John Andretti News - 2008

Ridin' with John Andretti: Trucks at Las Vegas
09/21/2008 Las Vegas -

John Andretti spent the weekend revisiting a former chapter of his wildly diverse racing career at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and with a hard-driven race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he grabbed a remarkable result by anyone's standards, nevermind the fact that it was a one-race deal.

Andretti finished fourth in the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 driving the No.15 Hyprene-Ergon Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports. That was just 1.643 seconds behind the victorious Toyota Tundra Toyota of Mike Skinner, who held off Colin Braun in a breathtaking green-white-checker finish.

But you could argue the moral victory went to Andretti. His result wasn't just through good fortune or bright strategy: it was hard work, inspiration, good driver feedback and some great mid-race engineering.

Read the full article on Toyota.com

Andretti - Sieg Make Mark on Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV | 09-20-2008

In his first race driving the Ergon Tundra, John Andretti yielded the No. 15 team’s best finish of the season. Andretti scored a major comeback in the Qwik Liner 350, overcoming a loose handling truck to take the checkers in fourth-place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The effort marked the team’s first top-five of the season.

In the beginning stages of the race, few would have given Andretti a chance at reaching the top-15. His truck was “loose, loose, loose” all the way through the turns and preventing him from improving his 23rd place starting position.

Crew chief Doug George called for several adjustments during the preliminary caution periods of the event. George ordered adjustments to the truck’s track bar, wedge, air pressure and spring rubbers throughout the first half of the race. “We just couldn’t get it tightened up", said Andretti. "We made some wholesale swaps to the Ergon Tundra, and it was still too loose to drive. I couldn’t touch the gas without it wanting to spin out. We adjusted nearly everything on the truck. At first it didn’t seem like we were going to fix it, but all of the sudden, it started clicking.” The team made a major track bar adjustment during the caution period on lap 76 and Andretti’s lap times improved substantially. After the tweak, the Ergon Tundra began running lap times consistent with the leaders.

Read the full article on BillyBallewMotorsports.com

Andretti continues in the No. 24 Roth car
Friday, May 30, 2008
By indycar.com staff

John Andretti, who advanced five positions to finish 16th in the 92nd Indianapolis 500, will remain in the seat of the No. 24 Roth Racing car for the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile this weekend and the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway on June 7.

"We had a sort of historic event happen at Milwaukee in 1991," said Andretti, who competed in four CART races at The Mile. "I still say I won the race but they gave it to my cousin Michael, and I always tell that to Michael too, but of course he disagrees. It was the three Andrettis (uncle Mario was third) on the podium, which has never happened in history for a family to do that, and I don't know that it ever will again because you have to have three in the race to make it happen.
Read full article on IndyCar.com

John Andretti finishes 16th in 2008 Indy 500

John Andretti Rolls With Changes Through Three Decades At Indy

By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Saturday, May 24, 2008

In 1988, John Andretti finished 21st as a rookie in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. On May 25, 20 years later, he will start from that same position as the only remaining driver from that 33-car starting field still competing.

Andretti raced that year with his uncle Mario and cousin Michael, and three years later the trio was joined by Mario's other son Jeff. Now for the second straight year, he will take the green along with Michael's son Marco, who qualified seventh.

This pushes the Andretti clan's total races to 58, second only to the 73 by Unser family.

But while the Unsers have nine victories between them, the Andrettis only have one. And that happened so long ago - by Mario in 1969 - that race fans younger than 39 years old weren't even born yet.

But John Andretti predicts all of that losing is about to come to an end.

Andretti, a man who at 45 was not afraid to jump out of an airplane for the first time this week, also had no fear in forecasting that an Andretti is his favorite to win the 92nd running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Read full article on Indy500.com

Roth Racing Qualifies Both Cars At Indy
Indianapolis, Indiana - Sunday, May 18, 2008

Coming into the month of May Roth Racing had high hopes of getting both of its cars into the field for the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Little did they know how hard, and nerve racking, it would be to accomplish that feat.

Recently recruited driver John Andretti accomplished the first half of the organizations goals by qualifying the 1-800-Las-Vegas #24 car in the middle of the pack on Saturday with a 4-lap average of 221.550 mph, good for 21st on the grid.
Read full article on MartyRothRacing.com

Andretti watching weather as he prepares for Indy qualifying

Published: 5/16/08, 6:25 PM EDT By MIKE HARRIS

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - John Andretti has been around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway long enough to know that the weather can fool you.

