Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles joined a group of fans outside of speedway who were watching the action from 16th Street. There is a gap in between the grandstands were fans have gathered to watch the action on a large video screen while sitting on lawn chairs or blankets.
Boles sent Marco Andreti’s grandfather, Mario Andretti, a video of the fans outside of the speedway erupting in cheers when Marco Andretti won the pole. The video was also posted to Twitter by Boles.
I watched all of the @IMS #Indy500 Fast Nine Quals with the fans OUTSIDE the tracks. You tell me if you think @MarcoAndretti on the pole is popular!! pic.twitter.com/4xw6CvZluM
— J. Douglas Boles (@jdouglas4) August 16, 2020
“I was emotional,” Marco Andretti said after claiming the pole for the 104th Indianapolis 500. “It’s funny because I was screaming after the run, so I don’t have a voice. Everybody is thinking I’m crying, but I just can’t talk right now. I was emotional. We put so much into it. This place means so much to us as a family. We’ve just been through so many ups and downs at this place.
“Obviously, my cousin, John is riding with me, my grandfather from home. We know family is pulling for us. We live and breathe this sport, this race in particular.
“Lap one was good,” Andretti said. “Lap two started giving me the hint that (lap) three and four were going to be tough. I knew it was going to be interesting. I knew it was going to be close, too, because I was watching the speeds, knew what (Dixon) ran. The luxury of going last is you know the benchmark. Luckily we were just on the better end of that.”
When next Sunday’s 104th Indianapolis 500 begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, it’s Marco Andretti’s Honda that will lead them to the green flag to start the race.
“I think it’s a collective effort honestly,” Marco Andretti said. “I think it’s the guys rubbing on the cars in the shop all the way through the off-season. We put an emphasis on this race, like a lot of people do. Honda brought the engine. Horsepower makes life so much better here at the speedway.”
This weekend, Andretti has been able to silence his critics.
“I definitely do not wake up and think about what people say about me, that’s for sure,” Andretti said. “It’s days like today that helps those cases. I could look you straight in the eye and say it doesn’t affect me one bit.
“When you struggle, it makes is all worth it when you’re able to have days like today. It’s been brutal. I’m a competitor. I don’t want to not win races, not be on the podiums.
“I don’t know, we’re just wired to not quit, man. I love this sport. I’m going to keep doing whatever you can do for it and to try to be successful at it.”
Marco Andretti restored the Andretti name with his Indianapolis 500 pole. He also helped remember the legacy of another Andretti, his second cousin, John Andretti, who lost his lengthy battle with Stage 4 colon cancer in January. Marco Andretti is remembering his cousin with a special helmet in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
“That guy was a close second to my grandfather Mario as far as passion for the sport,” Marco Andretti said of John Andretti. “He’s one that you can sit there and talk to for hours on end anything racing related. His passion for it is just awesome.
“He was riding with me for sure.”