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October 17th 2007: While the event is still seven weeks away, the wheels of motion have began to turn as teams prepare their driver lineups for the 2nd Annual All-Stars Karting Classic event at the PRI Show

in Orlando, FL. Topkart has come out as the first team to announce their driver lineup in the All-Star event announcing that it will field IndyCar Series star Marco Andretti, ALMS pilot Bryan Herta, and Grand-Am Daytona Prototype driver Joey Hand in the Masters Division of the event. It also announced that it will field Snap-on Stars of Karting regulars Matt Jaskol (the event’s defending champion in the Karter Division), Kyle Wiegand, and Conor Daly in the Karter Division of the event.

20-year old Andretti was set to race in last year’s All-Stars Karting Classic, but was called to action in a conflicting Formula One test for the Honda team in Spain on short notice. He’s looking forward to getting another chance to compete in the one-of-a-kind event. "I was really looking forward to racing at PRI last year. Of course, when the opportunity to test with Honda in Formula One came up I had to jump on it but it will be great to be teammates with Bryan and go for the win in Orlando this year." Andretti is a former junior national champion (2002) in the Stars of Karting Series.

The event will take place on the evening of Thursday, December 6 in a parking lot directly adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center on the opening day of the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. The racing action will be televised in two separate half-hour segments on SPEED Channel’s Lucas Oil on the Edge program series with advertising support from Snap-on Tools and Bridgestone.

October 12th: Marco tests at Skip Barber track in Alabama:

About prior experience at Barber Motorsports Park: “Unfortunately, it didn't help much when I was here (before). It was about five years ago when I was here in a Skip Barber car, so basically it just told me the direction of the circuit - which way it goes. It's good fun. It's a very technical track. It's very hard to be consistent, hard to be flowing. It's hard to get in a rhythm because there are a lot of blind corners. It's very tough to get right - car placement and such. It's a challenging track for a driver, which is always good.

Testing-wise it's kind of tough to get consistent information. But, we go to racetracks like that, so it's good testing for that.”

About the track: “Turn 1 you don't know where the car needs to be until you're already there, so it's also the corner where you get it right or not at that speed it's quite dangerous there, no margin for error. If we were to race here, we'd have to make some corners tighter. It would be heavier breaking, which gives you the opportunity to pass.

Turn 5 is our only heavy breaking point. Otherwise, it's really fast entry everywhere, so you're just using the break to stabilize the car you're not really hard on it. That's a corner where we're really working on the cars, working on traction to get added in for the street courses. I think this would be an awesome motorcycle circuit, which is what it is really.

For IndyCars, it's very narrow, and we'd need some safety updates to race here. There's no margin for error. To race, we do need tighter corners for passing or else you're just going to see follow the leader. To drive, it's good fun. It's very challenging.”

About adding road courses: “I love road courses. More than five (on our schedule) would be great. Maybe less of those bigger, bigger ovals, but short ovals and big ovals are part of it as well.

As a driver, it's really tough to place the car where it needs to be every lap, so it's hard to get in a rhythm. You can't go out and do five real consistent laps, because either you're going to get it right or you're not, so that's what we're dealing with right now.
- MARCO ANDRETTI

Franchitti wins race, IndyCar title at Chicago

Dario Franchitti won the 2007 IndyCar Series title when Scott Dixon's fuel tank was not good to the last drop.

Dixon was just two turns away from winning his second career IndyCar title when his IndyCar ran out of fuel in the third turn. That allowed this year's Indianapolis 500 winner to surge ahead and win Sunday's Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean, giving him just enough points to win the title.
Dixon becomes the third straight driver to win both the Indy 500 and the IndyCar title in the same season, joining Dan Wheldon in 2005 and Sam Hornish Jr. last year.

He will also become the third IndyCar champion to leave the series to join NASCAR when the announcement is finally made later this year after sources confirmed he is leaving Andretti Green Racing for Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team.

Ironically, he beat Ganassi's IndyCar driver for the series championship on Sunday by just 13 points. If Dixon had finished ahead of Franchitti, the native of New Zealand would have beaten Franchitti by seven points.

