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| Born | March 12, 1963 | ||||||
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| Hometown | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series statistics | |||||||
| Car #, team | #34 - Front Row Motorsports | ||||||
| 2008 Sprint Cup position | 62nd | ||||||
| Best cup position | 11th - 1998 | ||||||
| First race | 1993 Tyson/Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
| First win | 1997 Pepsi 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last win | 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Nationwide Series statistics | |||||||
| 2007 NNS position | 147th | ||||||
| Best NNS position | 12th - 2006 | ||||||
| First race | 1998 Goody's 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2007 Orbitz 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series statistics | |||||||
| 6 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| First race | 2005 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Kansas) | ||||||
| Last race | 2008 Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Winn-Dixie (Talladega) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of March 27, 2009. | |||||||
| John Andretti | |
|---|---|
| CART Championship Car | |
| Years active | 1987-1994 |
| Teams | Curb Motorsports Vince Granatelli Racing Porsche Motorsports Hall-VDS Racing A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| Starts | 73 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 8th in 1991 & 1992 |
| Previous series | |
| 1984-1987, 1989 1984 1983 |
IMSA Camel GT USAC Sprint Car USAC Midgets |
John Andretti (born March 12, 1963 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #34 Chevrolet Impala in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports out of Statesville NC. He has won in CART, NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters, endurance racing and NASCAR stock car racing. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup Race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.
Contents |
Andretti family
Andretti's father, Aldo Andretti, had his racing career cut short due to a racing accident.[1] He also has a younger brother named Adam Andretti who has also competed in several racing series; they are both nephews of IndyCar racing legend Mario Andretti (Aldo's twin), cousin of Mario's sons Michael and Jeff. Andretti is the godson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt. The Andretti family became the first family to have four relatives (Michael, Mario, Jeff, and John) compete in the same series (CART). [1] In 1990, 1991 and 1992, they had four family members competing in the Indy 500.
CART
Andretti has one win (Australia, '91) and 61 top-10s in 74 career races in CART. He joined the PPG Indy Car World Series (CART) in 1987, winning the Rookie of the Year award. In 1988, Andretti made his debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, racing as high as seventh before mechanical problems forced him to finish 21st.
In 1991 he won the only race of his CART career, winning the Gold Coast Grand Prix in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. That same year he finished a career-best fifth in the Indianapolis 500. A week later at the Milwaukee Mile, Michael, John and Mario became the only known family in motorsports history to finish first, second and third respectively in a major auto race. In 1994, he became the first driver to attempt the "double," racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., on the same day. The 1994 Indy 500 would be his last Indy 500 effort until 2007.
IMSA GTP & Rolex Sports Car Series
In 1986 Andretti drove a BMW M12 March along with co-driver Davy Jones in the IMSA Camel GT Series. While the BMWs had limited success in IMSA competition, Andretti and Jones won the Kodak Copier 500 at Watkins Glen on September 21, 1986.[2]
In 1989, Andretti drove the Miller High Life/BFGoodrich Porsche 962 to victory in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (called the Sunbank 24 at Daytona at the time) along with co-drivers Bob Wollek and Derek Bell. Andretti and Wollek went on to win another race on the 1989 IMSA circuit at the Pontiac Grand Prix of Palm Beach, driving the same Porsche 962.[3] Andretti finished 5th in points (112) after the 1989 IMSA season and first among Porsche drivers.[4]
In 2001 Andretti teamed up with Kyle Petty to win a 6 hour sportscar race at Watkins Glen.
Andretti returned to the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008. Team drivers for the Vision Racing #03 Porsche Crawford Prototype included Ed Carpenter, A. J. Foyt IV, and Vitor Meira. The Porsche Crawford Prototype entry in the 24 Hours of Daytona marked the first attempt for this team which resulted in 25th overall finish in the race.[5]
Top Fuel
In 1993, John Andretti drove the Taco Bell Top Fuel Dragster for owner Jack Clark, reaching the semi-finals in his first national event and clocking a career best speed of 299 mph (481 km/h).
