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IndyCar Winner Spotlight: Alexander Rossi flawless at Pocono

By Benjamin Kuhl

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 08: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda, stands on the grid during the US Concrete Qualifying Day for the Verizon IndyCar Series DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 8, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 08: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda, stands on the grid during the US Concrete Qualifying Day for the Verizon IndyCar Series DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 8, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Alexander Rossi performed another flawless drive, which earned him his third win of the 2018 IndyCar season in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi started the ABC Supply 500 from third place after losing out in qualifying to Team Penske teammates Will Power, who took the pole position, and Josef Newgarden, who qualified in second.

Rossi, however, spent little time waiting around and worked forward to take the lead, which he held for 180 of the 200 laps around the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Pocono Raceway triangle in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

The race featured an extended two-hour red flag period after contact between Ryan Hunter-Reay and Robert Wickens sent the latter up into the fence at high speeds. Wickens was later reported to have suffered leg, arm and spinal injuries. Fortunately, it was also reported that he was awake and alert before and after being transported to a local hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

Once the race was resumed, the pace was hot and heavy. Rossi has turned his 2018 IndyCar season into a personal crusade to prove that he has the pace and consistency to back up his position in the sport and possibly be the lead driver at a loaded Andretti Autosport team.

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A driver who Alexander Rossi can be accurately compared to is the very person who he is trying to beat in the IndyCar championship standings, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon. Both drivers have three wins in 14 starts, both have a double-digit top 10 finish total and neither one has a DNF so far this season. In short, both are driving with incredible pace and consistency.

Rossi has continued to work hard to catch up to Dixon in the second half of the season after Dixon looked to have built a strong points lead. Rossi currently sits at 501 points, which is 29 points behind Scott Dixon with 530.

This win the fifth of Rossi’s IndyCar career and the 61st for Andretti Autosport. It solidifies Rossi as the only driver who is in a good position to challenge Dixon for the 2018 championship. This battle will come down to the wire in the final race of the season at the winding Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California.

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IndyCar travels next to Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Tune in to the NBC Sports Network on Saturday, August 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET for full race coverage.