: From Formula 1 to Indy, Rossi scores life-changing accomplishment

It was perhaps one of the more unlikely Indy 500 victories, as Rossi has almost no experience in racing on oval tracks after spending several years pursuing a career in Formula One. Rossi couldn’t quite believe it himself.

“I have no idea how we pulled that off,” he said, in a television interview immediately after the race.

Rossi thanked his Andretti Autosport team, which gave him a ride in IndyCar this year.

“At one point, we were 33rd,” Rossi said. “And we rolled the dice and we came through and made it happen. And this is just phenomenal. I had no idea I’d be in IndyCar, I had no idea I’d be in the Indy 500 and now I’m here, we’ve won and I’m at a loss for words. It will change my life for sure.”

Move of the race: Teams got nervous that they didn’t have enough fuel to finish the race in the closing laps, so several top contenders made stops for a quick splash of fuel in the last 10 laps. But Rossi stayed out, and the gamble paid off — just barely.

Juan gone: Defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya crashed on lap 64 when his car’s back end broke loose in Turn 2, sending him into the outside wall. Montoya was uninjured but his car was too damaged to continue. That ended his bid for a third Indy 500 win, after winning last year and in 2000.

Helio hit: Helio Castroneves was among the main contenders going into the final quarter of the race, but he sustained damage to the left rear bodywork of his car and had to make an extra pit stop to replace the rear wing assembly.

Pit problem: Two top contenders collided in the pits during a caution flag shortly after the race’s halfway point. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Townsend Bell were pulling out of their pit stalls at the same time when Bell bumped into Helio Castroneves, who was in the outside lane, then pinballed into Hunter-Reay. Both cars stalled  on pit lane, and fell outside the top 20 once they restarted.

It wasn’t the only issue on pit lane during Sunday’s race. Will Power was penalized after making contact with Tony Kanaan’s car during an early stop.

Sage setback: Sage Karam started 23rd and had worked his way into the top 10 when he drifted high in Turn 1 and hit the wall on lap 94. It was a tough break for Karam, who is trying to work his way back into a full-time ride in IndyCar. A crew had to make brief repairs to the impact-absorbing SAFER barrier in the area that Karam hit.

LADY GAGA: The six-time Grammy Award winner replaced Keith Urban – who skipped his appearance because of a back issue – to fill-in during a two-seater ride with Mario Andretti. The 1969 Indy 500 winner helped pace the field for a few laps, along with Roger Penske, who was driving the pace car in his 50th year as a motor sports team owner.

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400 MILES

Leader: Tony Kanaan

Move of segment: Kanaan passed Helio Castroneves and fought off Josef Newgarden on a restart on Lap 158 to take the lead at the 400-miLe mark. Kanaan started the segment In fifth place.

Incidents: Buddy Lazier lost his left front wheel while exiting the pits on Lap 149, bringing out a caution. The incident happened just as leaders Castroneves and Kanaan were pitting.

Who’s in trouble: Marco Andretti, who was sixth at the start of the segment, encountered issues with tire pressure and dropped to 22nd by the end of the segment.

300 MILES

Leader: Alex Tagliani, who started the race in last place, rolled into first during a caution period and led after 300 miles (120 laps).

Move of segment: Helio Castroneves, in search of his fourth Indy 500 win, surged into the top 10 and on into first place as the race reached the halfway point. Former winner Tony Kanaan and contender Marco Andretti also came to life in the segment.

Incidents: The landscape of the race changed dramatically during a caution period as three of the field’s best cars were involved in a pit-road tangle. The cars of Townsend Bell and Ryan Hunter-Reay were damaged as they made contact when Castroneves stacked his car on the outside in a three-wide situation. Sage Karam slammed hard into the Turn 2 wall while trying to pass Bell on the outside on the 94th lap. The caution that flew for Karam’s wreck was extended as workers cleared debris and examined the wall where he hit. Debris from Karam’s wreck hit Kanaan’s hand. On lap 115, Mikhail Aleshin lost control and hit the outside wall. Conor Daly’s car was damaged in the incident.

Who’s in trouble: Team Penske drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud were struggling in the second half of the field.

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200 MILES

Leader: Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay leads at the 200-mile mark of the 100^thIndianapolis 500.

Move of segment: Will Power was sent to the back of the field for an “unsafe release” from his stall during a pit sequence, but the team skipped a yellow-flag caution period later to take over the lead. Power entered the race having never won an Indianapolis 500.

Incidents: Defending race-winner Juan Pablo Montoya looped his Team Penske Chevrolet out of Turn 2 on Lap 64, crashing hard and wrecking his car. Montoya had won two of his previous three Indianapolis 500 starts. “It just happened,” he said.

Who’s in trouble: Points leader Simon Pagenaud is mired in 22nd place. He’s won three consecutive races but is struggling early. It’s been an unfruitful day so far for Team Penske. Owner Roger Penske is celebrating the 50th year of team ownership and is seeking what would be a record 17th Indy 500 win.

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100 MILES
Leader: Ryan Hunter-Reay, who started third and exchanged the lead with Hinchcliffe during the first 28 laps, led Townsend Bell and Josef Newgarden at the 100-mile mark.

Move of segment: Simon Pagenaud, who has won the previous three Verizon IndyCar Series races, jumped from eighth to fourth. Tony Kanaan jumped from 18th to eighth.

Incidents: Buddy Lazier, who qualified 32nd in the 33-car field, encountered trouble with a stuck throttle before the green flag and didn’t start the race.

Who’s in trouble: Hinchcliffe, who started from the pole position and battled Hunter-Reay during the first 28 laps, faded to sixth place by Lap 40.

Contributing: Brant James, Jeff Olson, Mike Hembree