Alexander Rossi is recovering from sustaining minor injuries to his left hand and right ankle. The injuries occurred on Monday, May 18, after Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion from Nevada City, California, was involved in a hard multi-car accident during a post-qualifying, rain-shortened practice session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of this year’s 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Nearly half an hour into Monday’s practice session, Rossi, who was ninth in line of a single-file formation of competitors navigating through the first two turns, snapped sideways as he raced through the second turn. While spinning, he made hard left-side contact with the outside wall and his No. 20 Java House/ECR (Ed Carpenter Racing) Dallara-Chevrolet entry brielfy went airborne.
In the ensuing chaos, Pato O’Ward, who was trying to steer clear of Rossi’s incident, snapped sideways and he too spun backwards before the left side of O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet entry slammed into the left side of Rossi’s wrecked entry. Behind the duo, Romain Grosjean also lost control and he hit the outside wall on the left side. No additional competitors were involved as Grosjean, O’Ward and Rossi were able to exit their damaged vehicles when the carnage settled.
While Grosjean and O’Ward were checked and released from the infield care center, Rossi was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Later on Monday evening, ECR released a statement through social media that details Rossi’s successful outpatient procedures to his injuries to his left hand and right ankle. Per the statement, Rossi, who will be under the care of IndyCar’s medical director Julia Vaizer, will continue to be evaluated ahead of this Friday’s final practice session, Carb Day, and leading up to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Meanwhile, ECR, which will await Rossi’s recovery timeline throughout this week, will have a backup No. 20 Chevrolet entry prepared prior to Friday’s Carb Day.
Rossi, who was the second-fastest competitor during this past Friday’s practice session, qualified a career-best second place for this year’s Indianapolis 500. He posted a four-lap average-qualifying run at 231.99 mph in 2:35.1792 on Sunday, May 17, that enabled him to secure a front row starting spot for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his career.
The 2026 Carb Day session is scheduled to occur on Friday, May 22, at 11 a.m. ET on FS1. The 2026 Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24. The event’s pre-race coverage will air at 10 a.m. ET on FOX before the drop of the green flag will occur at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
