Firstly of May yearly for the past 20 years, IndyCar circles openly asked the query, “Is it Marco’s yr?” We already know that next yr won’t be his yr. Marco Andretti announced his retirement from racing on Wednesday. The third-generation driver famously fell wanting winning the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 2006 by 0.0635 seconds. The 38-year-old ended his full-time IndyCar profession after the 2020 season but returned annually for a one-off Indy 500 within the years afterward.
Andretti received video farewell messages from a cavalcade of racing dignitaries he competed with and against, including Roger Penske, Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. In his message, Michael Andretti described his son’s time in racing as “a profession of almosts.” It’s an accurate description if you consider that Marco only won two races across his 253-race IndyCar profession. Along with his notoriety and connections with the series, Marco could have continued racing at Indianapolis every May but he decided to step away to concentrate on his family:
“I’m very much at peace with the following chapter in my life after dedicating three many years to the game. I might be prioritizing most of my time on being an incredible father to my daughter, Miura, and tending to my other business ventures.”
Marco could never live as much as the expectations set for his profession
Expectations were at all times high for Marco because the son of CART’s all-time wins leader and the grandson of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti. The anticipation of one other American racing superstar was only heightened when he eventually won his first race at Sonoma later in his rookie season. A then-19-year-old Marco became the youngest winner in IndyCar history. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the primary of many. The second and final win of his profession would are available in the 2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250. Marco’s oval-focused skillset wasn’t well-suited for the tip of the IRL/CART split. The IndyCar’s unification in 2008 led to an influx of road and street circuits onto the schedule. The series that Marco spent his life preparing for was effectively gone overnight, and he didn’t adapt in addition to his rivals.
Critics consistently derided Andretti’s tenure on the team owned and operated by his father. While Marco was rarely ever a title contender, there have been loads of shiny spots and dramatic moments from his later profession. Notably, he won pole for the 2020 Indianapolis 500 because the Andretti Autosport team locked out the highest 4 positions. After leaving full-time duty in IndyCar, he dabbled in stock automobile racing and won the 2022 season of Superstar Racing Experience. Though, because it stands, the Andretti curse will remain in place on the Indy 500 for the foreseeable future.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
