Alexander Rossi to receive hero’s welcome in home town

Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi

Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi will receive a local hero’s welcome in September, when the Nevada City native returns to his hometown as a special guest for the 50th annual Constitution Day Parade.

According to sources involved in the coordination of Rossi’s return, the invitation for the Sept. 11 parade has been extended and accepted by the champion race-car driver.

Rossi, who has been racing since his start as an 11-year-old go-kart champion, won the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29 in thrilling fashion. A 24-year-old rookie driver for Andretti Autosport in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Rossi stretched his final tank of fuel, as race leaders made pit stops down the stretch, to cross the finish line first. He ran out of gas shorty after taking the checkered flag.

The victory earned him and his team $2.5 million of a prize purse that surpassed $13 million for the 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." He became the first rookie winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and the first American-born rookie champion since Louis Meyer in 1928.

In the days, and weeks, that followed, Rossi was swept up in a whirlwind champion’s tour before resuming his racing duties with the Andretti team in the IndyCar series. He currently ranks 10th in the season standings with three top 10 finishes, including the victory at the famed Brickyard.

“To win the 100th was a huge confidence boost for everybody and we’re trying to carry that forward through the rest of the year," Rossi said in a story published by IndyCar.com Thursday. “I’m very much looking forward to Sonoma and Watkins Glen. Sonoma will kind of be my home race, and we had a test session at Watkins Glen and it was just an awesome track to drive. It’s great that the series is returning there after quite a long break away."

The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma is slated for Sept. 18, one week after his scheduled appearance at the 50th Constitution Day Parade. Tickets for practice, qualifying and race day remain available.

But before he returns home to the West, Rossi was headed due east this week. As he shared with fans on his Facebook page, after wrapping up testing this week for the July 10 Iowa Corn 300 — the next stop in the IndyCar series — he traveled back to Europe to fulfill obligations as a driver for his Formula 1 Manor Racing team.

Last week, the honors continued to roll in for Rossi, as he was nominated as “Best Driver" for the 2016 ESPY Awards hosted by ESPN. Fans can vote for him, and their other favorite athletes, teams and top moments at www.ESPYS.com. TheUnion.com