It was a completely unexpected culmination to one of the most intense championship battles in IndyCar history as Franchitti's team were most concerned about the amount of fuel left in the tank. Instead, it was Dixon's car that ran out when he needed it the most.

Because Franchitti and Dixon were the only drivers to come in and top-off the fuel tank during a lengthy caution period from laps 137-151, they were the only two cars to finish on the lead lap. The two title contenders pitted on lap 148 to give what they thought would be enough to make it to the checkered flag.

When Danica Patrick spun while entering the pits on lap 195, it created the third caution period of the race and gave the two drivers a chance to conserve fuel. The green flag waved on lap 198 for a two-lap shootout with Franchitti pulling alongside the leader, Dixon. The two drivers stayed in that formation all the way to the third turn of the final lap before Dixon's tank went empty and his heart sank, ending his title hopes.

Another Andretti at Chicagoland!
Adam Andretti , second cousin to Marco, younger brother of John Andretti and nephew of Mario, successfully completed his Indy Pro series rookie test Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway. He will make his debut Sept. 9, driving the No. 44 SpeedWorks car. Andretti, 28, has previous experience in karting and the Formula 3 series.

Media: Full report and interview at Motorsport.com READ MORE and on Indycar.com MORE

Sunday August 26th - Sonoma, California:
Marco takes the race lead then dramatically crashes out. Marco had worked his way into a great position prior to the last pit stop by saving fuel and running long on his middle stint. He put in a series of fast laps and was the last to make a final fuel stop, pitting from first position. With the help of his superfast pit crew he emerged to retain the race lead and go for a win.

As Marco worked to get up to speed, championship-chasing team mate Dario Franchitti collided with the back of the #26 car sending MA spinning off the track. Marco's race was over and Dario's car was damaged enough for him to lose position to eventual winner Scott Dixon, DF's rival for the Championship. DF would finish third and fall to second place in the championship with two races to go.

"I feel like I left racing room so I don't know what else to say.  It's tough when you bust your tail for 70 laps straight, finally get some track position and then that happens.  I can't explain how hard it is to make that happen, especially in places where you can't pass.  I was able to catch up to the leaders, while saving fuel, and then I caught them in the pits.  It was a great day for the NYSE boys in the pits and our strategy was awesome.  It's just unfortunate."  

Marco had started in 8th position at the famous Infineon Raceway - the circuit where Marco took his first victory one year ago. He had an opening lap duel with rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay which resulted in wheel contact and some dust, however the #26 car continued to slowly improve.

In qualification on Saturday Marco clipped the curb on entry to the final corner and finished just outside the Firestone Fast Six - the six drivers who would fight it out for pole position. It was a great day for Andretti Green Racing who qualified the first three positions, led by Championship leader Dario Franchitti.
Our Infineon Track Overview

"As soon as I started thinking, 'OK, don’t screw this up,' I actually went to the brakes earlier than I had all weekend in the final turn and I just messed it up. The car was really loose throughout the run, but I think we had enough to make it into the shootout until the last corner. We’ll have to work to get to the front tomorrow."

"Throughout my career, I've always had great races at Infineon.  I've finished on the podium in almost every race I've entered there.  It has got to be one of my favorite places to race, if not the favorite. It's a pretty challenging track and I like that. I came up on road courses and this takes me right back there, plus the facility is incredible.  This is one of the favorite stops for everyone in the series."- Marco Andretti

Photos of last year's Infineon win.

Saturday August 11th - Kentucky Raceway: Marco finished strongly as Teammate Tony Kanaan led the field home at the Meijer Indy 300.

There was unexpected drama at the close of the race as The Flying Scotsman (Championship leader Dario Franchitti) went airborn once again right after finishing in 8th place. Luckily he emerged unscathed.

At the race start the #26 car was lacking pace, however a 38th lap yellow flag saw Marco gain three places with a fast pit stop. One of Marco's trademark fast re-starts saw further improvement and Marco gradually found speed as the race progressed. After a second yellow flag hold-up the Prince of Restarts did it again and gained even more position.

