Competitive Inferno Still Burns in Michael Andretti as Successful Team Owner
May 25, 2019 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
An unmistakably intense competitiveness rages in team owner Michael Andretti in much the same way that characteristic defined him as a driver.
He’s quick to separate the two identities. Nothing replaces driving in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. That he’s won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” five times as an owner doesn’t make up for not winning as a driver.
But racing still stirs him. And just like when he drove, Andretti aspires to be the best.
How much does it mean? Nobody has more cars in the race Sunday than Andretti’s five. His Andretti Autosport team has won three of the last five Indy 500s. The other two went to Hall of Fame owner Roger Penske.
Make no mistake, Michael is chasing Roger, who has a record 17 Indy 500 victories.
“I know Indy is everything to Roger,” Andretti said. “I know before he’s gone, he wants 20 wins. I know that’s in his head. I’m sure it is. He’s going to be tough. He’s going to be doing whatever he can to get to those 20 wins.
“What he’s accomplished has been pretty amazing. It’s a nice thing to go after. When I’m 80 years old, I hope I’m at 21.”
That pursuit hardly comes as a surprise to those who know Andretti best.
“That’s Dad,” said his son, Marco. “Roger has had a bit of a head start, but we’re on a good path to get there. That’s how Dad was as a driver. Roger was always a benchmark when Dad was driving, as well. Yeah, he’s a relentless competitor, no matter what you’re doing. That’s why I like to beat him in tennis every once in a while and video games. It’s fun.”
Cousin John Andretti, who started 12 Indy 500s with a best finish of fifth, laughed when informed of Michael’s comment.
“Roger sets the mark, and Michael has set the goal to beat that mark,” John said. “You’ve got two great competitors there. That’s only good for racing, to have them battle like that. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Michael.”
Marco qualified 10th in the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda. The 32-year-old driver still wants nothing more than to win the Indy 500. His best run was as a rookie in 2006, when he finished second after being passed in the final 200 yards by Sam Hornish Jr.
Chasing that ultimate dream never gets old, not for Marco nor Michael.
“Hell, yeah, that’s why we’re doing it,” Michael said. “I’m not here to be second. We’re here to compete for the win. That’s what drives us all. I don’t want to just be out there.
“We want to be in contention. When we’re not, it’s very, very frustrating. It makes you work really hard to get there. There’s been times we’ve come here and we were not competitive, but that makes us work that much harder the next year to get it right.”
There was a time when Michael the driver couldn’t help but dwell on his many disappointments in this race. He won 42 career races, as well as a CART championship. But he also has the dubious distinction of leading the most Indy 500 laps (431) without a victory. That ranks 11th overall. For some perspective, consider that five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon is 10th with 439 laps led.
“I told him the other day I wish he would have driven for himself in the DW-12 (current car) because in the last six years of his career, he was the car to beat and the team to beat,” John said. “He could have won that race for himself.”
But, alas, that’s in the past.
“He’s happy in life and doing what he’s doing,” John said. “I can appreciate that, too.”
Michael, at 56, does indeed sound happy about the team he has built since 2003.
“Absolutely, I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to put together,” he said. “Our organization, I think we have fantastic people. That’s what makes it work. We’ve done a good job at the top to put people in the right positions and to give them the resources they need to go and do their job and make us competitive.
“It’s fun, a lot of hard work, a lot of pressure, but I enjoy it. It gives me a good reason to wake up in the morning. I always wonder like what would I have been doing had I not done this after I retired. I don’t know; it’s scary. I really don’t know.”
Two of his current drivers, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay, have won the Indy 500. Rossi qualified ninth in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda. Hunter-Reay starts 22nd in the No. 28 DHL Honda.
His other two drivers are Conor Daly and Zach Veach. Daly is next to Marco in 11th in the No. 25 United States Air Force Honda. Veach qualified 28th in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
“They all push each other, which is what it’s all about,” Michael said. “They work together, which is what it’s all about. Our team chemistry is really good right now. They get along really well. That carries on down through the team. It’s all for one and one for all. That’s how we work.
“When we come out of that last pit stop, hopefully our cars are running against each other and at that point they’re going for the win. That’s the goal: They’re racing their teammates and not the other guys.”
Penske and fellow legendary owner Chip Ganassi often have repeated what Michael has said of “The Big Three” competing against each other. They know they’ve accomplished something by beating the best.
“I think he’s done a phenomenal job,” John said. “He’s my cousin, and he’s closer to me than almost anybody other than my immediate family, my son and my daughters. He means a lot. I couldn’t be more proud of the things he’s done.
“In my opinion, he’s just been unbelievable as an owner. The guy was extremely talented as a driver and obviously nobody is ever going to take that away from him. But as an owner, it’s been amazing the things that he’s done. He takes risks like he did on the racetrack, and he gets rewarded for it because he’s willing to do that. He’s done a phenomenal job.”
John recalled how he was in Michael’s office one time and told he could sit in his chair.
“I was just joking with him, but said, ‘I wouldn’t sit in that electric chair if you paid me,’” John said. “He does love the ownership side of it, I think, at least that’s what he says, and he shows it in his actions. I’ve been more than impressed. And it’s great for the family. He’s certainly extended the legacy of the Andretti family. One thing is to be drivers. The other one is to extend much further in the sport. He’s done that for the family.”
Michael Andretti will look to extend his racing legacy and that of the Andretti family once again Sunday. He likes his chances with his five cars.
But he knows Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 too well. He doesn’t expect to win. He’s hopeful.
“You kidding me?” he said with a laugh. “Yeah, I hope to win. I’m feeling that all the way until I know a driver can coast across the finish line. I’ve been here too many times. Anything can happen. I’ve lived ‘em.”