There is a lot of positive energy around the ARCA Menards Series as the 2024 season kicks into high gear. Between a high car count at Daytona and names like Shane van Gisbergen and Marco Andretti (pictured above) competing in the series, things are …
There is a lot of positive energy around the ARCA Menards Series as the 2024 season kicks into high gear. Between a high car count at Daytona and names like Shane van Gisbergen and Marco Andretti (pictured above) competing in the series, things are looking bright. Plus, why Venturini Motorsports are favorites in the championship fight. Charlie Krall, the communications manager for the series, joins The Racing Writer’s Podcast to discuss the state of the sport and many other topics.
Marco Andretti’s schedule for the 2024 NASCAR season has been revealed. Check out when and where Andretti will compete in 2024!
[autotag]Marco Andretti[/autotag] appears to be transitioning to NASCAR for the 2024 season. On Thursday morning, Andretti announced his schedule, featuring races in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Truck Series with Cook Racing Technologies. The 36-year-old driver will compete in 14 ARCA Menards Series races while attempting seven Truck Series starts.
Andretti’s first Truck Series race will occur at Circuit of the Americas in the No. 04 truck as the team has entered an alliance with Roper Racing. In the ARCA Menards Series, his first start will come at Daytona International Speedway in February. This major move shows Andretti’s commitment to developing as a stock car driver.
“I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. “It will answer a… pic.twitter.com/G4EqVJukPC
Andretti spent 15 full-time seasons in the NTT IndyCar Series but only has three starts over the last three years. The son of Michael Andretti won the 2022 Camping World SRX Series championship and had his last NTT IndyCar Series victory in 2011. This is a major development as Andretti will draw much attention when racing in NASCAR.
Marco Andretti will run a mix of ARCA Menards Series and Craftsman Truck Series races this season with Cook Racing Technologies. Andretti will run 14 ARCA races in the No. 17 Chevrolet starting with the season-opening event at Daytona International …
Marco Andretti will run a mix of ARCA Menards Series and Craftsman Truck Series races this season with Cook Racing Technologies.
Andretti will run 14 ARCA races in the No. 17 Chevrolet starting with the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 17). It will be his series debut.
The former IndyCar Series regular and SRX champion will also run seven Craftsman Truck Series races in the No. 04 Chevrolet, the first of which will be at Circuit of The Americas on March 23.
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NASCAR veteran Bruce Cook will be Andretti’s crew chief. Cook has one win in the Xfinity Series with Tony Stewart in 134 starts. He’s worked with drivers including Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain. Cook also has experience in the Truck Series, serving as crew chief for drivers including Ron Hornaday Jr., Harvick and Johnny Sauter, earning six wins in 104 starts.
“I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars.
“I also want to do it the right away and not go right to the top of their sport on my IndyCar and SRX merit as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series. I’m looking forward to having a lot of run with Bruce and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive right out of the gate.”
Last season, Andretti made three starts in the Truck Series with Spire Motorsports, taking two top-20 finishes. His NASCAR national series debut was in 2022 in the Xfinity Series.
“I am looking forward to working with Marco and helping him to develop and grow as a driver in stock cars,” Cook said. “Marco has a proven track record across multiple racing platforms. I think with some more seat time and guidance in the stock car world, he’ll be able to compete up front on a regular basis.”
Marco Andretti will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend with a drive for Spire Motorsports. Andretti, the IndyCar veteran and reigning Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series champion, will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado …
Marco Andretti will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend with a drive for Spire Motorsports.
Andretti, the IndyCar veteran and reigning Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series champion, will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado with sponsorship from Group 1001. It will be Andretti’s second start in NASCAR after running in the Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Roval last fall where he finished 36th.
Mid-Ohio hosts the Truck Series in a standalone event this weekend. The series will hold practice and qualifying Friday afternoon before competing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 on Saturday afternoon.
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“I can’t wait to get my feet wet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series,” Andretti said. “I’m grateful for Group 1001 and Spire Motorsports for making this happen. I have a lot of laps in an Indy car around Mid-Ohio. It’s going to be a bit different but a lot of fun. The Cup Series guys I have spoken to said I will love it.”
