Much like the manner in which he won the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, Alexander Rossi needed to utilize a big fuel-saving strategy in the final stint of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 to finish ahead of title rival Scott Dixon and gain more ground in the championship.
Rossi pitted under yellow on Lap 178 – his Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay came to a halt after suffering a fuel pressure issue, forcing the yellow – and restarted third on Lap 183. But, Rossi would need to stretch the fuel in a big way to make the finish.
With Dixon already ahead of him on the track at the time – Dixon restarted second – and passing proving difficult at Gateway Motorsports Park, Rossi and the No. 27 Napa Auto Parts Honda team decided their best shot at finishing ahead of Dixon was to go into fuel conservation mode.
In doing so, Rossi dropped...
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