INDY 500: Win moves Rossi into championship contention

The winner of the epic 100th Indy 500 didn't need to sober up for Monday morning's traditional photos and press conference at IMS. 24-year-old Alexander Rossi would have been forgiven if he'd gone out and celebrated all night, but with a big points haul on Sunday, the Andretti-Herta Autosport driver took the long view on his career-defining accomplishment.

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"We got 100 points for the win and now we're in the championship hunt," Rossi told RACER while standing in the shadow of Turn 1. "I went to bed around 11 just because IndyCar is so kind to schedule a race immediately after the 500! Detroit's a doubleheader and it's going to be an incredibly physical weekend, so I want to be sure I'm as rested and ready as I can be."

Thanks to the double points awarded by IndyCar at the Indy 500, Rossi now holds sixth in the standings, just two points behind Indy polesitter James Hinchcliffe. It will take a flawless summer to reach Simon Pagenaud, who has 292 points to Rossi's 203, but with his team – and engine supplier Honda – on the rise, there's every reason to believe he can use Indy's momentum to strengthen his position in the championship.

Among the notable takeaways from Sunday, Rossi was a bit of a blank canvas once he pulled into Victory Lane. Easily mistaken as aloof or unmoved, the quiet Californian revealed he was actually overcome with emotions, and didn't know how to process the sea of humanity that greeted him as the newest winner of the Indy 500.

"I was just shellshocked, really. I was shellshocked from what we'd just done. And then you pull in, and I had no idea what I was doing," he said, holding back a laugh. "It's probably pretty obvious. Dude, I had no clue. I didn't know how to put the wreath on, I didn't know how to do anything. I didn't know when to drink the milk...I didn't know!"

Ever the perfectionist, Rossi says he wants to win another Indy 500 so he can have a chance to fix the Victory Lane ceremony mistakes...

"I know now, and I want to win again so I can redo it so I can be like, 'Hey, I've got this figured out now...' he added. "It was an amazing experience, and as clumsy as some of it was, it's something I'll look back on with unbelievable memories."