"The balance of the NYSE car was good, but it might have been too good, which took away from our speed. It's a balancing act for sure. We've got to find a faster car that we can hold onto. We weren't too far off of the setup of Tony's (Kanaan) car. The car was good; it just wasn't quick enough to challenge Tony or Dario (Franchitti)." Marco Andretti after the race.

Qualifying and Practice: A busy Friday saw the #26 car on track three times; Two practice sessions and a qualifying run for Saturday's race.

Although Andretti Green Racing cars posted the fastest practice times, Marco's car was off the pace - 14th and 9th fastest. In qualifying Marco's best speed was 214.276, faster than last year's qualifying time but he started near the back of the pack (15th) at Saturday's race. Teammate Tony Kanaan was on pole alongside championship leader Dario Franchitti.

"We're really disappointed with our qualifying run. I think it's as bad as we could have done. I'm running the same exact setups as my two teammates who are starting '1-2'. I couldn't really say what the problem is. I was flat-out, driving on the white line. I'm happy for my teammates but frustrated because we all have the same equipment and setups." Marco Andretti after qualifying.

"The NYSE team never lost its confidence early in the season and I think that's really showed lately.  The guys gave me a really good race car in Michigan and we've been pretty good on the last several ovals.  We can still gain quite a bit of ground in the championship so we need to keep turning in good results and push to get our first win of the year." Marco Andretti

Marco finishes a close second in Michigan shootout: A spectacular final duel with teammate Tony Kanaan followed a wild accident involving the two lead drivers - Dario Franchitti and Dan Wealdon - The accident took out three other drivers and left Marco Andretti leading the race, with Danica and Tony right alongside. All drivers emerged from the accident unscathed but only seven cars remained in the race. Tony led the final ten laps with Marco very close behind.

"Tony's my wingman, you know... I was glad to see it came down to the two of us. My car was really good in the big pack but the NYSE car didn't have enough to pull it off on our own. But hey we had a lot of safe and lucky breaks! Someone was looking over us during the race. I had cars flipping over me but aside from that I was worried for Dario - I'm glad he's alright" said Marco to ESPN. "How close is the racing from your vantage point in the cockpit", asked Jack Arew "It's closer than what you guys see! I just tried to hold him as much as possible. His car was good enough to hold the bottom without lifting. My fifth gear was a bit too tall... down the back stright his gear was optimum, so, Well done!"

The rain delayed race at the Michigan International Speedway started at 4.15pm. Marco's #26 car lacked speed and grip during the early stints (at one point he was lapping over 5mph slower than the leader) but yellow flags and smart pitstopping placed Marco 4th with more rain threatening to fall. Marco then quickly pitted under yellow on lap 65 to have downforce work done on the rear of the car. He emerged at the back of the pack, but still on the lead lap when the race went green on lap 70. More yellow flag pit stops brought Marco back into contention.

Pre-race, Marco said: Obviously the weather's going to be playing a part. It'll be a green track - if it's the same as last year we had a lot of water still coming up from the surface and that makes it interesting. It makes it even more fun." Can you be competitive both for yourself and be able to be of help to Dario and Tony in the race for the championship? "We'll try to be towards the front and try to take some points from Dixon. There's not much else I can do except try to beat Scott. I think as long as I'm able to do that I should be near the front anyway. We're just resting right now, but ready to go..."

On Saturday, after two practice sessions (Marco ran 7th and 9th fastest respectively) the drivers went straight on to qualification. Marco managed a seventh row position on this very fast track. Teammate and series leader Dario Franchitti claimed pole for Sunday's race.

Marco is looking to improve at Sunday's race: "I'm not happy with our qualifying effort at all. The car was way too loose. At this place, you shouldn't have to drive the cars. I was on the edge and the car was just too loose. The two setups for the race and for qualifying are very different so I'm confident that we'll have the NYSE car ready for the race tomorrow."

As the Michigan race weekend began, Marco was upbeat: "We've had good cars on our last three ovals so the NYSE team is definitely looking forward to racing at Michigan. We've still got several chances to win a race this season and Michigan is a place where we can certainly do that. We're going to do what we can to be competitive and still help Dario (Franchitti) and Tony (Kanaan) in the championship.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. –

Scott Dixon pulled away from Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti over the final 10 laps for his third consecutive victory at The Glen. It was Dixon's first victory of the season and seventh of his IndyCar Series career.

