IndyCar: Alexander Rossi’s victory the most dominant victory since 2009

By Asher Fair | Jun 24, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 27: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda is introduced prior to the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 27, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

For the second time in the 2019 IndyCar season, Alexander Rossi earned the most dominant victory in the series since the 2009 season.

After Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi took the pole position for the 2019 IndyCar season’s fourth race on the streets of Long Beach, California back in mid-April, he went on to lead 80 of this race’s 85 laps en route to securing a dominant 20.2359-second victory over Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden in second place.

This victory was the most dominant victory in terms of winning margin since the 2009 season.

Entering the 2019 season’s 10th race, the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America, Rossi had not won a race since he earned this dominant victory earlier this year. He qualified in second place for this race alongside Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta on the front row.

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After taking the lead from the 19-year-old rookie on the opening lap of the 55-lap race around the 14-turn, 4.048-mile (6.515-kilometer) Road America natural terrain road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Rossi never looked back.

He completely checked out from the field and won the race by 28.4391 seconds over Team Penske’s Will Power in second place, and he only failed to lead one lap after making his final pit stop one lap earlier than Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal made his.

By winning this race, the 27-year-old Nevada City, California native earned the most dominant victory in IndyCar as far as winning margin is concerned since the 2009 season for the second time this season. No driver in IndyCar history had ever recorded the most dominant victory in 10 or more seasons twice in the same season, much less in a seven-race span.

The last time a driver won a race by more than 28.4391 seconds was on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Scott Dixon, who started this 85-lap race around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile (3.634-kilometer) natural terrain road course in third place and only led 51 of its 85 laps, won it by a whopping 29.780 seconds over Ryan Briscoe, the race polesitter, in second.

This margin of victory is still the largest margin of victory in IndyCar since the sanctioning body was formed in 1994 under the name Indy Racing League before competition began two years later in 1996, and now Rossi’s margin of victory in Sunday’s REV Group Grand Prix at Road America is a much closer second than anything else has ever been.

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How many more dominant victories will Alexander Rossi add to his resume before the 2019 IndyCar season comes to a close? Will he do enough, whether that be dominating races, simply winning races or recording solid results, to become the newest IndyCar champion this year? He currently trails Josef Newgarden by seven points (402 to 395) for the lead of the championship standings.