Andretti enters Indy 500 trying to shake curse

Associated Press

Indianapolis

Shortly before he left home for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Marco Andretti watched a documentary that showed his grandfather, Mario, at the famed track.

“It was him and (radio announcer) Paul Page, they were walking down the start finish line and he said, ‘You know, I always said I hated this place,”’ Andretti recalled. “And then he paused for a while and said, ‘I lied.’ That pretty much tells it all. We’ve been through a lot here, but we live for it.”

Five different drivers from the famed Andretti clan have combined to make 80 starts in the Indianapolis 500. Mario Andretti’s 1969 victory remains the lone win and the family has been answering questions about the “Andretti Curse” for decades now.

It was Michael Andretti who had it the worst, leading 431 laps in 16 career starts and never getting a chance to drink the celebratory milk.

But it’s not been any easier for Marco, the third-generation driver who has suffered his own share of heartache at Indy. He was passed by Sam Hornish Jr. on the final straightaway in 2006, when he raced as a 19-year-old rookie with his father in the field. Hornish won the race, and Marco and Michael finished second and third.

He believes he gave away the 2008 race, which was won by Scott Dixon while Andretti finished third. There was another third-place finish in 2010, and then he went into last year’s race convinced it was “mine to lose.”

“And we lost it,” he said Thursday with a shrug.

Upset with his car all day, even as he led a race-high 59 laps, an ill-timed caution shuffled Andretti back into the field after a pit stop. He was struggling with his handling, and crashed out of the race 13 laps from the finish.

So the curse has been passed down, even as Andretti does his best to put his own positive spin on the suffering.

Hamlin CAPTURES pole

CONCORD, N.C.

Denny Hamlin isn’t ready to say he’s back, even after winning the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 with a record-setting qualifying lap Thursday night.

He said it would take a win Sunday night or at another Sprint Cup race later in the season before he’s willing to make that declaration.

But Hamlin showed he continues to be on the mend after being sidelined for four races with a compression fracture in his lower spine following a March 24 crash involving former teammate Joey Logano.

Two weeks after finishing second at the Darlington 500, Hamlin broke the track record with a lap of 195.624 mph to capture his first pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Getting the big trophy on Sunday — that is the validation that you are truly back,” Hamlin said.