Marco Andretti finished fifth. Pole sitter Helio Castroneves crashed while leading on Lap 19. Marco Andretti gained the lead after Vitor Meira ran out of fuel and brought out the third and final caution of the race as the leaders pitted. On a restart on lap 37, Andretti began pulling away from the second-place car of Rice with Dixon and Franchitti close behind.

Andretti, who pitted on lap 22, was told to conserve fuel as his team opted to play a fuel strategy game, trying to complete the race on two stops.

Marco, on qualifying 6th.
"I love the single-lap qualifying where you try to get the most out of the car. For the Fast Six Shootout, we put enough fuel in the NYSE car to run the entire 10 minutes. But, I think with the tire warmers and the heavy fuel load, we just took the edge off the tires on the first lap and we were too heavy to go fast. Overall, I'm happy with where we are. I had some bad luck in the first practice session and got stuck in the second group so to come from there to qualify sixth, I'll take it."

Marco Andretti waits in his car as his father, team co-owner Michael Andretti, looks on during practice for the IndyCar Series' Watkins Glen Camping World Indy Grand Prix auto race at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y., Friday, July 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton)

WATKINS GLEN -- The IndyCar Series road course aces have quickly risen to the top for the Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International.

Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon finished 1-2 for fastest lap in Friday's practice sessions for Sunday afternoon's IndyCar Series race. Both times came in the afternoon during the second run, which was blessed with pleasant temperatures and a dry track.

Despite being only 10th fastest (133.104 mph), Marco Andretti was pleased with his run.

"I thought the NYSE car was better in the afternoon than it was in the first session, so we definitely made progress," he said. "We were fighting the same issues the other drivers were in that we just couldn't find a lot of grip in the turns. We'll work on it."

All of this is merely the first step in what could be compared with jumping through hoops in the IRL's procedure for road course qualifying.

Friday's practice times determine the order for today's single-lap qualifying, which starts at 1:30 p.m. The six fastest will then run in a 10-minute European-style qualifier to set up the first three rows for Sunday's race.
By Joe Mink / Gannett News Service

The season may be lost, but it's not too late for Marco Andretti to have some fun again:
By Jill Erwin RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH

It's easy to forget that Marco Andretti is only 20 years old.

His famous lineage and successful rookie year ratcheted expectations for Andretti through the roof. The highest expectations may have come from himself.

"My mentality going into the year . . . I wasn't completely unrealistic, but I had the goal of a championship," Andretti said.

The nail has all but been driven into that coffin. Andretti is 14th in points, 157 behind teammate and points leader Dario Franchitti. He finished just one of the first seven races after only three DNFs in his rookie season.

But the loss of that championship pressure, along with an observation from Andretti's father, Michael, has him refocusing his attention for the final nine races. Tonight's SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway comes on the heels of a runner-up finish at Iowa Speedway last week.

The difference? Marco Andretti is having fun again.

"This year, I just put so much pressure on myself," Andretti said. "I wanted to win races, win races. That's not the way to win championships.

"All I can do is have fun with it, and that's when I do my best work as a driver. Dad actually pointed this out to me. He said, 'You're not having fun this year.' It's kind of easy for him to say. Obviously, I'm not going to have fun when I'm having a year like I am now. Right after that talk, we went to go test Mid-Ohio, and I was quickest all day just because I was enjoying myself."

Last week, Andretti outlasted a number of big names who wrecked out early and he finished second to Franchitti. Iowa was the second race this season Andretti has completed and the first since St. Petersburg on April 1.

"We finally saw a result, and we finally finished a race," Andretti said. "We nearly won the thing, so that was good. Obviously there was a lot of misfortune for a lot of people that day, but it was a survival day and we made it to the end."

Iowa, a .894-mile track, is similar to Richmond by design of former NASCAR star Rusty Wallace.

These are the kinds of tracks Andretti feels he can make a run on because they're tracks on which drivers count for something.

