June 9, 2016

Purdue grad played crucial role for winning Indianapolis 500 team

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Andretti Autosport engineer and 2011 Purdue University graduate Nick Heinz played a crucial role in helping rookie Alexander Rossi win the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.

His role? He only had to provide team co-owner Bryan Herta with the fuel number Rossi would need to cross the finish line.

"We knew that there wasn't enough fuel and that we would probably run out on the last lap," Heinz said. "I remember Rossi going through turn 3 and then turn 4 and it hit me, we were going to win the 500."

Rossi won the race and coasted to a stop in turn 4 during his victory lap after running out of fuel. Herta's team can boast that it won both centennial era events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, first with the late Dan Wheldon in the 100th year of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2011, and again, with Rossi in the 100th running of the 500-mile race. There was a short pause in the race during World War II.

Heinz was born in Indianapolis, but grew up in Freeport, Maine. He graduated from Purdue with a master's degree in aerospace engineering. With the help of Danny White, director of motorsports, and the Motorsports at Purdue program, Heinz landed at Bryan Herta Autosport in 2012.

This year, the team merged with Andretti Autosport to field Rossi's entry in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Heinz said working in motorsports was always a dream, but not something he thought would ever become a reality.

"I didn't really know until I came to Purdue that I could have the chance to work in motorsports," he said. "It was definitely helpful having people like Danny White who knows people in the industry and was able to help me network."

Heinz is one of several Purdue graduates that works for Andretti Autosport. The others include:

  • Brandi Benda, client relations account manager.
  • Daniel Peebles, IT engineer.
  • Lindsay Condon, public relations manager for Andretti Formula E
  • Ryann Rigsby, director of public relations.

Writer: Megan Huckaby, 765-496-1325, mhuckaby@purdue.edu

Source: Nick Heinz, nick.heinz@andrettiautosport.com

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