The highs and the lows of Marco Andretti’s enigmatic career came full circle at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last August.
It was a perfect encapsulation of the third-generation IndyCar Series driver, who burst onto the scene in 2006 and came within a few hundred yards of winning the Indianapolis 500 in his first attempt.
But in a cruel twist of fate that is common to the Andretti family at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sam Hornish Jr. drove past the 19-year-old Andretti as the checkered flag waved.
Despite that stunning heartbreak, the grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti and the son of former CART champion and Indy-winning team owner Michael Andretti appeared to be a star in the making.
Later that year, Marco Andretti became the youngest driver to win an IndyCar Series race — at 19 years, 167 days — when he triumphed at California’s Sonoma Raceway.
Andretti’s teammate Colton Herta now holds the record as the youngest IndyCar Series winner, having visited victory lane at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, when he was 18 years and 359 days old.
Andretti appeared destined for stardom, but his career never took off as expected. His second — and most recent — IndyCar triumph was at Iowa Speedway in 2011.
In the midst of a huge slump, Andretti arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last August and won the pole for the 104th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing with a dramatic four-lap run in hot and windy conditions.
It was a popular happening at the famed Brickyard, creating a buzz that energized the racing community during a year in which the race was run without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mario Andretti had been the most recent Andretti to start on the pole at Indianapolis in 1987.
It had all of the makings a breakout race for Andretti, but he didn’t lead a single lap. He was passed by Scott Dixon at the start and quickly fell back through the field. Andretti completed the full 500 miles but finished 13th.
At the end of the season, Andretti’s No. 98 entry missed the final position in the Leaders Circle Program, which provides $1 million in funding for the top 22 full-time entrants.
On Jan. 15, Andretti decided to step away from competing on a regular basis and that the Indianapolis 500 would be his only IndyCar Series race this season.
“I am fortunate to be in a position at Andretti Autosport to run the full IndyCar season if I want to,” Andretti said. “But instead, I have decided to change up my direction somewhat — to reset — to do something a little different — look at everything fresh and see where that takes me.
“And, to me, now seems like the appropriate time to do that.
“I definitely am going to keep driving,” added the 34-year-old racer. “I still have a deep passion for it and have unfinished business to take care of and some boxes that I want to check before I consider retiring as a driver.”
Andretti will compete in the six-race Superstar Racing Experience and hopes to run some sports car races in addition to driving the No. 98 Honda at Indianapolis.
“I remain very hungry to win the Indy 500,” he said. “It is our biggest stage and the place that I feel I bring the most to the table as a driver. I’ve come close there and I’m in the mix there it seems each year.
“Winning the pole there last year was awesome but that isn’t enough — I know that a victory there is in my future, so we’ll try to get that done in the coming years.”
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