John Andretti grew up in the shadows of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
and to him, and to the entire Andretti family, the Indianapolis 500 is the
biggest race on the planet. And when your surname is Andretti and the
calendar flips to May, your home away home should be the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
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John Andretti and Richard Petty. Photo by Andy Sallee.
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Mario Andretti, John's uncle, won the famed race in 1969, but no other
Andretti (Michael, Jeff or Marco) has won it since then, although not
for lack of trying. To date, John Andretti's best finish has been a
fifth place but if his vision is fulfilled, he will become the second
Andretti to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is hallowed ground and even though
there have been many changes to the track, it still has the tradition
that I love," he said while at the Richmond International Raceway for
the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. "Everything at Indianapolis is so meaningful
and has so many relevancies, which makes the 500 so special to me."
Even though the name Andretti draws considerable attention, John has
another famous name in his corner -- Richard Petty, the NASCAR icon.
Petty and his Richard Petty Motorsports team will be Andretti's car
owner, and the No. 43 Window World Honda will be in the familiar
Petty-blue colors. Petty, the seven-time NASCAR champion, has been to
the Brickyard often but never raced there, so he's thrilled to have a
role in the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500.
RPM entered into a partnership with the accomplished Dreyer & Reinbold
team for Andretti's car. For teammates, Andretti will have upstarts
Mike Conway and Milka Duno along with the veteran Davey Hamilton.
Among the foursome, there should be many opportunities to exchange
information in the search for speed.
"Indianapolis has always been intriguing to me," Andretti said. "When I
did the double (the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same
day), people took notice." But his subsequent contracts precluded him
from attempting another double, which frustrated him to no end. "I knew
I needed to get back to Indy as the race is so special to me. Two years
ago I came back during the second week and did okay, and last year we
did better."
Andretti knows that practicing, qualifying and racing in the
Indianapolis 500 will require his undivided attention, so he is taking a
sabbatical from his Sprint Cup team (two races) until the 500 activities
are concluded. "To be fair to everyone, I can't do both; it is not fair
to either team, so I will focus on the Indianapolis 500."
Andretti isn't concerned with returning to Indianapolis after a year's
layoff. "Two years ago I returned after a 13-year absence and within one
day of practice, I was in the top-five of the fastest cars. It is just
like riding a bicycle," he stated.
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Richard Petty and John Andretti pose with the No. 43 "Petty Blue" Dallara. Photo by Ron McQueeney - IRL.
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The articulate driver knows he has a challenge going up against the
best IndyCar Series drivers but is confident he can perform well. "You
always want to race against the best drivers, and you know there are
three mega-teams that you have to beat to win the race," he said.
And there's the family rivalry with Andretti Green Racing being one of
the mega teams to be reckoned with. "I wish them well and hope that
Marco (Andretti) finishes second to me."
Even though he hasn't turned a practice lap at Indianapolis, Andretti is
confident that his team is capable of being among the top-11 qualifiers
in the important first day of qualifications.
Aldo Andretti, John's father, never had an opportunity to race at
Indianapolis and John is sort of racing for the two of them. "My dad
deserved an opportunity to race at Indianapolis and for me to get the
opportunity that he never got is special," John said. "In my rookie
year (1988), we struggled in qualifying and I was mad when I got out
of the car, at least until I saw my dad." Upon seeing the glee in his
father's eyes, he quickly realized how special the occasion was for
both father and son.
On race morning, Andretti looks forward to witnessing the colorful
ceremonies that precede the race, and he wants to make sure that Petty
gets to absorb the atmosphere. Petty will be doing the double that day,
being in Indianapolis and later traveling to Charlotte for the 50th
running of the Coca-Cola 600. But the NASCAR icon has told Andretti
that should he be in the lead, Petty won't leave the track.
Andretti said that Petty is keenly interested in the workings of an
IndyCar and asks lots of questions and during May, Andretti hopes to
provide him with an education on the intricacies of an IndyCar. "I hope
he has one day free when I can show him everything I can about these
cars," Andretti said.
He also hopes Petty's education continues until the checkered flag drops
on May 24, and he'd like nothing better than to drive the blue No. 43
into victory lane. "One guy leaves Indianapolis happy and 32 others are
mad at him," Andretti said. And he hopes to be the happy one at day's
end.
