Marco Andretti Race Quotations - NYSE - Andretti Green Racing - IRL Racing - Indy Racing League 2006

An interview with Mario Andretti prior to the 2006 Indianapolis 500, where Marco finished second:

How was it driving around the Speedway with three generations of your family?: Very emotional for us in a very positive way. It’s something you can never plan for but it’s happening, and it just happened that I was able to share this day with both Michael and Marco, and this is a beginning for something very exciting for them this month.

Is it difficult to draw the line between being a coach and a father?: I’ve never really been a coach, except that I’m a bouncing board. If there’s a question there that maybe I can answer, I will, like parents usually will.

So Michael and Marco are battling on the last lap, who do you pull for?: I think whoever has got it is going to go for it. We talked it, even when I was driving with Mike and Jeff (Mario’s sons), if the situation comes down (to us), there’s no favors. We all go for it.

How does it feel to have three generations at the track together?:
It’s special because it’s something you can never plan, but a year ago we could have never even thought about this thing, and the fact that Indianapolis is honoring us with this opportunity, it’s something that I cherish very much.

(Is it important for you to see someone in your family continuing the racing tradition?: It’s important if they want to do it. That’s the bottom line, the most important part: that the desire comes from within. Marco wants to do this, he’s happy about doing this, and that makes me happy, of course. To me, as far as pride, there’s nothing that a father or grandfather can be more proud of than his own son and grandson following in his so-called family business.

On his Indy 500 debut in 1965:
It was a great beginning for me here at Indianapolis with that Dean Van Lines team, and to come here actually was pretty cold turkey because the car didn’t arrive until late, but the car worked immediately, it was all about timing and I was very fortunate of that. Clint Brawner and Jim McGee really gave me a good car, and here we go, we finished third and we continued with this car because in present trim we put this thing on pole in 1967, so this car had a three-year life here at Indianapolis.

I had a wonderful time here over the years, I can tell you that a lot of people think we’ve been unlucky because we didn’t win more than once but I’d say we’ve been very lucky because I’ve been up front and led this race for many, many times and that’s what brought satisfaction to me. So I have nothing but positive memories of my driving here at Indianapolis.

MARCO ANDRETTI interview before the 2006 Indy 500

It’s always exciting being at Indy. Just being at this track is awesome. I love the track. I love the city. I love everything about it. It only took a few laps this morning and then we were flat (full throttle). We’re just working on trying to free the thing up. We just need to get the car working good. As a driver here, you’re just flat and doing as much as you can to let the thing roll. We’ve got a lot more to get out of it before the race, so we’re just trying to free it up and get it going. It’s definitely all new to me. I’ve never done anything like it, like I’ve never come down the long straightaways and not lifted, just thrown it in the corner. I had to learn a lot, but it came quick. I was flat the third lap out, no problem.

Any anxiety about running here or did your dad and grandfather help you before you went out?
To be honest, the anxiety was pretty bad before I got out there, but as soon as I did it I thought it was no problem. Basically it was the unknown, that’s what I was afraid of, but it came no problem.

Did you feel some of the intricacies of this place, such as how the IndyCar Series guys say every corner is different?
They’re going a lot quicker, so for us I think it’s pretty much, ‘just plant it.’ I did feel the wind this morning, and definitely through (Turns) 1 and 2, so you definitely feel the same things, just not as drastic.

I think it started out pretty good. It was easier than I thought to get up to speed. At some points, I was quicker than they wanted. But things definitely went well. I was certainly happy when I found out I passed my rookie test. I wanted to pass it early so we could spend the day working on the car and the set up. I was comfortable with different lines all around the track. We stayed pretty consistent with the downforce on the car and were working on car comfort. I think we ended up pretty comfortable.

ANDRETTI FAMILY QUOTATIONS
Here are just a few of the quotes, words of wisdom, and soundbites that have justifiably made the Andretti family the heart and soul of American motor racing. When you are looking for inspiration, motivation or wise words - on racing or life in general, you can find it right here.

Mario Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco Andretti

On Marco:
He's very much at ease with where he's at and who he is. The jury is still out (with his driving); the ultimate proof is in the races. But as a rookie going in, is he well-prepared? I think so. We don't need someone else to tell us when he's ready. We wouldn't put him out there if we didn't think he was.
MARIO ANDRETTI

On Marco and Indianapolis - This is always a very special feeling here. We’ve got the sequence now. I watched Michael grow right through his career, and now, here I am at the beginning of another one. It’s just a special feeling. I’m really happy that I was able to be here. It was very important to me. Marco’s reaction today was what I pretty much expected. He was cautiously confident earlier, and then he just started taking charge. That’s a good thing.
MARIO ANDRETTI

On Marco and Indianapolis - "He came so close, I thought he was going to win. Of course, he's got a lot of years left and he's going to get a lot more chances. He has the potential to be the best Andretti of them all.

