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John Andretti
Andretti atIndianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the2015 Indianapolis 500
Born	(1963-03-12)March 12, 1963 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 30, 2020(2020-01-30) (aged 56) Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death	Colorectal cancer
Achievements	First driver to compete in theIndianapolis-Charlotte double
NASCARCup Series career
393 races run over 17 years
Best finish	11th (1998)
First race	1993Tyson/Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Last race	2010Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	1997Pepsi 400 (Daytona)
Last win	1999Goody's Body Pain 500 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 37 4
NASCARXfinity Series career
37 races run over 3 years
Best finish	12th (2006)
First race	1998Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last race	2007Orbitz 300 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 0
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Best finish	46th (2005)
First race	2005O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Kansas)
Last race	2008Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Winn-Dixie (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 0
IndyCar Series career
10 races run over 5 years
2011 position	42nd
Best finish	30th (2008)
First race	2007Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Last race	2011Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0
Champ Car career
73 races run over 8 years
Years active	1987–1994
Best finish	8th (1991,1992)
First race	1987Road America 200 (Elkhart Lake)
Last race	1994Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
First win	1991Gold Coast Indy Car Grand Prix (Surfers Paradise)
Wins Podiums Poles 1 2 0
Statistics current as of May 26, 2012.

John Andrew Andretti (March 12, 1963 – January 30, 2020) was an American professional race car driver. He won individual races inCART,IMSA GTP,Rolex Sports Car Series, andNASCAR during his career. A member of the Andretti racing family, he was the son ofAldo Andretti, older brother of racerAdam Andretti, nephew ofMario Andretti, and the cousin toCART driversMichael andJeff Andretti. He is also the first cousin once-removed ofMarco Andretti.

Andretti was born on March 12, 1963, inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, to "Corky" and Aldo Andretti. As a member of the Andretti racing family, he was encouraged and supported by his family during his racing career. Starting withkart racing at a young age, he later graduated to juniorstock car racing andUSAC-sponsoredmidget car racing.^[1]

Andretti attendedMoravian College in Bethlehem, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in business management.^[2] He later reflected that he likely would have been an investment banker or stock broker if he had not started racing.^[3]

In 1986, Andretti joined theBMW North America team for the 1986IMSA GTP season. Paired withDavy Jones, he won that year'sWatkins Glen International race.^[1][4]

The following year, in 1987, Andretti joinedCART's PPG Indy Car World Series. In his debut at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway in the1988 Indianapolis 500, he reached as high as seventh place in the race before falling to 21st place following mechanical problems.

In 1989, Andretti drove the Miller High Life/BF Goodrich Porsche 962 to victory in the24 Hours of Daytona, then called theSunbank 24 at Daytona, along with co-driversBob Wollek andDerek Bell. Later in the 1989 IMSA season, Andretti and Wollek won the Pontiac Grand Prix of Palm Beach, driving the samePorsche 962.^[5] Andretti finished fifth in points (112) in the 1989 IMSA season, first amongPorsche drivers.^[6]

In 1991, he won the only race of his CART career, theGold Coast Indy 300 inSurfer's Paradise, Australia. He finished a career-best fifth in the1991 Indianapolis 500. The1994 Indianapolis 500 was his lastIndianapolis 500 appearance until his return in 2007.

In 1993, Andretti drove the Taco Bell ExpressTop FuelDragster,^[7] reaching the semi-finals in his first national event at Atlanta during the FRAM Southern Nationals, clocking a career-best speed of 299 mph (481 km/h). In that race, he beat 1992 T/F Champion Joe Amato in Round 1 and Mopar Express Lube driver Tommy Johnson Jr. in Round 2, but lost to Mike Dunn in Darrell Gwynn's La Victoria Salsa Car in the semi-finals.

Andretti made hisWinston Cup debut in1993, driving the No. 72 Tex RacingChevy for Tex Powell atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway, where he started 31st and finished 24th. After running three more races in 1993, he began the1994 season driving the No. 14Financial World-sponsored Chevy forBilly Hagan. On May 29, he became the first driver in history to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and theCoca-Cola 600 on the same day. He finished tenth at Indy and 36th in theCoca-Cola 600 after suffering mechanical failures.^[8] In the middle of the season, he switched to the No. 43STP-sponsoredPontiac forPetty Enterprises. His best finish was eleventh place, atRichmond Raceway. He ended the season thirty-second in points and fifth in theRookie of the Year battle.