He finished fourth here last year, his third-best finish of the season. Richmond is a comfort for him, in some ways, because navigating the track depends less on the setup and more on what the driver does with the setup.

"It's not just a flat-out, wide-open oval where if your car is fast you're going to be fast," Andretti said. "Here, you've got to drive it to be fast. As a driver, that's what you love."

If last week turns out to be the start of good things, Andretti's teammate Danica Patrick won't be surprised. The 2005 rookie of the year said many people in the garage have been shocked by Andretti's struggles. But she also knows fortunes can quickly turn.

"At times he has done very well," Patrick said. "At Texas, he was racing up there, getting toward the front, and at Indy he was obviously running very well. I have no doubt it could take one good race to turn it around. I feel like bad luck comes in clumps."

Andretti might agree. It's not one thing he can focus on, either. There have been accidents, there have been malfunctions, there have been bad cars.

"As a driver and as a competitor, it's killing me," Andretti said. "I have all the confidence in the world in my team and myself as well. That's all you have to do is keep that confidence up and have fun. The moment you start doubting yourself, you're out of the game. I'll tell you, I'm not going to doubt myself for a long time.

"I think it's a character-builder. A true champion is one who shines after all this. That's what I'm going to try to do. As long as you learn from every mistake, everything that happens, you're only going to be stronger."

Post race interview with Marco

Andretti pleased with 2nd:
2nd-year driver's rough season eases as he comes close to taking checkered flag
By Curt Cavin, IndyStar.com NEWTON, Iowa -

Marco Andretti finally looked like the Indy-car driver he expected to be in 2007.

Sunday's second-place finish at Iowa Speedway was not only his best drive of the year, it was the first time he finished an oval-track race after six failures.
He couldn't have been happier.
"There's definitely no confidence lost here," he said following the Iowa Corn Indy 250.
Andretti, who last fall proclaimed himself a title contender this season, suggested that only a poor final pit stop kept him out of victory lane. He drove too deep into his pit box, making the job of changing four tires difficult.

A quicker exit might have put him in front of Dario Franchitti, whose last stop was slowed by negotiating the lapped car of Scott Dixon as he came to the pits.

"I'm not sure I would have beat him out, but it definitely hurt my chances," Andretti said.

Franchitti said Andretti drove "an awesome race," but it bears noting that Andretti used a chassis setup that came from Franchitti's team.

The key to Andretti's race was a quick pit for fuel during Dan Wheldon's accident on the first lap, which allowed him to extend his first tank. Andretti and a few other similar-thinking drivers, including Vitor Meira and Danica Patrick, were able to pit under a caution when the leaders stopped under green.

"I thought (team manager) Kyle Moyer had won me the race," Andretti said.
Franchitti said he didn't take tires on the final stop due to the time he lost getting around Dixon.

Iowa Speedway (AP Report): Dario Franchitti hung around the lead as car after car ran into trouble on the Iowa Speedway's new short oval. He made a daring move to grab the top spot as soon as he saw an opening, then kept it by using his head.

Franchitti, the IndyCar Series points leader, survived a slippery track and a furious late charge from teammate Marco Andretti to win the inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday.

Franchitti, whose other victory in 2007 came at the Indy 500, held the cherished bottom line on the final laps to win by 0.0681 seconds. The victory helped Franchitti open a 51-point lead over Tony Kanaan in the overall standings.

""Marco tried the outside," Franchitti said. "On other half-miles, we can come around the outside of the corners and get a slingshot. It didn't appear to be working here, for whatever reason. I knew if I stopped at the yellow line, Marco was going to have a hard time getting around me. He was very smart. He just stayed right behind me and we tried to pull away from the pack."

"At the end it came down to just the two of us, and I had nothing for Dario," Marco Andretti said. Nonetheless, Andretti seems to have snapped out of his sophomore slump. It was his best finish of the season, and it came after five races where he didn't crack the top 10.

"There's definitely no confidence lost here," Andretti said. Andretti overshot his pit box on the final stop, a miscue that may have cost him a win. "I'm not sure I would have beat him out anyway. "It definitely hurt my chances, though."

