Michael Andretti returns for only one reason — to win the race

He unretired last year and finished third, this year he wants to win.

By MIKE HARRIS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michael Andretti was a retired race driver when he celebrated in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2005 as co-owner of Dan Wheldon’s winning car.

“It was a great feeling being there and being part of something so big,” Andretti said.

“I looked around and I thought, ‘This is something I missed.’ ”

That thought, combined with the opportunity to race against his son, Marco, brought Andretti out of a two-year retirement last May.

It was as though the elder Andretti never was away.

He led the race, finished third — right behind his rookie son — and, as he had 14 times before, failed to join his father, Mario, as an Indianapolis 500 winner.

He makes no bones about his reason for being back this year:

“I’m here for only one reason and that’s to win this race,” Andretti said. “And it’s because I’ve never won this race that I’m here.”

Still possesses skills

At 44, as a part-time driver, Andretti still appears to possess the skills that made him one of the top drivers in American open-wheel racing for nearly two decades.

His son certainly thinks so.

“He’s awesome,” said Marco Andretti. “I can learn so much from the guy. It’s unbelievable the talent that he has.

“Trust me, I thought I was good on cold tires. You see this guy who hasn’t driven since last year and he’s flat [out] after lap two at Indy. That’s unbelievable. His second lap at 220 [mph]. That’s ridiculous.”

Tony Kanaan, who gave AGR its only IndyCar Series championship in 2004, is also a big fan of his boss.

“Physically and mentally, he’s capable of racing until today full time,” the Brazilian said.

“It doesn’t surprise me. I respect the guy. When I joined this team [in 2003], he was still racing.

“Once I got on the same team, I understood why I was always getting beat by him. He gave me secrets he only revealed when I came to his [team] and he was about to retire.”

Team lacked power

A year ago, the Andretti Green Racing team came to Indy with an obvious power deficit in comparison with Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the two teams that dominated the IndyCar Series in 2006.

It was a Penske driver, Sam Hornish Jr., who was able to pass both Andrettis in the waning laps and come away with the victory.

But Andretti, who co-owns AGR with Kim Green and Kevin Savoree, is confident that he and his four teammates have all cut down that deficit heading into the May 27 race.

“Overall, I think, we’re going to have a better shot as a team to do well,” he said. “We did pretty well in the race last year, so I’m hoping, with more speed, we’re going to do even better.

“I didn’t have any speed [in last year’s race]. All I needed is half of what we were behind and the results would have been different. So, if we’re in the same position again, we’ll be able to hold ’em off this time.”

Team solid in qualifying

His team looked solid in qualifying, getting all five drivers into the field last Saturday, the first of four days of time trials.

Kanaan barely lost the pole to Penske’s Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti took the outside front row spot next to his teammate. AGR newcomer Danica Patrick will start from the center of the third row, with Marco Andretti on the outside. Michael Andretti will start from the middle of the fourth row, two positions better than last year.

Since Mario won here in 1969, the Andrettis have found just about every way possible to come up short in the big race while nearly always contending. The litany of failure has led to the phrase “Andretti luck,” meaning something always goes wrong for this family at Indy.

“For whatever reason, we’ve had problems here,” Michael said, shrugging. “That’s just the way it is. Then I go to Toronto and win seven times. Why? I don’t know.

“If you really look at a racetrack that suits me the most, it’s probably Indianapolis. And it shows because of laps led and races led here. But, for whatever reason, I’ve never been able to get to that 500th mile without a problem.”