Alexander Rossi has been cleared to race in the Indianapolis 500 after a major crash during practice earlier this week. The Ed Carpenter Racing star suffered injuries to his ankle and hand but has since begun recovery and expressed confidence about his condition heading into race weekend.
Rossi will still wear crutches but is optimistic about his chances of competing. Ed Carpenter Racing has a backup car prepped, which will start second on the grid, and the team is quietly reviewing emergency replacement options as standard procedure.
The backup car is already familiar to Rossi, as he drove it during last year's Indy 500 and recently in the Indianapolis Grand Prix weekend. Rossi's second-place starting position remains his best career Indy 500 qualifying effort.
Others affected by the crash, including Pato O'Ward, Conor Daly, and Romain Grosjean, are also rebuilding their cars ahead of Sunday's race.
