Rossi overcame pitfalls in 2016

As the agonizing seconds ticked away last May, Alexander Rossi’s frustration mounted on pit lane.

The first time his crew struggled with the fuel probe, Rossi dropped from 10th to 22nd. The second time, it knocked him back to 30th and seemingly out of contention in his first Indianapolis 500.

Somehow, team coowner Bryan Herta helped the rookie compose himself. He then performed something of a racing miracle: He found a solution, made a mid-race strategy modification and managed to rebuild the trust between driver and pit crew during the 100th running of the showcase race. It was a combination that sent Rossi to an improbable drive to victory lane — barely. He ran out of fuel between the third and fourth turns on the final lap and coasted across the finish line at about 130 mph.

Whatever. It all made for a sweet celebration barbecue months later at Michael Andretti’s home.

“It took 10 seconds,” Rossi said May 24, reflecting on the seemingly endless wait in pit lane. “So you’re pretty upset, for sure. You’re pretty angry and then that anger turns to sadness when you realize that you probably aren’t going to win the race.”

Pit stops, of course, are critical to any driver’s chances. A good one can help you win and a bad one can cost you a shot at the podium. In a typical Indy 500, each car pits after 25 to 30 laps so a crew of 11 can add fuel, change tires or make other tweaks. An average stop takes eight to 10 seconds, and the top teams get them done faster than that. Most teams pit seven or eight times and those 70 to 80 seconds are key.

Rossi stunned everyone last year by staying on the track for the final 36 laps, cutting the number of stops by one. It was a move forced by circumstance.

What exactly went wrong on those first two pit stops still isn’t clear.

Herta remembers physically changing out the fuel probe. Rossi described the problem as a human error, saying the probe was inserted at the wrong angle.

But the inexplicable often becomes the norm in racing, and during a 500-mile day, chances are that something will go awry as Herta has learned over the years.