After 61 years and 55 Indianapolis 500-mile races, an Andretti will not be on the grid in IndyCar or the 500. Marco Andretti announced his retirement from racing Wednesday. Next May it will be strange not to see this storied name on the grid or on the entry list.
Andretti is the last of the Andrettis to race in the 500. My first 500 was in 1962. I have seen an Andretti on the grid since 1965, Mario’s rookie year. Outside of the split years from 1996-2000 and 1979 when Mario was in Formula 1, an Andretti has been in the field on Memorial Day weekend. I will definitely feel a void in May of 2026.
Besides Mario, Michael, and Marco, Jeff Andretti, Michael’s other son, and John Andretti (Aldo’s son) also ran in the 500. Mario, Michael, Jeff, and Michael all started the race in 1991 and 1992. One odd statistic is that Michael is the only one of the five Andrettis to be running at the finish of his final 500.
The Andretti clan has a combined total of 73 Indianapolis 500s on their collective resumes.
Marco began his career in a difficult situation. He followed his mega start grandfather and superstar father into the sport. The pressure on him h tremendous. His near miss of victory at Indy in his rookie year had fans thinking that another great Andretti career had begun. It was not to be. While Marco did well at IMS, he won just two races- at Sonoma and Iowa- five years apart. Andretti also earned three pole positions, including the top spot for the 2020 Indianapolis 500.
We should still see the Andretti name on the team that Michael founded at least through next year. After that I fear the team’s name may change to TWG to reflect6 the new ownership group.
The Andretti name will soon fall to the archives as have many of the great multigenerational names of the past like Vukovich and Unser. It was a pleasure to watch the Andrettis race. Thanks to all of them for the many great years.
To my family, friends, teams, sponsors, and fans who have genuinely supported me for the last 30 years in motorsports, I want to thank you for allowing me the privilege to continue our family’s passion on the racetrack. I have had some really fun times behind the wheel in a lot of different types of racing cars — a lot of great memories as well, mostly at the Indy 500. Today, I am announcing my retirement from motor racing and the Indianapolis 500. That totals 20 starts at the Speedway, which I feel so fortunate to be able to say. That is ranked 12th all-time. Not bad for a 38-year-old. I am proud of my overall stats at the Indy 500. I had six very legitimate shots at victory with Andretti Autosport and ended up with 20% top-3 finishes at the Speedway. It feels accomplishing to me to be able to retire having more podium finishes than my father Michael and the same as my grandfather Mario at the biggest race in the world. I will never forget the rare circumstance of getting to race my dad in the closing laps for the win there — the pressure of participating in a dramatic Bump Day in 2011 to a pole position in 2020. That is what the Indianapolis 500 produces: extremes on both ends. That is why I love and appreciate it so much. I am very much at peace with the next chapter in my life after dedicating three decades to the sport. I will be prioritizing most of my time on being a great father to my daughter, Miura, and tending to my other business ventures. I am also coming out with a memoir about my life called “Defending the Dynasty.” Details coming soon on that. 2006–2025: Competing at the top level of North American motorsport is and has been an honor for me, even in the tough times. That is where I can look back and say I have made my best progress in life as a man. Learning to navigate very difficult dynamics at times, and others doubting me, made me realize that my opinion of myself is the one that should matter the most. Lastly, a special thank-you to a lot of the people I respect in motor racing for the kind words about my driving, work ethic, and true character. – MA 
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 