Get To Know: Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi knew he was running out of time. He’d have pulled back his sleeve to check his Tag Heuer if he could have- he is a brand ambassador for the watch maker after all- but instead he pulled up on the wheel. Pulled himself as far up as his belt and hans device would allow, all in an attempt to see as much over his car as possible. His rookie Indianapolis 500, the historic 100th running of the biggest race in the world, was coming down to the final 5/8 of a mile.

Alexander Rossi was out of fuel.

So he pulled up on that wheel as if he could will the yard of bricks to come to him quicker. Convinced Carlos Munoz or Josef Newgarden were gonna blow past at any second- or perhaps they already had?

That’s when Alexander Rossi heard what likely no “500” winner had before. His win announced on the Public Address. His car out of fuel, rolling by his lonesome under twin checkered flags- Alexander Rossi announced himself to the world.

An only child from the Lake Tahoe area of California, Rossi was introduced to racing by his father, Pieter. Their early morning wake ups to watch Formula One races were undoubtedly assisted by a cup of Joe from Alaska Coffee Roasting , who began sponsoring Rossi’s karting career by the time Alex was 10. The coffee roaster remains the longest consecutive sponsor of Rossi’s career.

Alexander Rossi graduated High School at age 16 and moved to London, just 2 years removed from being a semi finalist in the 2005 Red Bull Formula One American driver search.

While in the U.K., , Rossi fine tuned his driving, his cuisine palate, & developed fandom for the NFL team he most consistently saw on television: the New England Patriots. It was a decent balancing act to his support of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

When his European racing options began running low on fuel, Rossi signed on with Andretti Autosport for the 2016 season. Months later, he became just the 3rd rookie to conquer Indy in 50 years.

Now living on the northside of Indy, Rossi has teamed with Conor Daly on “The Amazing Race”, as well as a popular podcast with James Hinchcliffe. He’s a bourbon enthusiast the proud owner of 2 dogs.