In1995, he began driving forMichael Kranefuss in the No. 37Kmart/Little Caesars-sponsoredFord Thunderbird. He won his first career pole at theSouthern 500 and finished in the top ten five times. He ended the season 18th in points. During the1996 season, he switched to the No. 98RCA-sponsored Ford owned byCale Yarborough afterJeremy Mayfield, the previous driver of the No. 98 car, moved to Kranefuss' team. He placed fifth at theHanes 500. In1997, he scored his first career win at thePepsi 400 and finished 23rd in points. He returned to the No. 43 Petty car in1998. Although he did not win any races in 1998, he registered ten Top 10 finishes and placed a career-best 11th in points. He won his second career race in1999 atMartinsville Speedway, where he made up a lost lap and took the lead with four laps to go. He also won the pole atPhoenix Raceway.

Midway through the2000 season,Cheerios became Andretti's primary sponsor. This was the precursor to Petty Enterprises' switch to Dodge as their manufacturer, and with the team pulling double duty trying to keep the Pontiacs they were currently racing and prepare the Dodges that were coming in, things began to fall apart for the organization. He fell to twenty-third in points after finishing in the top ten twice. Over the next two seasons, Andretti posted three top ten finishes including a notable second at Bristol where he finished second toElliott Sadler (this was the last 1-2 finish forPetty Enterprises andWood Brothers Racing), before he was released midway through the2003 season. He ran a couple of races forHaas CNC Racing andRichard Childress Racing before finishing the season in the No. 1Pennzoil-sponsored Chevy forDale Earnhardt, Inc. His best finish that year was eighth atCalifornia.

In 2001, Andretti teamed up withKyle Petty to win the GT Class in the six-hour sports car race atWatkins Glen.

Andretti started the2004 season driving the No. 1 part-time for DEI, but departed midway through the season. He ended the year driving the No. 14 Victory Brand-sponsoredFord Taurus forppc Racing and finished twenty-second atCharlotte Motor Speedway. Andretti started2005 still driving with ppc, but the team was forced to dissolve due to a lack of funding. He drove four races in theCraftsman Truck Series forBilly Ballew Motorsports, and finished eighth atMemphis Motorsports Park. He also attempted a handful of Cup races forMorgan-McClure Motorsports' No. 4Lucas Oil-sponsored Chevrolet, finishing twenty-eighth atMichigan International Speedway, one lap down.

In2006, Andretti returned to ppc to drive their No. 10Busch Series car. Before the season, his only Busch start came in 1998 at Daytona, where he finished thirteenth in the No. 96 Chevy fielded by theCurb Agajanian Performance Group. Despite having made over three hundred Cup starts with two victories, Andretti applied for and was accepted as a contender for Rookie of the Year. He finished runner-up toDanny O'Quinn for the award.

In2007, Andretti drove the No. 10 FreedomRoads/Camping World/RVs.com-sponsored Car forBraun Racing at Daytona through their affiliation with ppc Racing. When funding for the team became questionable, Andretti left Braun Racing. The team used various drivers in 2007 in an attempt to maintain a two-car team. Andretti drove four races for Petty Enterprises in the No. 45 car, where he filled in forKyle Petty, who was working as a broadcaster forTurner Network Television's race coverage. He also briefly drove part-time forFront Row Motorsports. He finished the season in the No. 49Paralyzed Veterans of America-sponsored Dodge forBAM Racing.

In 2007, Andretti returned to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 1994 when he competed in the Indy 500 and theCoca-Cola 600 in the same day. He drove the third entry fromPanther Racing, with Camping World as the sponsor. On May 19, he qualified for the 91st Indianapolis 500 with an average speed for the four lap qualifying run of 221.756 mph (356.882 km/h). He started in 24th on the eighth row, but crashed on lap 95 and finished 30th.

In 2008, Andretti replacedJay Howard in theRoth Racing No. 24 Dallara-Honda. Andretti qualified for his ninth Indy 500 on May 17 with a four-lap average of 221.550 mph (356.550 km/h). This placed him 21st on the grid; he finished on the lead lap in 16th place. Andretti continued in the No. 24 car in theMilwaukee Mile andTexas Motor Speedway races, and on June 6 he was offered a deal that would keep him in the car the rest of the season. He did not accept.^[9]

Also in 2008, Andretti returned to 24 Hours of Daytona in theRolex Sports Car Series. Team drivers for the Vision Racing the Porsche Crawford Prototype includedEd Carpenter,A. J. Foyt IV, andVítor Meira. The team finished 25th, their first Porsche Crawford Prototype entry in the 24 Hours of Daytona.^[10]

Andretti drove forFront Row Motorsports in 2008, driving the No. 34 Chevrolet Impala SS in theSprint Cup Series. He raced his way into the2008 Daytona 500 in the second Gatorade Duel race. He drove in the first ten races of the season in the 34 before leaving to focus on his IndyCar team.

