Alexander Rossi wins on Indy road course, ending 49-race winless drought in IndyCar

INDIANAPOLIS — Alexander Rossi snapped a 49-race losing streak that dated all the way back to the 2019 IndyCar season by winning at one of his favorite tracks – ensuring he ends his Andretti Autosport career on a high note.

Rossi won Saturday on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where his 2016 victory in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 jump-started his American motorsports career. Rossi’s last victory was at Road America in the 10th race of the 2019 season.

“It’s a relief,” Rossi sighed on the victory podium. “There’s been support for me for so long. Shoutout to Andretti Autosport in their continued belief. We’ve still got some more to go, but this was a really great track for us to do it at – back at home in Indianapolis. That was really amazing.”

The long slump led him to seek a fresh start and the California native will leave Andretti at the end of his seventh season to drive next year for Arrow McLaren SP. It was Michael Andretti who gave Rossi a shot in IndyCar when he’d washed out of Formula One and returned to the United States seeking to continue his career.

Rossi’s surprise victory as a rookie in the celebrated 100th running of the Indy 500 made him a star and earned him loyal sponsorship that has weathered his long drought. Some of his issues the last three seasons have been team inflicted – errors, mechanical failures and a full Andretti team meltdown earlier this month at Mid-Ohio – and Saturday was hardly a perfect day for the organization.

Colton Herta controlled the early part of the race but slowed from the lead right before the halfway mark.

“Nothing I can do,” he radioed as he tried to cruise his underpowered Honda back to pit lane.

He later walked alone down pit lane back to the