Andretti has 15 starts at Mid-Ohio in the IndyCar Series. He is also preparing to defend his title in the SRX series, which starts July 13.
The news of Andretti’s debut came as Spire Motorsports announced a multiyear partnership with Gainbridge for its two NASCAR Cup Series teams. Gainbridge will have rotating sponsorship on the No. 7, driven by Corey LaJoie, and No. 77 Chevrolet, driven by Ty Dillon, through the remainder of the season.
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) July 5, 2023
“We look forward to partnering with Spire Motorsports, Corey, and Ty and adding to the robust Gainbridge motorsports sponsorship portfolio,” said Mike Nichols, chief of sponsorship strategy and activation at Group 1001. “We are excited to watch Marco compete at Mid-Ohio this weekend in the Group 1001 paint scheme alongside Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez, who has had a successful rookie campaign competing for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship carrying the Gainbridge colors.”
You don’t want to miss out on Memorial Day Weekend in Indianapolis.
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing returns on Monday, May 29 as Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts its second IndyCar event of the month and the marquee race of the season: The Indianapolis 500.
One year after Hélio Castroneves captured a miraculous and record-tying fourth Borg-Warner Trophy, the 2022 field is wide open and features some no shortage of star names.
Takuma Sato, Will Power and, of course, Hélio have already qualified. But so has stock car legend Jimmie Johnson and IndyCar royalty Ed Carpenter and Marco Andretti.
Scott Dixon will start on the pole alongside Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay.
Here’s a full look at each driver’s starting position and odds to win the race via Tipico Sportsbook.
But he’s still driving for Andretti Autosport in the Indy 500 this season, along with a handful of other races and seems happier for it.
Ahead of Marco’s first IndyCar race of the 2021 season, he explained his current mindset to Earnhardt, who retired from full-time NASCAR in 2017 and is now part of NBC Sports’ broadcast team.
“I miss driving and stuff like that, but really I’m happy,” Marco told Dale Jr. “I even have a lot of my friends that question — I am alright.
“I really am happy with the decision and what it is allowed me to do is really bring back the purity driving for me, and I can still win the crown jewel. So I’m living the dream right now.”
The pair also discussed the dangers of the Indy 500, which is no stranger to horrifying crashes, including a recent one in 2017 when Scott Dixon — the pole winner for the 2021 Indy 500 — miraculously walked away.
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More from their conversation:
Dale Jr.: There are some Cup drivers in the NASCAR series that would love to race in the Indy 500. But, you know, given the opportunity to do it, at my age, I probably wouldn’t do it. It’s terrifying, dangerous.
Marco: I respect it. I do respect the speed, and I respect what can happen. I mean, there’s Formula 1 guys, I talked to Lewis Hamilton. They don’t want anything to do with it. When I make up my mind, it flips a switch, and it just diminishes fear.
Michael, Mario and Marco Andretti at Texas Motor Speedway in 2013. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)
And of course, they talked about their families. The Andretti and Earnhardt names are all over motor sports’ history books, and few racers know what it’s like to try to follow people like Mario Andretti or Dale Earnhardt Sr.
They continued:
Dale Jr.: People ask me all the time what my dad told me about racing, told me about driving, and we never talked about racing. We just never did. He was always like, “Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t do drugs and don’t hang out with the wrong crowd.” What is probably one or two things that was extremely important that you heard from your dad or your grandfather throughout your life?
Marco: It’s probably the same answer for both. I mean, I there’s been there’s been a lot of stuff. And my grandfather was able to really just do it for the joy of winning and all that, and I think my dad did it for, like, the fear of losing.
If I had to pick one thing, it’s probably just trust in yourself because there’s a lot of times, as you know, where you’re supposed to go in deeper than your butt’s telling you to do, and you always have to trust that instinct. … I mean, I’ve dominated the race, like father and grandfather, but there’s one lap that counts there, and that’s the one that I want to lead.
The 105th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, May 30 at 12:45 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Andretti family is racing royalty, and the latest piece of Indianapolis 500 history a member of it made was last weekend when Marco Andretti won the pole for Sunday’s race at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This marked the first time in 33 years that a member of the Andretti family won the Indy 500 pole, dating back to legendary racer Mario Andretti’s 1987 pole.