Andretti qualified 7th at theTexas Motor Speedway race, where he finished 16th. He began the race atIowa Speedway with a rough 23rd position start, but steadily worked his way through the field to capture an 11th-place finish, the best for a Roth Racing machine. His final start for the team was atRichmond International Raceway the following week, where he was knocked out by a crash. Roth Racing contracted to a single car for the rest of the season and then ceased operations. Andretti finished 30th in the 2008 IndyCar points standings.

In 2009, Andretti returned full-time to the 34 in a partnership between Front Row andEarnhardt Ganassi Racing. The No. 34 was sponsored by Window World, myAutoloan.com, andTaco Bell. He did not have a full-time ride for 2010, but drove the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry to a 38th-place finish after an accident on lap 117 in the Daytona 500, his finalNASCAR race.

In April 2009, Andretti and Richard Petty announced a joint venture withDreyer & Reinbold Racing, whereby Andretti would return to Indianapolis to drive the No. 43 car in the93rd Indianapolis 500. As in his previous two trips to Indianapolis, Andretti did not race the Indy/Charlotte double, and also missed theSouthern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 to prepare for the race. Andretti qualified for the race on bump day in 28th, and finished in 19th place, the final car on the lead lap. Andretti returned to drive the No. 34 at Front Row Motorsports immediately after the Indianapolis 500, and returned for theDover 400 in June.

In March 2010, Andretti announced that he would join forces withRichard Petty and Window World for two events. The No. 43 returned as the entry, which was backed byAndretti Autosport, owned by John's cousin Michael. The team's first race was theRoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway on May 1. Andretti qualified 15th but finished 9th, one lap down. The team also competed in the94th Indianapolis 500 on May 30. After failing to qualify on pole day, Andretti made the race on bump day qualifying 28th for the second consecutive year. Andretti crashed out of the race on lap 65, and was credited with a 30th-place finish.

In 2011, Andretti ran in thecentennial Indianapolis 500, partnered with Window World, Petty, and Andretti Autosport, where he finished 22nd.

In 2012, Andretti returned to the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Yellow Dragon Motorsports with support from long-time sponsor Window World. His co-drivers were Taylor Hacquard, Anders Krohn and his son Jarett. The team retired with engine issues during the overnight hours and finished 50th overall in what ended up being Andretti's final professional race.

Andretti was active in theIndianapolis-area community, working with 93.1WIBC, andDave "The King" Wilson, andGeneral Mills to hold the Race for Riley, benefitingJames Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children. In 2007, Andretti began co-hostingThe Driver's Seat with John Kernan onSirius Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel 90.

Andretti's son,Jarett, currently races a GTPorsche in theIMSA WeatherTech Championship with co-driverGabby Chaves.^[11] Jarett formerly competed in theUSAC NationalSprint Car Championship and theGT4 America Series.^[12]

In April 2017, Andretti disclosed that he had stage fourcolon cancer.^[13] His cancer battle, originally misdiagnosed as Stage III-A cancer, was widely publicized, with him starting aTwitterhashtag called #CheckIt4Andretti, promoting preventativecolonoscopies. After months of undergoingchemotherapy, Andretti was deemed cancer-free in late 2017. However, in May 2018, the cancer reemerged, and metastasized further. He went through another round of chemotherapy for the rest of the year, which ended in January 2019. The cancer relapsed again in late March 2019.

On January 30, 2020, Andretti died of colon cancer inMooresville, North Carolina, at age 56, eleven months before the death of his father.^[14]

After his death, #CheckIt4Andretti became a foundation to provide colonoscopies for those without health insurance.^[15]

In 2021, Andretti Motorsports announced a partnership with Jarrett and Unite Health Share Ministries for the "Steer Clear of Cancer" campaign, to raise donations for the foundation duringColon Cancer Awareness Month.^[16]

(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)

¹ Run on same day.

² Non-points-paying, exhibition race.

³ TheLas Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned afterDan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.

Year	Team	Car	Co-driver	Class	Position	Laps
1988	Garry Rogers Motorsport	Holden Commodore VL	Garry Rogers	Gr.A	DNF	37

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1988	Porsche AG	Mario Andretti Michael Andretti	Porsche 962C	C1	375	6th	6th

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn Andretti.

• The Official Andretti Family Website
• John Andretti driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• John Andretti at IndyCar
• John Andretti at Daytona 500 Racing
• John Andretti Fan Page
• John's window to Indy 2009

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