Rain extends NASCAR race
Bristol race picks up at lap 205 Monday
LONG BEACH – Alexander Rossi didn’t want to admit it Saturday, but this was one of those rare magical weekends. The kind where the car underneath him felt perfect the moment it rolled off the truck and all he had to do was drive it to the winner’s circle.
Of course, this is Verizon IndyCar Series racing where anything can happen, so that was no easy task, but Rossi made it look that way Sunday in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. After leading the final three practice sessions and claiming the pole, Rossi led 70 of 85 laps and held of Will Power at the end to score his first victory of the season.
“It’s unbelievable. I can’t really put into words how good the car was all weekend,” Rossi said. “I think we proved that, and I’m glad we were able to capitalize and nothing crazy happened. It’s a good feeling right now. When the car is that good, I don’t have to work too hard.”
The win was the third of Rossi’s career and makes him one off the few driv- ers in the series to have won races in each of the past three seasons. Rossi now has wins on a superspeedway (Indianapolis), a road course (Watkins Glen) and a street course (Long Beach).
Joining Rossi on the podium was the driver who started on Row 1 with him, Power. It was a much-needed result for Power, who has endured a slow start.
Along with Rossi and Power was Chip Ganassi Racing newcomer Ed Jones, who notched his first podium finish since his phenomenal third-place run in last year’s Indianapolis 500.
Sebastien Bourdais wheeled around three cars with one move in what will be remembered as one of the greatest passes in Long Beach history. Unfortunately, the pass wasn’t totally clean, as he was later (rightly) penalized by IndyCar race control for using some of the pit lane to set up the maneuver. Still, even with the asterisk next to it, it was the most unforgettable moment of the day.