INDYCAR.COM - Broken Fuel Knob Hinders Rossi's Run at Pocono
LONG POND, Pennsylvania – The lead change summary in the box score from today’s ABC Supply 500 reads like a phone book. If only 10 names were repeated again and again, that is.
One of those recurring names – Alexander Rossi – appeared more than most.
Rossi led seven times for 44 laps before finishing third at Pocono Raceway, just 0.7112 of a second behind Will Power, who beat Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden to the finish line by 0.5268 of a second.
The most interesting thing about Rossi’s podium finish? The fuel trim knob on his No. 98 Andretti Autosport/Curb Honda broke midway through the race, leaving him helpless to adjust the car's fuel mixture.
“We were stuck in the mix, and it certainly wasn't optimum,” Rossi said. “It made restarts challenging, and definitely at the end when the two guys in front of me were pushing quite hard. We didn't have all of our full-on power, which is usually quite strong around here. It was a bit unfortunate.”
Before the malfunction, though, Rossi appeared to have the strongest car in the race. Starting from the sixth position, he first found his way to the front on Lap 12, then proceeded to accumulate all 44 of his leading laps within the first 114 circuits of the 200-lap race.
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