INDIANAPOLIS — Marco Andretti knows how much heartache his family has suffered at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He needs no reminders that IndyCar could use an American superstar, and with his famous last name, he is quite aware of the hope that maybe he can be the one to elevate this attention-starved series.
None of that matters to Andretti as he heads into the Indianapolis 500.
He believes he can win today’s race — “it’s going to be our race to lose,” he said — and he wants it, badly. But Andretti wants it for himself, for his own career, and not because of what it would mean to his family or for IndyCar. Mario Andretti won in 1969, and no Andretti has done it again in 65 starts and many of those races were devastating near-misses.
“That’s not my approach to the event. My approach is I want to win our Super Bowl,” Andretti said. “I put that pressure on myself. I don’t want to do it because he did it and my dad didn’t, that’s all bonus. Do I think we can? You’re darn right.”
The 96th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is the most wide-open race in a very long time.
“I think we’re going to see the best race we’ve had in at least a decade,” said Roger Penske, winner of 15 Indy 500s and the team owner of pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe.
Penske is undefeated this season, as Helio Castroneves and points leader Will Power have combined to win the first four races. And with Chevrolet power, Penske drivers have swept all five poles so far this season.
IndyCar is seeking a new star now that Danica Patrick has fled to NASCAR, and will miss her first Indy 500 since 2005. She was the de facto face of the series, and IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard knows he needs somebody else to step up and fill her void.
He knows an Andretti win would be a very good thing for the series.
“Wherever you go in the world, Andretti is known in racing,” he said. “This is Marco’s stance. I’ve never seen him so confident. It’s like a new Marco to me.”
But Bernard doesn’t care who wins on today so long as it is a great race with tremendous story lines.
“When you’re sitting at home on the couch, or you’re sitting here, you just watched an exhausting 500 miles of a great race, and the drivers get absorbed in it and show their passion,” Bernard said. “These 33 drivers, they have no guarantee they’re going to be in the race next year. This could be their last opportunity to win. That’s the drama. I think that is important to the sport.”
Indy got that emotion last year when JR Hildebrand crashed coming out of the final turn while leading. It opened the door for Dan Wheldon to sail by for his second Indy 500 win, and made for a fascinating display of raw emotion.
Wheldon was killed five months later in a 15-car accident in the IndyCar season finale, and his presence has been felt at the speedway all month. He’s featured on the race day ticket, his car has been on display and owner Bryan Herta will drive it in a lap of honor before the race. — AP