NASCAR
1993-1999
Andretti made his Winston Cup debut in 1993 driving the #72 Tex Racing Chevy for Tex Powell at North Wilkesboro Speedway, starting 31st and finishing 24th. After running three more races in 1993, he began the 1994 season driving the #14 Financial World Chevy for Billy Hagan. On May 29, he became the first driver in history to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, finishing tenth at Indy and thirty-sixth in the Coca-Cola 600 after suffering mechanical failures. In the middle of the season he switched to the #43 STP Pontiac for Petty Enterprises finishing a best 11th at Richmond International Raceway. He ended the season 32nd in points and fifth in the Rookie of the Year battle.
In 1995, he began driving for Michael Kranefuss in #37 K Mart/Little Caesars Ford Thunderbird. He won his first career pole at the Southern 500 and finished in the top-ten five times, and ended the season eighteenth in points. During the 1996 season, he switched to the #98 RCA Ford owned by Cale Yarborough(while Jeremy Mayfield, the previous driver of the #98 car, moved to Kranefuss' team) and responded with a fifth-place finish at the Hanes 500. He finished in the top ten twice more. In 1997, he scored his first career win at the Pepsi 400 and finished 23rd in points. He returned to the #43 Petty car in 1998 and despite not winning another race, he had ten top-tens and finished a career-best 11th in points. He won his second career race in 1999 at Martinsville Speedway, making up a lost lap and taking the lead with four laps to go, as well as winning the pole at Phoenix International Raceway.
2000-2005
Midway through the 2000 season, Cheerios became Andretti's primary sponsor, but he fell to 23rd in points after finishing in the top-ten twice. Over the next two seasons, Andretti posted three top-ten finishes, before he was released midway through the 2003 season. He originally ran a couple of races for Haas CNC Racing and Richard Childress Racing before running a majority of the remainder of the season in the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., his best finish was a 12th at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Andretti opened the 2004 season driving the #1 part-time for DEI, but departed midway through the season. He ended the year driving the #14 Victory Brand Ford Taurus for ppc Racing, finishing 22nd at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Andretti started 2005 with ppc before the team was forced to dissolve due to a lack of funding. He drove four races in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports, finishing eighth at Memphis Motorsports Park. He also attempted a handful of Cup races for Morgan-McClure Motorsports' #4 Lucas Oil entry, finishing 28th at Michigan International Speedway.
2006- Present
In 2006, Andretti returned to ppc to drive their #10 car. Before the season, his only Busch start came in 1998 at Daytona, where he finished 13th in the #96 Chevy fielded by the Curb Agajanian Performance Group. Despite having made over three hundred Cup starts with two victories, Andretti applied for and was accepted as a contender for Rookie of the Year. He finished runner-up to Danny O'Quinn for the award.
In 2007, Andretti's plans were to drive a in the Busch Series for Braun Racing. Andretti drove the #10 FreedomRoads/Camping World/RVs.com [[Car] for Braun Racing at Daytona through their affiliation with his former team ppc Racing. When funding for the team became questionable, Andretti left Braun Racing with the team using various drivers in 2007 in any attempt to maintain a two car team. Andretti drove four races for Petty Enterprises in the #45 car, filling in for Kyle Petty in when Petty was working as a broadcaster for TNT's race coverage, as well as driving part-time briefly for Front Row Motorsports. He finished the season in the #49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge for BAM Racing.
Andretti drove for Front Row Motorsports in 2008 by driving the car number #34 Chevrolet Impala SS in the Sprint Cup Series. He raced his way into the 2008 Daytona 500 in the second Gatorade Duel race. He drove in the first ten races of the season in the 34 before leaving to focus on his IndyCar team.
Andretti returned to the 34 in 2009 full-time, driving with a partnership between Front Row and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The 34 has had sponsorship from Window World, myAutoloan.com, and Taco Bell.
IRL IndyCar Series
On May 16, 2007, it was officially announced that Andretti would return to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 1994 when he pulled the double (competed in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day). He drove the third entry from Panther Racing, with Camping World as the sponsor. On May 19, he qualified for the 91st Indianapolis 500 with an average speed for the four lap qualifying run of 221.756 mph (356.882 km/h). He started in 24th on the eighth row, but crashed on lap 95, and finished 30th.
