NAPA Auto Parts "has already extended" its partnership with Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi through this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, and team Owner Michael Andretti "thinks there’s a reasonable chance the logos will still don Rossi’s car" for the Firestone 600 on June 11, according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. It is "almost a miracle that there’s a relationship in the first place." Andretti said that the team "invited a NAPA representative" to the Grand Prix of Indianapolis earlier this month. On Friday of that weekend, they were "sitting in the team’s hospitality area ... when Andretti initiated a discussion about Rossi’s car." He said, "I pointed to that car and said it needs a sponsor. The guy's like, ‘Really?’ and I told him we could do a good deal, and it came together like that" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/31). Andretti: "We have been having discussions with NAPA on getting involved more with us. Hopefully this win helps that cause a little" (Ft. Wayne NEWS-SENTINEL, 5/30). RACER.com's Robin Miller noted NAPA "got a win and big time exposure on ABC for a rumored $300,000 and now might just want to stay the rest of the season" (RACER.com, 5/30).
ALEXANDER THE GREAT? USA TODAY's Brant James wrote Rossi has now become the "next domestic IndyCar salvation." It "didn't translate when Sam Hornish Jr. won three championships and the Indianapolis 500 a decade ago, nor did it when Rossi teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay won" the '12 championship and this race in '14. However, neither Hornish nor Hunter-Reay "had this type of platform" of a "sellout crowd ... and a nostalgic flourish surrounding the 100th installment of the American classic" (USATODAY.com, 5/30).