After scrambling the previous day, along with everyone else, to get track time in gloomy, cold and windy conditions, Friday's sunshine and warmer temperatures weren't going to con Andretti, who will try Saturday to qualify for his ninth Indianapolis 500 start dating to 1988.

"The weather obviously is nice today, compared with what we've been fighting," said Andretti, who came up with a last-minute Indy ride from owner-driver Marty Roth last weekend. "It's not going to be like that tomorrow.

"I think we're going to get a couple of little changes in (today), do some different things. But we also know that tomorrow is going to be a big, different day and we don't want to get so far down one way and trick ourselves into thinking that we've done something good when the track is just giving us more today than it will tomorrow.

"This place is hard because you can run yourself in circles. We're going to try not to do that today."

Andretti, nephew of 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti, is one of more than two dozen drivers hoping to grab one of the remaining 22 spots in the 33-car lineup for the May 25 race. He looked like a lock to get it done after turning a fast lap of 222.860, good for sixth on Friday's speed chart.
Read full article on Att.net

John Andretti Steps Into Roth Racing Seat For Indy 500

Saturday, May 10, 2008

John Andretti will attempt to qualify for his ninth Indianapolis 500 in the No. 24 Roth Racing car.

Andretti, who started 24th and finished 30th last year in a Panther Racing-prepared car in his first Indy 500 since 1994, will replace Jay Howard in the seat for the race. Howard, the 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion, passed the Rookie Orientation Program earlier in the week and practiced May 6. He has finishes of 22nd, 14th, 13th and 13th in IndyCar Series races this season.

"As a result of the days lost due to weather, and losing our chief engineer (David Cripps) days before the start of this month, we found ourselves behind the 8-ball," team president Margaret Roth said. "John brings with him a wealth of experience, which can help us build two competitive cars for the 500. Jay will be back at Milwaukee. He has our full support. He's a great driver."

Andretti, cousin of Andretti Green Racing co-owner Michael Andretti, has a best start/finish at Indianapolis of seventh and fifth in 1991 with Hall/VDS Racing. He debuted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1988 in a Mike Curb Motorsports car, finishing 21st.

"I want to feel it out a little bit, and see what we can do," Andretti said on the way to pit lane for the tail end of practice preceding qualifications for the first 11 spots in the 33-car field. He topped 220 mph on three laps.

Team owner-driver Marty Roth will attempt to qualify for his fourth 500-Mile Race in the No. 25 car. He has a high finish of 24th in 2004.

Roth Racing expanded to a two-car full-season team for 2008. Roth has a best finish of 17th this season at Twin Ring Motegi.
Read full article on Indy500.com

John Andretti gets Indy 500 ride: (Courtesy of Jayski.com)

John Andretti will attempt to qualify for his ninth Indianapolis 500 in the #24 Roth Racing car. Andretti, who started 24th and finished 30th last year in a Panther Racing-prepared car in his first Indy 500 since 1994, will replace Jay Howard in the seat for the race. Howard, the 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion, passed the Rookie Orientation Program earlier in the week and practiced May 6. He has finishes of 22nd, 14th, 13th and 13th in IndyCar Series races this season.

"As a result of the days lost due to weather, and losing our chief engineer (David Cripps) days before the start of this month, we found ourselves behind the 8-ball," team president Margaret Roth said. "John brings with him a wealth of experience, which can help us build two competitive cars for the 500. Jay will be back at Milwaukee. He has our full support. He's a great driver."

"I want to feel it out a little bit, and see what we can do," Andretti said on the way to pit lane for the tail end of practice preceding qualifications for the first 11 spots in the 33-car field. He topped 220 mph on three laps. Team owner-driver Marty Roth will attempt to qualify for his fourth 500-Mile Race in the #25 car. He has a high finish of 24th in 2004.(Roth Racing), Andretti skipped Darlington and Lowe's testing to find an Indy 500 ride and Jeff Green attempted and failed to get the #34 Chevy into the race at Darlington.(5-10-2008)