The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Andretti digs deep to honor famous family at Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — Fresh off one of the biggest moments of his career, Marco Andretti headed to St. Elmo’s Steakhouse for a modest celebration.
Bryan Herta, the consigliere in his ears on race days, sat on his right. Marta, his wife, was on his left. Andretti was quiet, as he generally is in public, soaking up his time in the spotlight. It’s never been his turn. He is always at someone else’s party.
This one was clearly for him. Another diner at the Indianapolis landmark said, “Go get ’em Marco” as he passed by the table. Sage Karam, like Andretti a Pennsylvania-raised racer, led guests as they raised a glass to Andretti for “laying down a fat one.” That’s what the late Dan Wheldon said, according to Andretti, to describe a huge lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andretti had done just that, seizing the first Indianapolis 500 pole in 33 years for motorsports’ most famous family by bumping fivetime series champion Scott Dixon on the final run of the day. It was a glorious moment and a nail-biting test of Andretti’s ability. His car was consistently the best in buildup to qualifying, but Andretti needed to summon the nerve to push his car to its very limit Sunday. At stake was the first Andretti pole since his grandfather Mario won his last in 1987, when Marco was just 2 months old.
He’s still got to actually win the race. But earning the right to lead the field to green in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is a resume highlight all by itself — and for Andretti, it is a defining moment. He is under constant scrutiny for his failure to find success — in the IndyCar Series and, even worse, at the speedway itself.
This is the only race that really matters to the Andretti family and the organization is loaded this year. Four Andretti cars made the fast nine shootout Sunday and they were the clear contenders to win the pole. One by one, they failed to replicate the speed the team knows is there in the cars and then suddenly there was Dixon atop the leaderboard.
Andretti was the final driver on the track. With a confidence he has struggled to show in recent years, Andretti ripped four laps around the 2.5-mile oval — wide-open on the gas, fast and fearless in pursuit of his own moment of glory.
“On the last lap, I knew it was either all or nothing,” Andretti said Monday. “I was either not going to finish or the run was going to be very good. I had to dig deep for that, reach for the next level.”
His run was wildly celebrated by his fellow competitors; even Dixon said he was rooting for Andretti. “He’s such a great guy,” Dixon said. “To see him get a pole position at Indianapolis — I know what that means to him.”
Mario Andretti won the Indy 500 only once, in 1969, and five Andrettis are a combined 1-for-74 when it comes to winning the most famous race on the IndyCar calendar, leading to the notorious “Andretti Curse” label. “We don’t believe in it as a family,” Marco said. “We’ve been really blessed around here ... It’s hard to say we’re cursed.”