Having grown up in Nazareth I always enjoyed going anywhere and in conversation when someone said, "where are you from?" I'd reply, "Nazareth." And undoubtedly they'd say, "Mario Andretti's hometown." It never failed. Sometimes it'd be the "Andretti's" if they knew Michael as many did in the late 80s and 90s, but open wheel racing has fallen off since the split.
The past two Indy 500s ought to be waking some people up again as the excitement is apparent and stars are being born. Last year it was Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon, this year it was Marco Andretti. In the near future expect to see Al Unser, (III), whose father also came out of retirement this year to race at Indy.
Alot has been written and said about the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500, perhaps the most exciting autorace in memory. The drama and excitement of this life and death sport featuring drivers testing the limits of themselves and technology was exponentially amplified by emotion.
Nazareth's Michael Andretti returned to the famed track to win the single race that has eluded him throughout an illustrious career and with a handful of laps remaining was leading the race as a result of a fuel strategy.
In second place, his 19 year old son Marco, making his Indy debut, less than one year after graduating from Notre Dame at Green Pond.
Laying in wait, Sam Hornish, Jr., driving for the Captain, Roger Penske, the most successful owner in Indy history. Hornish was fast gaining an Andretti-like reputation at Indy not having finished a single 500 he started despite winning a pair of series championships and numerous other races.
In 2006, though, Sam dominated the month of May posting fast lap after fast lap. A late race pit stop turned disastrous as the fuel hose got stuck and Hornish pulled away costing him a drive through penalty. Being last on lead lap, the team made the most of their situation and got new tires and topped off the fuel. He remained on the tail end of the lead lap with arguably the best equipment left on the track.
Also in the mix were the Target Chip Ganassi cars of defending Champion Dan Wheldon, who left Andretti-Green Racing opening the door for Marco and who led the most laps of the day nearly lapping the field during the first half of the event, and Scott Dixon a former series champion.
As a fan the final laps were as exciting as any sporting event I can recall. Marco challenged Michael and made the pass, then seemingly out of no where Hornish drafted right up to the back end of Marco. Marco fought off one charge and typically that would have been the race as Hornish lost his momentum and Marco continued at speed. That was not the case as Hornish found the speed - in a faster car from the start now possessing newer tires - and coming out of turn four was able to make the pass on the low side and win the race in the second closest finish in 90 races.
It was heart-breaking as a fan of the Andretti's to come so close and not see it happen, but in perspective it will be long remembered as one of the greatest races from start to finish as well as the race that introduced the world to the next generation of Andretti. Marco has much to be proud of in his first month of May as a driver and many more moments to look forward to making. I hope the community supports him as they have his father and grandfather and that he continues to bring positive recognition to our community as he has so far.
Click on these links to read the race stories from USA Today or ESPN.
Click here to visit Marco's website.
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