It was announced on May 10, 2008 that John Andretti would replace Jay Howard in the Roth Racing #24 Dallara-Honda. John qualified for his 9th Indy 500 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 with a 4-lap average of 221.550 mph (356.550 km/h) that put him 21st on the grid and finished on the lead lap in 16th place. On May 30 it was announced that Andretti would continue in the #24 car in the Milwaukee Mile and Texas Motor Speedway races. On June 6 Andretti was offered a deal that would keep him in the car the rest of the season which he ultimately did not accept.[6]
Andretti’s run with Roth Racing produced some notable results for the team. He managed to qualify 7th at the Texas Motor Speedway race. Although a great start, he would ultimately wind up finishing 16th. He began his trip to Iowa Speedway with a rough 23rd position start, but steadily worked his way through the field to capture an 11th place finish. His 11th place finish was the best for a Roth Racing machine. His last start for the team was at Richmond International Raceway the next week where he was knocked out by a crash. Roth Racing contracted to a single car for the rest of the season and ceased operations at the end of the season. Andretti finished 30th in the 2008 IndyCar points standings.
In April 2009 Andretti and former car owner Richard Petty announced a joint venture with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing where Andretti would return to Indianapolis to drive the #43 car in the Indy 500. As in his past two trips to Indianapolis Andretti will not race the Indy/Charlotte double in the same day, and will miss the Southern 500 as well as the Coca-Cola 600 to prepare for the race. Andretti is slated to return to drive the #34 at Front Row Motorsports immediately following the Indianapolis 500, returning for the Dover 400 in June.
Off the Track
Andretti is active in the Central Indiana community. Each year during the Brickyard 400 week, John teams up with 93.1 WIBC, and Dave "The King" Wilson, and General Mills to hold the Race for Riley, benefiting James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children. It takes place at the Mark Dismore Karting Center in New Castle, Indiana. Graduated from Moravian College with degree in business management and believes he would’ve been an investment banker or stock broker if he hadn’t started racing. Enjoys Joe Pesci and Nicholas Cage movies. Favorite movie is raucous comedy “Animal House.” Favorite band is hard-rock group AC/DC. In December 2004, spent seven days in the Middle East visiting service personnel in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
As of 2007, John can be heard as the part-time co-host of The Driver's Seat with John Kernan on Sirius Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel 128.
Career History
American Open-Wheel
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
CART Champ CAR
IRL IndyCar
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Panther |  HMS |
STP |
 MOT |
KAN |
INDY Ret |
MIL |
TXS |
IOW |
RIR |
WGL |
NSH |
MDO |
MIS |
KTY |
SNM |
DET |
CHI |
35th | 10 | |
| 2008 | Roth | HMS |
STP |
MOT |
LBH |
KAN |
INDY 16 |
MIL 19 |
TXS 16 |
IOW 11 |
RIR Ret |
WGL |
NSH |
MDO |
KTY |
SNM |
DET |
CHI |
 SRF |
30th | 71 |
| 2009 | Richard Petty | STP |
LBH |
KAN |
INDY 19 |
MIL |
TXS |
IOW |
RIR |
WGL |
 TOR |
EDM |
KTY |
MDO |
SNM |
CHI |
MOT |
HMS |
37th | 12 |
| Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums (Non-win) |
Top 10s (Non-podium) |
Indianapolis 500 Wins |
Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Lola | Cosworth | 27th | 21st | Curb |
| 1989 | Lola | Buick | 12th | 25th | Granatelli |
| 1990 | March | Porsche | 10th | 21st | Porsche |
| 1991 | Lola | Chevrolet | 7th | 5th | Hall/VDS |
| 1992 | Lola | Chevrolet | 14th | 8th | Hall/VDS |
| 1993 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 24th | 10th | Foyt |
| 1994 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 10th | 10th | Foyt |
| 2007 | Dallara | Honda | 24th | 30th | Panther |
| 2008 | Dallara | Honda | 21st | 16th | Roth |
| 2009 | Dallara | Honda | 28th | 19th | Richard Petty |
References
- ^ a b Super Mario had speed to burn; Larry Schwartz; ESPN.com, Retrieved July 12, 2007
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/imsa1986.html#15
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/imsa1989.html#5
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/tableimsa.html#1989GTP
- ^ Vision Racing - News
- ^ Roth Racing holds onto John Andretti, Indianapolis Star, May 30, 2008
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Andretti |
- The Official Andretti Family Website
- Front Row Motorsports Website
- Race 4 Riley Hospital for Children
- John Andretti Fan Page
- John's window to Indy 2009
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