Tag: Indy 500

Legendary racer Mario Andretti had the sweetest reaction to grandson Marco winning 2020 Indy 500 pole

Mario Andretti was ecstatic when his grandson, Marco Andretti, won the Indy 500 pole.

After a 33-year wait, a member of the storied Andretti family will once again start on the pole and lead the Indianapolis 500 field to green. And although he wasn’t the one behind the wheel, no one seemed more excited about that than the family patriarch, Mario Andretti, who won the 1969 Indy 500 and was last on the pole in 1987.

It was Mario’s grandson, 33-year-old Marco Andretti, who won the 2020 Indy 500 pole Sunday during the Fast Nine Shootout, thanks to his four-lap run of two minutes, 35.7985 seconds, averaging 231.068 miles per hour. Driving for Andretti Autosport, his father Michael Andretti’s team, Marco edged Scott Dixon — the five-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner — by .017 miles per hour, which, by speed, is the third-smallest margin in the race’s history, according to the series.

Mario — the only driver to win the Indy 500, NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and a Formula 1 world championship — was not at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch Marco qualify in person, but he was ecstatic.

“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been all during my days at Indy, believe it or not,” 80-year-old Mario told NBC Sports after Marco won the pole. “When he crossed that line and he was on pole, I jumped so high that I hit my head on the ceiling, and it’s a nine-foot ceiling.”

When asked where Marco’s Indy 500 pole ranks in his mind, Mario said:

“I don’t know how to to explain it as far as the excitement because, you know, you’re here biting your fingernails. You know, usually, you’re nervous and so forth, but you know you have control of your own situation when you’re doing it yourself. But sitting here and watching it and being so helpless, I was never so nervous in my life because I felt he had a shot at it.”

Marco nearly won the 2006 Indy 500 as 19-year-old rookie, but at the last second, Sam Hornish Jr. passed him and took the checkered flag. And most recently, he had a poor performance in the 2019 Indy 500 and finished 26th.

While winning the Indy 500 is a massive accomplishment for any driver, it might mean a bit more for Marco, who has two career wins but hasn’t won a race since the 2011 season. This was also his first race pole since 2018 and sixth overall, and going back to the 2016 season, Marco has recorded just three top-5 finishes.

Marco was only a couple months old the last time a member of his family started the Indy 500 on the pole, and his grandfather was beaming with pride. More of Mario Andretti’s reaction, via The Athletic:

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to happen so badly. And he did it in championship fashion under not-the-best conditions, but he overcame them somehow. He showed confidence in the car and the team gave him what he needed, so I’m very, very proud.

“I was happier for Marco than I’ve ever been for anything I’ve done myself. What a great moment for him. He earned it, earned it, earned it. What a fabulous job he did.”

The 104th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, August 23 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Indy 500 made the right call to exclude fans, but it didn’t really have a choice

For the first time in 104 races, the Indianapolis 500 won’t have fans in attendance.

For the first time in 104 races, the Indianapolis 500 will be held without fans. That seems like it should have been a given, considering the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the U.S. and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s capacity is at least 350,000.

But the iconic track’s new owner, Roger Penske, was insistent in June that the Indy 500 only would happen with fans in attendance.

And up until Tuesday, the plan for the biggest motor sports event in North America — which was pushed back from Memorial Day Weekend in May to August 23 — was to hold it with a maximum of 25 percent capacity, which is still about 87,000 people. And even that decision was only two weeks old and a decrease from originally trying to allow up to 50 percent capacity across the grandstands, infield and suites.

However, IMS announced the change that fans will not be at the 104th running of the 500, which is, unquestionably, the smart, responsible and obvious choice, despite the massive track having space to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s  social distancing protocols for events.

It was made after “careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership,” the track said in a statement.

The Associated Press spoke to Penske — whose Penske Entertainment Corp. bought the track and the IndyCar Series and took over in January — by phone Tuesday, and the 83-year-old racing mogul said it was “the toughest business decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

A tough decision, sure, particularly for a new track owner looking to show off the latest renovations. But a blatant one to anyone who’s paying attention as more than 154,000 people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus pandemic.

More from the AP:

“We didn’t buy the Speedway for one year, we bought it for generations to come, and it’s important to our reputation to do the right thing,” Penske said in a telephone interview. …

“We need to be safe and smart about this,” Penske said. “Obviously we want full attendance, but we don’t want to jeopardize the health and safety of our fans and the community. We also don’t want to jeopardize the ability to hold a successful race.”

