Marco Andretti went on to score his best road course finish of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series when he drove the No. 26 Team Venom Energy Drink car to third place Sunday in the Indy Japan finale at Twin Ring Motegi. 

“It was a good day for the Venom crew – they did a great job in the pits. We had to do our part today and push when we had to push. We made a bit of a gamble with the tire choice and I think it paid off. We were able to be on the reds when it counted and were able to push when we needed.”

Andretti, the Iowa oval winner in June, started tenth and drove brilliantly to return to the podium after 63 laps at the 2.98-mile, 14-turn road circuit. Scott Dixon and Will Power finished in front of Andretti Sunday. Andretti’s previous 2011 best road racing finishes were fourth at Brazil and Toronto.

The third place finish moved Marco into seventh in the current IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with two races remaining on the 17-race campaign. Marco is now just 25 points from the top-five in the standings.

Marco Andretti led the Andretti Autosport contingent in the first round of practice runs Friday when the driver of the No. 26 Team Venom Energy Drink car secured a top-five position at Twin Ring Motegi’s road circuit – something that put a marker down for the weekend.

The 26-driver field made its initial appearance at the 2.98-mile, 14-turn road course for the first time after 13 years competing at the 1.5-mile oval in the Northern Japan racing facility. The road circuit has been a regular stop for the MotoGP, Formula Nippon and other racing events since the motorsports plant opened in 1996.

Marco advanced through the first round of qualifying Saturday and just missed the Firestone Fast Six round by a few tenths of a second on the smooth 2.98-mile, 14-turn road circuit. He would start the race from 10th. Marco’s time was one minute, 38.9058 seconds for an average speed of 108.576 mph. Scott Dixon took pole position at 109.143 mph.

The inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix turned into one of the biggest street parties seen in the Maryland city in decades Sunday around the inner harbor of downtown Baltimore. A huge crowd welcomed the IZOD IndyCar Series to the “Charmed City” in the first-time downtown street race and the racing portion proved to the icing on the cake for the community.

Marco Andretti, eighth in IndyCar Series points, was knocked out of the race after his No. 26 Team All Natural Snapple car was hit in the side in the big lap 36 tangle in Turn Three. At least 15 cars were involved in the melee and Andretti’s mount was sidelined from the incident on the tough, demanding 2.0-mile 12-turn circuit around Camden Yards, the Baltimore Convention Center and four major hotels.

“It’s a disappointing end for the No. 26 car today. The oil line was slowly letting go and then finally let go – (the engine) was in and out of emergency mode. It’s unfortunate. We didn’t have a great car today, but the Snapple guys did a great job and dad and the engineers did a great job. If we had stayed out during this yellow we could have been leading the race. But still it comes down to pace and we have some work to do in the off season. I’m up for the task.”

Marco’s practice sessions were low key. Finished 16th in qualifying, after which Marco observed ”It’s a lot of fun out there – I had a great time driving the Snapple car, but we are still struggling a bit. We’ll put our heads together, make some changes and hopefully improve before qualifying.”

Ultimately the unique circuit at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix proved to be the talk of qualifying Saturday on the 14th stop on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series. The bumpy front straightaway of Pratt Street and the smooth pavement of Conway Street made for vast contrast in the suspension settings of the IndyCars. But the 28-driver field put in a sensational round of time trials before a large Saturday crowd in downtown Baltimore. The Andretti Autosport drivers worked hard to master the tough, new street track: Marco Andretti would eventually qualify 23rd. Andretti, seventh in IZOD IndyCar Series points, recorded a speed of 88.597 mph in the No. 26 Team All Natural Snapple machine.

He explained:  ”The Snapple car was just too loose – I couldn’t get into the corners. We were fighting the back end of the car. I obviously would have liked to have had better track position for the start, but we’ll do what we can to gain.”

“It was a disappointing day for the Snapple team. We just didn’t have the car we needed in order to gain track position. Near the end we had to come to replace the nose, which put us back even further. From here, we’ll move on and look forward to Baltimore.”

Go Daddy Signs Mario, Michael & Marco Andretti to IndyCar Sponsorship Deal

Go Daddy is committing to IndyCar for another two years … joining forces with three generations of a family synonymous with racing legend. Today, Go Daddy announced it has signed Mario, Michael and Marco Andretti as spokespeople and will also sponsor one of the Andretti Autosport IndyCar entries, with its driver and car to be revealed later this season. The deal officially begins next year and extends through the 2013 season.

“Three generations of Andrettis – now that’s just plain cool,” said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons, who was a big fan of open-wheel racing as a child. “Deciding to stay with IndyCar was a pretty easy decision. The fans are great.  Imagine the marketing potential. Mario is an absolute icon. Michael has been Go Daddy’s partner as a team owner for five years now and Marco is a young man who is already in the racing record books. This is not your ‘everyday’ sponsorship, that’s for sure.”

