LONG POND, Pennsylvania – Heading into the final superspeedway race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, Alexander Rossi looks to close the championship gap to points leader Scott Dixon in Sunday’s ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Rossi is second in the standings, 46 points behind the four-time series champion Dixon. Rossi has the advantage for at least the start of the race. He starts third in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda, while Dixon goes off 13th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Rossi also has some momentum, coming off a victory in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio three weeks ago.
“We had a rough run of three races there with Road America, Iowa and Toronto, which was a disaster on a lot of different levels,” said Rossi. “So to rebound at Mid-Ohio and to get the confidence back for the (No.) 27 NAPA team is great and we’re rolling off in a good spot, so hopefully we can deliver on that.”
With its three completely different turns, Pocono is always a compromise for car setup. When Saturday’s post-qualifying practice was washed out by rain, it prevented teams from gathering valuable data for race setups – particularly important this year with all cars running the universal aero kit at Pocono for the first time, and with the availability of optional front-wing extensions and wickers adding more decisions to ponder in prerace preparations.
“It’s difficult because it’s impossible to get it neutral all the way around,” Rossi said. “You’ve got to pick your poison. Do you want to be uncomfortable in Turn 1 and happy in Turn 3 or uncomfortable in Turn 3 and happy in Turn 1? Usually, the best thing is to be uncomfortable in Turn 3 so you can get a run (on the front straight) and hopefully pass someone into Turn 1.”
Rahal has led in each of the two races he’s driven in at Pocono, pacing the field for 44 laps and finishing third a year ago. Had it not been for misfortune either time, he could have placed higher.
A year ago, Rossi’s fuel trim adjuster fell off in the car, leaving Rossi unable to richen his fuel mixture as the race drew to a close and unable to properly fight race winner Will Power or second-place finisher Josef Newgarden.
The Californian had more bad luck at Pocono in his 2016 rookie season. Pitting from the lead on Lap 63, Rossi collided with Charlie Kimball as one was entering his pit and the other leaving. The contact sent Rossi’s over the car of Helio Castroneves. No one was injured, but Rossi finished a disappointing 20th.
Rossi doesn’t feel hexed heading into Sunday’s race.
“It would if I believed in luck, probably,” he said. “But I don’t think that exists.”
The ABC Supply 500 airs live on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network at 1:30 p.m. ET.