On Marco and Indianapolis - Marco did really well today. It was fun to watch. It was a little nerve-wracking the first few laps, but then I saw he was really comfortable. Then, it was OK. He seemed a little bit nervous at first this morning because he didn’t know what to expect. But after the first run, he was a lot more comfortable.

It was really a special day for sure. It started out special as we kicked off the ceremonies. To have my dad on the right side and my son on the left was neat for sure. I'm happy with the car. We got up so speed right away. I'm really happy with the way I felt in the car. Marco also got some speed out of his car, too. It was a good day for both us. So far so good.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

On Marco’s goals - I think ultimately he’d like to do Formula One, if it came up. Right now, we have to look at the realistic, and hopefully that is likely the ’07 Indianapolis 500 is the goal, and hopefully we can get there.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

MARCO ANDRETTI
"It all blends into one, It's all a blur for me. I don't know, I'll drive anything with a motor and tires for sure"
MARCO ANDRETTI

It’s always exciting being at Indy. Just being at this track is awesome. I love the track. I love the city. I love everything about it.
MARCO ANDRETTI

I know I have a lot of shots left, but you have to learn from my dad's career that you have to take advantage of every one of them. Man, I don't want to wait for next year.
MARCO ANDRETTI

I can't complain, I almost won the Indy 500 my first year in it. It's just the way as a competitor, I don't want to finish second. I don't want to wait until next year. I wish it was this year.
MARCO ANDRETTI

Woulda, coulda, shoulda... second place is nothing. Nobody remembers who finished second here.
MARCO ANDRETTI

I drove anything with wheels when I was a little kid - mopeds, bicycles, go-karts, ATVs. It just seemed natural.
MARCO ANDRETTI

The best thing Dan did was put in his time at the shop. There's no other way to do it. It's how you learn.
MARCO ANDRETTI

I plan on being a sponge all year and see how quickly we can adapt. I can't imagine doing this from Nazareth.
MARCO ANDRETTI

It's my first feel for running in traffic. You have to get the feel for losing down force and play with that. Nothing at all has surprised me so far. We just have to learn to play in traffic.
MARCO ANDRETTI

I'm learning who I can trust and who I can't. I can't believe he did that to me. He turned right into me with the right front (wheel). Now I've been Cheever-ed.
MARCO ANDRETTI

You definitely have to respect this place, as we learned in the past with my father and my grandfather – both had a lot of unfortunate luck here.
MARCO ANDRETTI

On his team signing Danica Patrick - I think this team is continuing to make awesome calls, and this is a good one. I think it's great for the future of our team. If you bring a name like that, it's only going to be better. It's not only the name. She's a darned good driver. I'm happy that she's coming to the team. I think she's going to contribute and make it better.
MARCO ANDRETTI

No way I'm going to let up on her. She's definitely not going to be letting up on us. She's very competitive and she's had some awesome finishes the last couple races. I think we're going to race each other like teammates.
MARCO ANDRETTI

On a future in Formula One: It's definitely in the back of my mind. I've always wanted to conquer the [F1] championship. But if I was over there right now, I think I would regret not trying to win the Indy 500. We came so close this year, so it would be nice to do that within the next couple of years.
MARCO ANDRETTI

Have you become Marco Andretti, or are you still the grandson of Mario and the son of Michael? I hope I've become my own name. But I definitely have a lot more work to do to be in their category. I didn't know at the beginning of the season how I would stack up. I'm definitely happy I'm able to run with these guys. Next year we'll come back with a ton more knowledge and we can go for a championship.
MARCO ANDRETTI

Mario Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco Andretti

MICHAEL ANDRETTI
Although I've put in my two cents on occasion, at the end of the day CART has always had good people on board and they don't need me to run the series.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

And I think it's safe to say this is the most competitive racing in the world, and maybe of all-time that we are experiencing right now.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I'm a firm believer that if something is meant to happen, it's meant to happen.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

When we go from braking to accelerating to cornering, the G-forces we pull are really demanding on our bodies. We definitely have to be in top shape. Believe me, you lose more than a gallon of fluids during a race. You could lose between six and 10 pounds during a race, depending on hot it is.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

Every win feels great, but there always are some that are going to stick out from others.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I don't know how to explain it, but being a driver and having to be on top and putting your butt on the line every time you're out there is just a different type of pressure than being on the sidelines and giving it to the other guys to get us the result.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I don't think it's ever been done where a father's driven for his son, so that's another new one for us.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I guess the only thing that I look at are the wins category, because that - that was always my goal when I came in to racing was I just wanted to win as many races as I could.
I mean, I'm very happy with the way things did go with my career in so many other ways that I still feel like I've been the most blessed guy in the world.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I obviously have opinions, but my job here is to race.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