As part of the deal, you can expect to see Mario, Michael and Marco in Go Daddy TV commercials as soon as this winter. This weekend, all three will talk about their new Go Daddy jobs during the first-ever IndyCar ORTSBO Internet interactive fan event based in Sonoma.

Go Daddy is the world’s largest provider of Web hosting, domain name registrations and net new SSL Certificates . Unlike many companies, Go Daddy has recorded double digit sales growth in each of the last seven years and has hired hundreds of people this year already.

“”It was a disappointing day for the Snapple team. We just didn’t have the car we needed in order to gain track position. Near the end we had to come to replace the nose, which put us back even further. From here, we’ll move on and look forward to Baltimore.”"

Marco Andretti

Game over on Lap 110

Marco’s race chances were effectively scuppered in the first few laps after early contact in the first incident of an eventful race.

Rain was a major factor throughout the race which was originally scheduled to run 225 laps around the 1 mile speedway in the IZOD IndyCar Series return to the Granite State.

Under threatening skies, the race began 20 minutes early but was under yellow on the first lap when Mike Conway (who started 12th) spun coming off turn 2. Although most drivers missed hitting the spinning No. 27 Marco took contact that meant that he was just driving the car to finish the race.

On Lap 110 Marco was a lap down battling Tomas Scheckter for position off of turn two while Kanaan was running just to the inside.  Andretti and Scheckter touched wheels just off of turn two and sent Scheckter sideways into Kanaan.  Kanaan and Scheckter slide down to the inside and hit the inside tire barrier on the backstretch wall.  Kanaan’s No. 82 Lotus got airborne and flipped, causing him to  land upside down.

Kanaan and Scheckter walked away unscathed as Andretti limped around to the pits and was out with a bent suspension, going inot the books at P24.

Ryan Hunter-Reay recorded his first IZOD IndyCar Series win of the 2011 season Sunday in a wild finish at the one-mile oval track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car fought off some tough competition and intermittent rain showers to collect Andretti Autosport’s third 2011 victory in the MoveThatBlock.com 225 in the series’ return to the New Hampshire track after a 13-year absence.

Hunter-Reay’s victory was the second straight oval win on the IZOD IndyCar Series for Andretti Autosport. Marco Andretti won at Iowa in June. Teammate Mike Conway won on the streets of Long Beach in April.

“The Snapple car had a bent right rear from the (Mike) Conway incident, trying to miss Conway earlier. I was just trying to bring it home.

I was basically a bystander in the middle of the racetrack. I didn’t move my line and I think (Tomas) Scheckter came across my front and took me and Tony (Kanaan) out.

I had nowhere to go. I would have let them by but I had no idea. But congrats to Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and his crew on their win.”

The Rolling hills of Mid-Ohio

The Andretti Autosport drivers went into the race well-prepared for the annual Honda Indy 200 at the challenging 2.25-mile, 13-mile permanent road circuit. The hot temperatures and the rolling hills of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course make for the toughest conditions on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series.

The mental strength to fight through the physically-exhausting battle is always a key to a successful run at Mid-Ohio. The G-loads inside the cockpit and increased summer heat on the drivers have proven to exhibit extreme levels of fatigue. Recent testing at Mid-Ohio has given the Andretti Autosport drivers a positive outlook.

Marco said before the race:

“Mid-Ohio is a busy track and it takes a little bit to learn at first. I have loads of laps here at Mid-Ohio. So I think you could wake me up in my sleep and I would know where to go on the track. People think the Mid-Ohio track is in the middle of nowhere. But it is such a landmark on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule that we have always been excited about going there. And Mid-Ohio is one of the staples of IndyCar racing.

Mid-Ohio is fun to drive. It is a busy track and it is a flowing track. It is tough to get the car right for a place like Mid-Ohio. But when the car is right, it is fast and fun. Mid-Ohio is tough to pass. Turn four at the end of the back straight is a fast corner, so there isn’t a lot of braking. It is difficult to set up your opposition for a pass. It makes qualifying and your pace that much more important. We’ll be working all weekend to make sure the Venom car is ready to go for the win.”

Closing in on 5th place

In the race Marco Andretti came from 19th to place seventh in a spirited drive on the rolling hills of Mid-Ohio. The No. 26 Team Venom Energy Drink Honda/Dallara/Firestone racer was impressive on his restarts Sunday and came back to score another top-ten finish. Marco continued to work on closing the gap for a top-five placing in the IndyCar Series point standings.

“Not a bad day overall. We’re still struggling for grip with the car, but we came into today ready to fight and that’s what we did. The guys did well in the pits and we gained where we could on the track. We salvaged what we could and were able to gain 12 positions for the Venom car.”

