Marco Andretti Retires From Racing After 20-year Indycar Career

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At nan commencement of May each twelvemonth for nan past 2 decades, IndyCar circles openly asked nan question, "Is it Marco's year?" We already cognize that adjacent twelvemonth won't beryllium his year. Marco Andretti announced his retirement from racing connected Wednesday. The third-generation driver famously fell short of winning nan Indianapolis 500 arsenic a rookie successful 2006 by 0.0635 seconds. The 38-year-old ended his full-time IndyCar profession aft nan 2020 season but returned annually for a one-off Indy 500 successful nan years afterward.

Andretti received video farewell messages from a cavalcade of racing dignitaries he competed pinch and against, including Roger Penske, Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. In his message, Michael Andretti described his son's clip successful racing arsenic "a profession of almosts." It's an meticulous explanation erstwhile you see that Marco only won 2 races crossed his 253-race IndyCar career. With his notoriety and connections pinch nan series, Marco could person continued racing astatine Indianapolis each May but he decided to measurement distant to attraction connected his family:

"I americium very overmuch astatine bid pinch nan adjacent section successful my life aft dedicating 3 decades to nan sport. I will beryllium prioritizing astir of my clip connected being a awesome begetter to my daughter, Miura, and tending to my different business ventures."

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Expectations were ever precocious for Marco arsenic nan boy of CART's all-time wins leader and nan grandson of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti. The anticipation of different American racing superstar was only heightened erstwhile he yet won his first title astatine Sonoma later successful his rookie season. A then-19-year-old Marco became nan youngest victor successful IndyCar history. However, it wasn't nan first of many. The 2nd and last triumph of his profession would travel successful nan 2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250. Marco's oval-focused skillset wasn't well-suited for nan extremity of the IRL/CART split. The IndyCar's unification successful 2008 led to an influx of roadworthy and thoroughfare circuits onto nan schedule. The bid that Marco spent his life preparing for was efficaciously gone overnight, and he didn't accommodate arsenic good arsenic his rivals.

Critics perpetually derided Andretti's tenure astatine nan squad owned and operated by his father. While Marco was seldom ever a title contender, location were plentifulness of agleam spots and melodramatic moments from his later career. Notably, he won rod for nan 2020 Indianapolis 500 arsenic nan Andretti Autosport squad locked retired nan apical 4 positions. After leaving full-time work successful IndyCar, he dabbled successful banal car racing and won nan 2022 play of Superstar Racing Experience. Though, arsenic it stands, nan Andretti curse will stay successful spot astatine nan Indy 500 for nan foreseeable future.