But with 33-year-old Marco out front ahead of the rest of the 2020 Indy 500 field, Mario, his grandfather, and Michael, his father and Andretti Autosport team owner, joined him before the green flag.
This awesome moment celebrating the family and its impact on Indy 500 history was the first time three generations of the Andretti family turned laps together around the 2.5-mile track. And 80-year-old Mario drove the two-seater ride, while Michael was in the backseat.
The most meaningful moments in life are the ones you share with family. If Marco wins this race, I could not have dreamed a dream this big. If not, we tried and had fun trying. We absolutely love this place @IMSpic.twitter.com/tz0BX3m8Y1
“I’m one of the few that can say I’ve been teammates with both my father and my son – and now to have the opportunity for all three of us to be on track together, on Race Day at IMS, is really special,” Michael Andretti said. “Dad and I are really excited to do this together, but we’re still fighting about who’s going to drive.”
And, as Mario noted before race day, he was not about to let 57-year-old Michael drive.
So @michaelandretti thinks he's driving the 2-seater and I'm the passenger at the start of the Indy 500 this Sunday. NOT happening, Michael. I'm driving. 😁😀 https://t.co/Xb0plNFKaq
Since Mario won the 1969 Indy 500, no member of the Andretti family has returned to Victory Lane in one of the greatest motor sports events in the world. Michael had 42 wins in his career behind the wheel, but never won the Indy 500, despite leading 431 total laps — more than any other Indy 500 participant without ultimately winning 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. Most recently, he had a poor performance in the 2019 Indy 500 and finished 26th.
“In 15 years, this might be my best shot” at winning the Indy 500, Marco Andretti told For The Win.
The Indianapolis 500 isn’t until Sunday, but Marco Andretti is already making race history — and family history too.
After a strong performance this weekend during the initial qualifying session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the biggest races in the world, Andretti won the Fast Nine Shootout for the prestigious pole position to lead the field to green.
And that means the 104th Indy 500 will mark the first time since 1987 that a member of the Andretti family will start on the pole. And Marco, looking to follow his grandfather, legendary racer Mario Andretti, could be the first Andretti in more than five decades to win it all.
Monday, For The Win spoke with Marco — who drives the No. 98 Honda for his father Michael’s team, Andretti Autosport — about winning the pole, his chances of winning the Indy 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC) and whether or not the Andretti Curse, supposedly precluding the family from winning the race, is real.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)
You were the last driver to hit the track in the Fast Nine Shootout for the Indy 500 pole. What went through your mind as you climbed into the car to get ready?
I tried to clear my mind because there are so many things that we have to think about, and I just was so focused on the task at hand. Instead of thinking of the what-ifs, it was just: Execute. It was windy, so inside the car, I was very busy on the cockpit tools.
It came down to a gear shift, doing it just perfectly from first to second yesterday. We were so close so I just knew that if we nailed it and did everything right that we’d be on pole, and we did.
With such a storied family history in racing and your grandfather, Mario Andretti, winning the 1969 Indy 500 and three Indy poles, what does it mean to you to be the first Andretti to start this race on the pole in 33 years?
It’s pretty cool. I was two months old, and I was probably here, actually. I was born in March, so yeah, May 33 years ago. That’s crazy. They told me that stat yesterday, and it’s super special. Hopefully, I can be the first one in 51 years to win.
Who was more excited for you or your grandfather?
Maybe him, to be honest. It was awesome. I come here to win the race, but yesterday did feel like a win to me regardless. The support’s been crazy. I think the whirlwind that comes with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in combination with my family has just been incredible with the support — even with my peers and competitors.
I haven’t talked to him yet, but I saw an interview that he did. He said he jumped so high he hit the ceiling. You know, my grandfather, I don’t think he’s that tall, so I don’t know. He must have been pretty excited.
Marco and Mario Andretti before qualifying for the 2015 Indianapolis 500. (AP Photo/Sam Riche)
So is the Andretti Curse real?
I keep saying: Not in August, it’s not. So far, it’s just been incredible. Every time we go out on the track, we’ve been the quickest. So I’m trying not to assess it very much. I’m trying to just keep it going. I think our family plays with it with the media because it’s a huge story, but when we really talk internally, we’re really a blessed family. We’re unscathed. This is a very dangerous sport, and we’ve been able to do it and not get hurt. So I think we’re pretty lucky.
