India, May 22 -- Alexander Rossi finally has some good news. The Ed Carpenter Racing star has been cleared to race in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 after a major crash during practice earlier this week. He told reporters on Thursday that he is 99% at the moment. However, all is good.

Rossi suffered injuries to his ankle and hand after spinning in Turn 2 during practice before his car was struck by Pato O'Ward. The veteran driver underwent surgery Monday night and has since begun recovery while Ed Carpenter Racing continued preparing his backup car for Sunday's race.

Despite still relying on crutches, Rossi expressed confidence about his condition heading into race weekend. "For what I need to do in a race car, I'm 99%," he told reporters. ...