Scott Sharp was third, followed by Buddy Rice and Darren Manning. Eight of the top 10 drivers in the points standings, including Kanaan and Sam Hornish Jr., were either involved in crashes or had mechanical trouble through the first 100 laps.
Unseasonably cool weather left the drivers with cold tires coming out of pit stops. That led to three accidents that knocked out seven cars on the 0.875-mile track, which ran fast and offered very little room to maneuver.


Texas Motor Speedway: Marco Andretti climbed out of the car on lap 140, retiring after falling three laps behind the leading cars - the #26 car having lost 5th gear. Marco finished the race in 19th place.

	Tomas Scheckter (2), of South Africa slides down the front stretch after making contact with Marco Andretti, left front, coming out of Turn 4 during the IndyCar Series Bombardier Learjet 550 auto race at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday, June 9, 2007. Danica Patrick is seen at left rear. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

A racing incident with driver Tomas Scheckter proved a pivotal point in the race for both drivers. Marco and Tomas were running in the top 10 on Lap 88 when Andretti came close to Scheckter on the exit of Turn 4 and clipped the No. 2 Dallara/Honda. Scheckter was sent spinning through the infield grass as Andretti continued without problems.

Marco was later penalized for "avoidable contact," and the drive-through penalty put him a lap down. Scheckter, who drives for Vision Racing, returned to the track 30 laps later and finished 14th.

Marco later suffered a mechanical issue around Lap 130 that led to his sixth did-not-finish (DNF) result in seven races this season and a 19th-place result.

"First of all, I have to apologize to Tomas (Scheckter). I thought he had enough room. It was obviously completely unintentional. Then we lost fifth gear. I tried to go with sixth but we were running too slow. I tried to come in for a pit stop and things with the NYSE car were not working properly. It's a real bummer for the crew. They gave me a very good race car; one that could run at the front. Here we go again..." MARCO ANDRETTI

Teammate Tony Kanaan continued his good run, achieving second place after emerging unscathed from a late 6 car accident. Danica Patrick finished third, a career-best finish that came after a week of hype surrounding her postrace confrontation on pit row with Dan Wheldon a week ago.

"Maybe we should make you mad more often,'' joked Kanaan.

"There's a story, and all of a sudden I have a season-best. It was really just a matter of time I think. We've had fast cars,'' Patrick said. "It's a shame Tony and I didn't have more time to get Sam", referring to race winner Sam Hornish Jr. The result places Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan 1st and 2nd in the driver standings. Marco is now placed 17th in the championship.

Fastest lap of the race: Small consolation for Marco at Texas; he achieved the race's fastest lap. On lap 65 he topped 215.299 mph.

Tony at the double: Tony Kanaan repeated as champion of the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 presented by Time Warner Cable. Marco was within nine seconds of the front when an accident ended his hopes late in the race.

Kanaan, who started third in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone, held off Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti by 2.5707 seconds for his ninth career IndyCar Series victory. Franchitti, the Indianapolis 500 winner, took over the points lead with his fifth consecutive top-five finish.

Dan Wheldon finished third, followed by Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon. Delphi Panther Racing's Vitor Meira placed fifth.

Late in the race, an accident - caused by understeer and tire marbles on the high race line - eliminated Marco before the checkered flag for the fifth time in six races this season, all on ovals.

In qualifying Tony Kanaan set the pace for the Andretti Green Racing team. His lap at 169.158 mph was good enough for the inside of the third row. "We came here expecting to start on the pole and I'm not at all happy with our qualifying result," Kanaan said. "Third is not bad but when you expect to start first, you are disappointed with anything but."

Dario Franchitti, winner of the Indianapolis 500 last Sunday, was the only other Andretti Green driver qualifying in the top ten. He was tenth at 166.890 mph. The other two AGR drivers, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick will start 14th and 17th, respectively.

"There must be an electronic problem with the race car. I had one lap and it really wasn't fun. It was hard to sit there and wait because I didn't know if we would have enough time to get a qualifying attempt and when we did, we only had one lap, so it was challenging. I know a good car will bring you to the front at this place but track position really helps. What is unfortunate is that I think the NYSE car would have been right in the mix." Marco Andretti

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