I want to put on the best show possible for the fans. When you get older, you take less chances, but you rely on your experience to make up the difference, you know that a lot of times works for you.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI

Mario Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco Andretti

MARIO ANDRETTI

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
MARIO ANDRETTI

If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.
MARIO ANDRETTI

Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.”
MARIO ANDRETTI

Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.
MARIO ANDRETTI

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.
MARIO ANDRETTI

Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do have a passion, an honest passion, just do it . . .”
MARIO ANDRETTI

Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal.
MARIO ANDRETTI

Always compete against the best of the best.
MARIO ANDRETTI

You feel for guys you know deserve it, that you know have the ability but will be considered less of a champion if they don't get it done. That's why the guy that wins it does somersaults.”
MARIO ANDRETTI

Car accidents are the leading killer of teens in this country. Teens are just learning to drive and face many distractions, so they're at a very high risk for accidents. We want to help teens learn good, safe habits from the very beginning.
MARIO ANDRETTI

The crashes people remember, but drivers remember the near misses.
MARIO ANDRETTI

My biggest concern during a race is getting bored. The biggest thing I have to combat is falling asleep while going around and around.
MARIO ANDRETTI

This is the evolution of life. It’s tough to predict what is going to happen. And when it does happen, wow, it’s amazing. Watching Marco do his thing, it just really replenishes my spirit. It’s a great feeling just watching him enjoy what he’s doing and doing it so well.
MARIO ANDRETTI

When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.
MARIO ANDRETTI

What really drove me was all this talk of 'the McQueen Porsche', when he hardly touched the thing throughout all the 12 hours! I never went harder than that night at Sebring - I truly drove like a man possessed. No way I was going to let a goddam movie actor win the race!
MARIO ANDRETTI

On leaving Italy as a teenager and emigrating to America -
In my own mind, I had seen racing cars for the last time. I understood we had to go to the States -- Italy, sure as hell, wasn't offering us much -- but I was obsessed with being a race driver, and it seemed like I was kissing it goodbye.

We'd lived well until communism arrived, but then suddenly everyone's equal, right? You're damn right everyone's equal -- we all had nothing! Now, they were real compassionate about it; they said if we didn't like it, we could go some place else
MARIO ANDRETTI

Right from when I started, being one of the boys was never enough. If you' re satisfied with just being there, forget it. You may have a good time, but you're never going to win, because racing gives you nothing but fun -- anything else you have to take.
MARIO ANDRETTI

A lot of people have a talent for it, but most never realize their full potential. It's easier to leave that last bit untapped.
MARIO ANDRETTI

On Ferrari - Enzo wanted me to sign right there, just drive for him, which would have been cream for the cat - I mean, I've always said that the proudest day of my life was when I became an American citizen, and I mean it, but the blood in my veins is Italian blood, and a passport will never change that"

I've been so blessed in my career, raced more than 30 years, achieved most of my goals and come out of it in one piece. I'd be a fool to talk about regrets, wouldn't I?
MARIO ANDRETTI

"I always felt," he said, "I was put on this earth to drive race cars."
MARIO ANDRETTI

Colin Chapman was always paranoid about weight in a race car. At Kyalami in '78 he decides to take out three gallons of gas on the grid. I says, 'Colin, if I run out, it's your ass...' 'Trust me,' he says. And guess what? It's the end of the race, I'm in the lead – and I run out. Afterwards, Colin made himself kinda scarce ...
MARIO ANDRETTI

Jesus, the luck of Chris (Amon). I tell you, if he went into the undertaking business, people would stop dying ...
MARIO ANDRETTI

That first corner shunt between Senna and Prost at Suzuka? Senna's fault, no question. He says there was a gap there, and he went for it, right? Well, believe me, if there'd have been no run-off area, there'd have been no gap. The trick is to find one wide enough for a car, right? I know that better than most people ...
MARIO ANDRETTI

Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men’s minds.
MARIO ANDRETTI

Love what you do. Believe in your instincts. And you'd better be able to pick yourself up and brush yourself off every day.
MARIO ANDRETTI

No team manager will tell you this; but they all want to see you come walking back into the pits sometimes, carrying the steering wheel.
MARIO ANDRETTI

Mario Andretti | Michael Andretti | Marco Andretti

Third-generation driver Marco Andretti launched his Indy Racing League¨ IndyCar¨ Series career in 2006 as the driver of the #26 Honda-powered Dallara for Andretti Green Racing with the backing of the NYSE Group.

Marco, 20, is the son of two-time IndyCar Series championship-winning team owner and former CART champion Michael Andretti, and the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti.

HOME | PROFILE | TEAM | RACE | GALLERY | SPONSORS | CONTACT
© 2007 Andretti International. All Rights Reserved.
Site designed and maintained by
tangled spider design group