Alexander Rossi's 'awesome and crazy' fatherhood experience amid Indy 500 test

Ed Carpenter Racing star Alexander Rossi and his wife, Kelly, welcomed their firstborn into the world last week on May 11, 2025. The couple decided to keep the pregnancy a secret and only revealed the birth of their son a few days ago on Instagram. As Rossi appeared in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway paddock for the Indy 500 practice, the ECR driver was swarmed with questions about his baby.

Rossi sat alongside Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Larson for a press conference on Day 1 of practice. A reporter asked Rossi what the last few days have been like for him, where he had to manage the Sonsio GP, the Indy 500 practice, and the birth of his son between the two events.

The Ed Carpenter Racing driver detailed what managing IndyCar alongside his personal life has been like in the last week as he prepares for the biggest race of the season, i.e., the Indy 500.

“Yeah, I was surprised about it, too. I had a kid -- well, I didn't have a kid, my wife had a kid. We didn't tell anyone because why would we. It's been a pretty awesome journey. Wednesday was an unbelievable kind of experience, more so than I could have imagined. So it was really special. It was very cool, and very thankful for Kelly and Ben has been awesome.” (2:15 onwards)

“Yeah, I don't know what else to say beyond that, but it's been crazy but in the best kind of way possible,” Alexander Rossi added.

Alexander Rossi and Kelly tied the knot in October 2023 and welcomed their firstborn a little over a year later in May 2025. The couple named their baby boy Benjamin Kenneth Rossi. The ECR driver revealed that the middle name is of Kelly’s late father.

Kelly uploaded an Instagram post revealing the birth of Benjamin and tagged Rossi as a collaborator. The caption of the post revealed that the couple has nicknamed their son Ben.

“Baby Ben came just in time for Mother's Day. Welcome to the world Benjamin Kenneth Rossi”

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“Pretty positive start”: Alexander Rossi reflects on Practice Day 1 at Indy 500

Alexander Rossi and the #7 Ed Carpenter Racing team arrive at the Indy 500 practice following a good result at the last race at the IMS Road Course, where Rossi finished P8. However, most of the first day of practice was a washout due to inclement weather, and the drivers got just a few laps under their belts towards the end of the session.

Speaking about what the car felt like in the limited laps available on Day 1, Rossi said,

“Well, I think we just validated the car that we built in the open test. There were some small technical issues we were working through today, but the good thing is the car balance is as expected, and the speed of it seems okay. It felt good in the couple laps we got. Pretty positive start as at one point today we didn't think we'd get any running.”

The Indy 500 will take place on Sunday, May 25, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.