Rossi cleared for WWTR return

08/08/2024 10:48 AM

Alexander Rossi will return to drive his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the rest of the season after being cleared by IndyCar Medical on Wednesday.

The clearance comes after the NTT IndyCar Series veteran broke his right thumb in a crash during practice at the July 19-21 Toronto street race.

Rossi will have four race weekends and five total races to complete with the Arrow McLaren team, starting with the August 15-17 oval at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, before he steps aside for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Christian Lundgaard, who was signed as his replacement starting in 2025.

Prior to his Toronto crash, which saw Theo Pourchaire fly from France to qualify and race the No. 7 entry in Rossi's absence, the winner of the 2016 Indianapolis 500 held eighth in the Driver's championship and was trending towards earning his best championship finish since 2019; he's placed ninth or 10th from 2020-2023.

In missing Toronto, Rossi fell back one position to ninth in the standings, but with his renown oval prowess and four ovals ahead, he has the potential to close his two-year stint with Arrow McLaren on a high, with WWTR, Portland, Milwaukee's doubleheader,and Nashville providing multiple opportunities to move forward in the points battle.