INDIANAPOLIS — When Alexander Rossi pulled into victory lane following his upset win in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 victory, the American had no idea what he was supposed to do during the famed celebration.

He knew there was milk involved, but wasn’t sure what to do with the bottle. The wreath? Rossi had no clue how to slide it over his firesuit.

“I knew to drink the milk, but I didn’t know how much to drink. I didn’t know if I was supposed to drink it all at once,” Rossi said Monday. “People have poured it, I was like, ‘I don’t really want to do that,’ but then I did it anyway. I had no idea what to do. I’ve never worn a wreath before, either, but I’ve got it down now. Left arm through.”

These were very good problems for Rossi.

The first rookie to win Indy since Helio Castroneves in 2001, Rossi used fuel strategy to stretch his final tank of gas the final 90 laps of Sunday’s historic race. He went four laps longer on one tank of gas than any other driver did the entire race, and asked Monday how he pulled it off he simply said “skill,” with a wry smile.

He had no expectation of winning Sunday. He had raced on only one oval before Indianapolis, and had never even attended an Indy 500 before this year.

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Rossi watched the 500 as a young racer in California – his first memory of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing” is Marco Andretti nearly winning as a rookie in 2006 – but he never had any plans to be a participant. His eye was always on Formula One and he headed to Europe at age 16 to follow his dreams.

“It kind of forced me to grow up pretty quickly,” he said. “There was a very firm goal, and I just committed my life to making that happen. Now that the goal has changed a little bit, I’ve committed my life to trying to go win an IndyCar championship.”

When his chances at a fulltime F1 ride never materialized for this season, Rossi made the move back to the United States to drive for Bryan Herta in a partnership with Andretti Autosport. The team fields cars for Marco Andretti and 2014 Indy winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, so Rossi, a newcomer to racing in the U.S., is the least known American on the team. Maybe even the entire series.

It makes him an anomaly of sorts for the Indy 500, a race in which many hope to see an American driver win, only few know anything about this one.

But the 24-year-old is very American, even though he spent the last eight years based in Europe.

Some things to know about Rossi’s likes:

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n The movie “The Breakfast Club” and the television show “The Blacklist.”

n Chicken wings, particularly from Indianapolis’ own Big Lug Canteen.

n He’s a New England Patriots fan.

n He listens to a variety of alternative rock, country music and Chris Brown.

n Rossi doesn’t eat carbs, but will make an exception for Jimmy Johns sandwiches and In-N-Out burgers.

n His favorite place in the world is Lake Tahoe.

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n He grew up racing NASCAR star Kyle Larson and the two were rivals as children.

As for his preferred fashion? Well, Rossi can switch back and forth between a regular pair of jeans and the slim-fitting cut that Europeans prefer.

“Depends on the scenario and the girl that you’re going on a date with,” he said.

In many respects, the 6-foot-2 Rossi is very much a millennial. In others, he’s a hyper-focused race car driver with a commitment level that tolerates very little compromise or deterrence from a strict regimen.

He’s had to make some very different changes this year as he’s adapted from F1 to IndyCar, mostly in his exercise routine.

He works out seven days a week, but has switched from a focus on cardiovascular activities to more strength training.

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The upshot is he can now eat chicken wings.

“For the past three years I’ve been very, very concerned about the weight that I am because in Formula 1 it’s hyper critical,” he said. “Being 6-2, it’s a little bit difficult to manage that. In IndyCar, it doesn’t really matter … so that means I can eat what I want.”

Rossi called his Indy 500 victory the biggest win of his career to date, and likely the biggest he’ll ever have. He mentioned several times that it’s going to be a life-changing victory, and expanded on that Monday by saying it answered many questions about himself and his goals.

“There were huge question marks, rightly so, over me and IndyCar and specifically oval racing, having absolutely zero background,” he said. “I think that this has kind of cemented the fact that, A: I don’t have an issue with it. B: I do enjoy it. C: I’ve fully committed to this program and being successful in IndyCar, and this is what I’m looking toward for the future.”

And there’s the million dollar question – just what does the future hold for Rossi?

It’s not something he wanted to discuss a day after his big win.

“What’s happening in the long-term, I don’t know, and I’m frankly not that interested at the moment,” he said. “I watched the Monaco race Sunday morning, and it was a great race.

“Then I forgot about it and moved on and went and drove in the Indy 500, and we came out with a win. For the time being, that’s all that matters to me, and I’m going to carry that forward.”


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