IndyCar insider Bob Pockrass has made a bold prediction for the 109th running of the Indy 500 in 2025 by choosing 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi instead of defending two-time winner Josef Newgarden.
Rossi has joined Ed Carpenter Racing for 2025 after two decent seasons with Arrow McLaren. He finished 10th in the championship standings in 2024, one place down from his 9th-place finish in 2023. However, his performance at the Indy 500 has been consistently outstanding.
Rossi has been finishing in the Top 5 at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" for three consecutive years - fifth place in 2022 and 2023, and fourth place in 2024. This only adds to his impressive statistic of finishing in the Top 10 at the Brickyard in eight out of nine appearances.
FOX Sports, which has become IndyCar's exclusive broadcasting partner for 2025 and beyond, made their Top 25 predictions for American sports this year. Bob Pockrass, a FOX reporter, tipped Alexander Rossi for his second Indy 500 win on May 25.
"Alexander Rossi wins the Indy 500," wrote Pockrass. "Rossi, who moved from Arrow McLaren to Ed Carpenter Racing, has had his share of Indy 500 disappointments that followed his win in 2016 in his first 500. What ECR does well is have fast cars at Indianapolis."
"Rossi last won a race in 2022 (Indy road course) and the last time on an oval was 2018 (Pocono). ECR last won an IndyCar event in 2021 (Indy road course) and last won on an oval in 2016 (Iowa). But their combined experience indicates this could be a magical Indy year."
Rossi took his last career podium at Laguna Seca last year, where he finished third. To date, his victory at the 2016 Indy 500 remains one of IndyCar's greatest finishes.
Rookie Alexander Rossi won the 2016 Indy 500 with an empty fuel tank
Alexander Rossi's racing career was at a crossroads before his IndyCar debut in 2016. With no opportunity awaiting him in F1, the American driver grabbed Andretti Herta Autosport's (now Andretti Global) offer with both hands.
Going into his debut at the Indy 500, he only had five IndyCar races behind him, only the last of which at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course yielded a Top 10 finish. However, he qualified well to start 11th on the grid for the biggest race of the year.
The race, however, turned out to be a different story as he dropped to as low as 29th position. Somehow, he picked off his rivals and made it towards the top in the closing stages. In the final 10 laps, the leading group of Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden and Carlos Munoz were forced to pit for fuel. Alexander Rossi's team took a gamble and made him stay out despite low fuel. He inherited the lead on lap 197.
Thereon, it was a game of strict fuel conservation. Team co-owner Bryan Herta coached him through each turn and lap till Rossi brought the win home with his fuel tank empty before the chequered flag. His pace dropped to 179.78 mph, considerably slower than runner-up Carlos Munoz's 218.79 mph.
"This is the greatest day of my life", Rossi said after the race via IndyCar.
His win was a big upset, making him the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win the Indy 500 as a rookie. In 2025, he will face tough competition from Josef Newgarden, who is aiming for a three-peat at the event.