Mid-pack Finish in Race Ten

Momentum was on the side of Andretti Autosport as the four-car contingent headed to the new 2.25-mile, 13-turn road circuit at the City Centre City near downtown Edmonton  for the 10th stop in the 17-race IZOD IndyCar Series.

After Marco Andretti’s win at Iowa and Ryan Hunter-Reay’s strong third place finish in the streets of Toronto in the past two IZOD IndyCar Series events The Edmonton Indy served as Andretti Autosport’s next target to the top of the victory podium. Andretti, at the controls of the No. 26 Team Dr Pepper Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, also made a sensational drive from 20th to fourth at Toronto and currently ranks seventh in the 2011 standings, just five points out of the top-five.

Marco was upbeat going into the race: “After Iowa and Toronto, I have some good momentum going with the Dr Pepper car. I’m looking forward to keeping it going on the new track layout at Edmonton. It will be new for everyone, and I think with more chances for passing, we’ll put on a good show for the fans.”

The #26 car’s qualification in P19 made things a little more difficult. “We tried to take the Venom car closer to Ryan’s (Hunter-Reay) setup but it just didn’t work for us. We were in and out of the top six in our group but didn’t have what we needed.” said Marco after qualifying.

Coming off a fourth in Toronto, Marco Andretti had wanted more than a 14th in Edmonton. The race started brightly at first. Most of the field remained locked in its starting positions for the first third of the race. The exceptions were Marco Andretti and Helio Castroneves who both made up positions in the early laps. After that, the race settled down to a procession. Will Power earned his fourth victory of the season — and second at the City Centre Airport — by holding off Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves and Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti over the final 20 laps of the 80-lap race. Marco Andretti drove the No. 26 Team Dr Pepper machine to 15th at the checkered flag. Andretti remains seventh in the current point standings, just 12 markers out of fifth place.

“It just wasn’t our day. We had some problems at the beginning that affected the Dr Pepper car – we ended up stopped on the track for a bit and had some problems with the engine cutting out on the front straight. After that cleared we just didn’t have the speed we needed and our strategy ended up on the wrong side of a couple yellows. Disappointing but we’ll march forward.”

Marco Andretti’s #26 Dr Pepper IndyCar had a tough time during practice and qualifying. On Friday the crew decided to make some changes closer to his team mates but they had some problems.  “It’s a little frustrating but we’ll make some changes tonight and go back at it tomorrow morning.”

Marco ended up starting Sunday’s race in 20th spot. Numerous wrecks on the Toronto street course took out some of the top drivers, including Team Penske’s Will Power, who started the race from the pole. There were eight cautions and numerous other wrecks that didn’t require full-course yellows. Also among the crash victims were Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick, who crashed twice.

85 rough and tumble laps on the 1.755-mile, 11-turn street circuit knocked out six of the 26 starters via contact, while a dozen others were able to make quick repairs and rejoin the fray. Marco survived late contact and wound up a creditable fourth place.

“It was great to get the Dr Pepper car a fourth-place finish; especially considering we started 20th. We struggled with setups earlier in the weekend but then sat back and realized I was trying too hard to drive my teammates’ setups – I credit them for being able to pull it off but I can’t do it. My driving style is just too aggressive. We thought back to when we were last successful and tried to go back toward that type of setup.

We’re close and now we have a direction for the future. I feel for everyone who got taken out. Looking back, I think what happened to Oriol (Servia) was my fault, but that’s the position we’re put in with the double-file restarts. I tried to back out but was too committed and couldn’t back out enough”

After a long wait, Marco takes a well earned race win at Iowa on Saturday night!

The last time Marco Andretti won an IZOD IndyCar Series race, he was a rookie, 19 years old.

That was August 2006 at Infineon Raceway. Under the lights at Iowa Speedway on a chilly summer night, the 24-year-old Andretti’s 79-race drought came to an end.

Andretti overtook former Andretti Autosport teammate Tony Kanaan on Lap 232 for the lead and went on to a 0.7932-of-a-second victory in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer at Iowa Speedway.

“We were down a little bit on the bigger ovals but we know when it comes down to handling we’d be OK,” said Andretti, who started 17th in the No. 26 Team Venom Energy car. “These guys did a great job with pits. They got me the lead back. We had some good racing with T.K. It was good fun.”

Andretti had passed Kanaan on Lap 209, only to have Kanaan return the favor four laps later. Andretti was running second to Dario Franchitti when they cycled through for their final round of service on Lap 184 under caution. Andretti got out first. On a Lap 199 restart, Kanaan oevrtook Franchitti for second and the charge to the checkered flag was on.

“Knowing TK, I knew he would do exactly what I did to him. He’d make his car very wide. I didn’t want to wait until two to go because he was just going to chop me and I would have been done. I knew I had to get it done earlier and actually make my car wide.”