Penske also said the financial hit for IndyCar and the track of not having fans didn’t factor into the decision, the AP reported. But that — in addition to the legendary status of the the Indy 500 — likely played a part in delaying the move to not have fans until the month of the race.

Team Penske driver Will Power and Roger Penske celebrate winning the 2018 Indy 500. Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud also won the iconic event in 2019. (Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)

Having up to 25 percent capacity seemed dangerous, despite the previous plan to mandate masks and provide fans with hand sanitizer and a temperature check at the door. And it looked like this was just going to be the latest example of sports prioritizing profits over people’s health and safety.

More from the AP:

The situation was compounded last week when IU Health, the state’s largest health care system and a partner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said it opposed fans attending the 500.

“Until we sustain better control of this virus and its spread,” IU Health said in a statement, “we strongly encourage IMS to consider an alternative to running the Indy 500 with fans in August.”

IU Health also noted the risks extend far beyond fans attending the race and include traveling to the Indianapolis area, outside gatherings, restaurants and accommodations.

Other sports leagues, like the NBA and MLB, have been competing without fans in attendance, and, for the most part, IndyCar and NASCAR have severely restricted attendance at their respective events. Even for the two American racing series’ first-ever doubleheader weekend in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans were not invited.

Finally, it appears Penske and other officials understand it’s irresponsible for anyone to host potentially tens of thousands of people at a race in a state where positive COVID-19 cases have been increasing. But Penske told the AP it was the spike in Indiana cases, not IU Health’s recommendation, that pushed him to exclude fans.

“As dedicated as we were to running the race this year with 25 percent attendance at our large outdoor facility, even with meaningful and careful precautions implemented by the city and state, the COVID-19 trends in Marion County and Indiana have worsened,” the speedway said in a statement.

“Since our June 26 announcement, the number of cases in Marion County has tripled while the positivity rate has doubled. We said from the beginning of the pandemic we would put the health and safety of our community first, and while hosting spectators at a limited capacity with our robust plan in place was appropriate in late June, it is not the right path forward based on the current environment.”

Clearly.

The Indy 500 is truly an unparalleled spectacle dripping with international prestige and history. But Penske and the track really had no choice but to keep the grandstands empty.

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Fernando Alonso will run the 2020 Indy 500, says racing’s Triple Crown is his ‘biggest priority’

The two-time F1 world champ is still eyeing the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Fernando Alonso is getting another shot at the Indianapolis 500 — and that means another opportunity to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

For the two-time Formula 1 world champion’s third attempt at the Indy 500, he’s teamed up with Arrow McLaren SP and will drive the No. 66 Ruoff Mortgage Chevrolet in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Alonso and the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

Having already won both the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans — he’s won each iconic event twice — the Indy 500 is the last leg of the elusive triple crown. Only one other driver, Graham Hill, has ever accomplished the international racing feat.

Alonso stepped away from F1 in 2018 — although he said returning to the series in 2021 may still be an option — so, while announcing his 2020 Indy 500 deal, he told NBC Sports that the race “probably the biggest priority for me now.”

More via NBC Sports:

“Once you experience the Indy 500, it will remain always in your heart. The fans are amazing. The show is unbelievable, and the race itself … is one of the greatest in the calendar. …

“I think the Indy 500 is one of the most special races. And also the triple crown — which means winning in Formula 1, the Endurance Championship with the 24 Hours of Le Mans — and the Indy 500 completes the big three races in motor sports. And also in that, three completely different disciplines with three very different, as well, driving styles.

“It makes you quite a complete driver. And that’s what I’m looking for in this stage of my career. So the Indy 500 is probably the biggest priority for me now.”

Back in 2017, it looked like Alonso could win the Indy 500 on his first try. He had a fast car and led for 27 laps, but engine failure knocked him out of contention with only 21 laps remaining and he finished 24th. He was named the 2017 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year.

His second attempt at the Indy 500 last season ended in even more devastating fashion. He crashed during practice, and the team was forced to go to its backup car, which then failed to qualify for the 33-car field.

The announcement of Alonso’s agreement for this year’s event, which will be the 104th running of the Indy 500, comes after a deal with Andretti Autosport, the team he raced for in his 2017 attempt. But it was reportedly vetoed by Honda, which supplies Andretti’s engines. When Alonso was racing for McLaren in F1, his on-track struggles were obvious, and he called his Honda-powered ride “embarrassing.”

The 2020 Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24.

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