You said you haven’t talked with your grandfather, Mario, yet, but what did your dad, Michael, have to say after you won the pole?
We didn’t really have to say much to each other. I think the pair of us both knew. We hugged each other, but I think we both were just in such a sigh of relief because we knew how much I needed that, and it was right on time. The way this season’s gone, we’ve been super fast, but there’s been so much stuff go wrong that it’s just been like, “What’s going to happen next?”
But thank God for yesterday. It really lit a fire and ignited the team again. You could see the pep in their step, and that’s what we needed because now, I think we’re going to be tough to beat.
Have people outside of the racing world reached out to congratulate you? I saw Ice-T gave you a shoutout on Twitter.
Yeah, I have a lot of really cool friends, and the support has just been incredible. I was at dinner last night, and I left dinner and got in bed with 500 text messages, and I’m like, “Alright, I’ll answer a few.” And then I ended up getting through them all, and I’m like, “Oh my god, it’s three in the morning.”
How would you compare your chance to win this year from the pole with past years?
I was talking to Dad about this. In 15 years, this might be my best shot at it, and in 15 years, I was close to winning the race maybe four times. But I think as far as dominance goes, this has got to be No. 1. It’s been incredible. Every time we go out, it’s just been quick.
Speed is the No. 1 hurdle when you get to the speedway. It’s just the horsepower. Are we going to be fast? And we have that. So now, it’s about executing everything in our power, and then if the stars align, we win the race. So we’ll see. We’re just going to try to do our job.
Have you decided what kind of milk you’ll drink if you win?
Whole milk. Originally, I said buttermilk because Louis Meyer did it, and then my friend gave me some. I’m not drinking that after a hot race. Man, it’s gross.
Did you happen to see the video of Team Penske drivers cheering you on and celebrating your pole?
Before practice our guys were watching #Indy500 qualifying.
I was just so humbled to see that. It was so cool. Those guys are goofs. They’re so funny. And then when they stopped celebrating, they were like, “Wait, why are we celebrating?” It was so funny to see.
I think a lot of my friends and peers — they’ve seen a lot of heartbreak that I’ve gone through in this sport and been so close on so many wins and races and come up short. So it felt really good to me to see that.
What do you think that says about the IndyCar community when your competitors in one of the biggest races in the world are cheering for you to start out front?
I think it’s a community, but I think it’s that I have some pretty cool friends. I think that’s what it means because you don’t see that very often.
For the first time in 104 races, the Indy 500 will be held without fans.
There are a few “firsts” happening during Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC) and the week leading up to it.
The most obvious is that it’s taking place in a month other than May for the first time ever, which is a big deal considering the whole month typically is filled with events and builds up momentum for race day. The IndyCar Series announced the race’s postponement back in March as major events across most sports in the U.S. were delayed or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marco Andretti during qualifying for the 2020 Indianapolis 500. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
For one of the biggest motor sports events in the world with more than a century of history behind it, the lack of fans will surely be noticeable to viewers at home. But what about for drivers on the track?
For The Win spoke with 2020 Indy 500 pole sitter Marco Andretti on Monday about the potential impact of empty grandstands, noting what a difference it will make during the extravagant pre-race festivities.
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“Especially coming out to Gasoline Alley, this place is electric on race day normally,” said Andretti, who is the first member of his family to start on the Indy 500 pole since his grandfather and 1969 Indy 500 winner, Mario Andretti, did it in 1987.
Marco qualified first Sunday during the Fast Nine Shootout with a four-lap average of 231.068 miles per hour, edging out Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, by just .017 miles per hour.
“So that’s going to be super strange,” Marco continued to explain about not having fans. “However, at 240 miles an hour, I don’t think we’re going to notice. But it’s one of those double-edged swords, right? Would I have wanted to celebrate yesterday with fans? Absolutely.
“But on the other hand, we’re super lucky that Roger [Penske] picked the series up and is keeping it going through these times. And so if we’re able to keep sport going in a safe way, I think the world needs it. I think it’s a good thing. So we’re happy to be driving, so I’m not complaining.”
The 104th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, August 23 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.
