John Andretti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Andretti
John Andretti at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015
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.
Achievements	First driver to race in both the Indianapolis-Charlotte double on the same day
NASCAR Cup Series career
393 races run over 17 years
Best finish	11th (1998)
First race	1993 Tyson/Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Last race	2010 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	1997 Pepsi 400 (Daytona)
Last win	1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 37 4
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
37 races run over 3 years
Best finish	12th (2006)
First race	1998 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last race	2007 Orbitz 300 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 0
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
6 races run over 2 years
Best finish	46th (2005)
First race	2005 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Kansas)
Last race	2008 Mountain 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	2007 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Last race	2011 Indianapolis 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	1987 Road America 200 (Elkhart Lake)
Last race	1994 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
First win	1991 Gold Coast Indy Car Grand Prix (Surfers Paradise)
Wins Podiums Poles 1 2 0
Statistics current as of May 26, 2012.

John Andrew Andretti (born March 12, 1963 – died January 30, 2020) was an American race car driver. He won races in several different types of car racing, including CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR. John was part of the famous Andretti racing family. He was the son of Aldo Andretti, the older brother of racer Adam Andretti, the nephew of Mario Andretti, and the first cousin of IndyCar champion Michael and Jeff Andretti.

Early Life and First Races

John Andretti was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Since he was part of the Andretti family, racing was a big part of his life from a young age. He started racing go-karts and then moved on to junior stock cars.

John went to Moravian College and earned a degree in business management. He once said that if he hadn't become a racer, he might have worked in banking. He started racing sports cars in 1984. In 1986, he joined the BMW North America team for a full IMSA GTP season. He and his co-driver, Davy Jones, won a race at Watkins Glen International that year.

Racing in CART

John Andretti joined the PPG Indy Car World Series (CART) in 1987. In his first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1988, he drove very well. He got as high as seventh place before some mechanical problems made him finish 21st.

In 1991, he won his only CART race, which was the Gold Coast Indy 300 in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. He also had his best finish ever in the 1991 Indianapolis 500, coming in fifth place. The 1994 Indy 500 was the last time he raced in that event for many years, until 2007.

Sports Car Success

In 1986, John Andretti raced a BMW M12 March car with Davy Jones. They won the Kodak Copier 500 race at Watkins Glen International.

In 1989, Andretti won the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona race. He drove a Porsche 962 with co-drivers Bob Wollek and Derek Bell. Later that year, he and Wollek won another race in Palm Beach, Florida. John finished fifth in the overall points for the 1989 IMSA season.

He returned to sports car racing in 2001. He teamed up with Kyle Petty to win the GT Class in a 6-hour race at Watkins Glen. In 2008, he raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona again. His team finished 25th in that race.

Drag Racing Experience

In 1993, John Andretti tried something different: NHRA Winston Drag Racing. He drove a Taco Bell Express Top Fuel Dragster. In his first big event in Atlanta, he reached the semi-finals. He even reached a career-best speed of 299 miles per hour (481 km/h).

NASCAR Career

John Andretti's race car in 1997

Early Years (1993–1999)

John Andretti started racing in the Winston Cup, which is now called the NASCAR Cup Series, in 1993. His first race was at North Wilkesboro Speedway. In 1994, he became the first driver ever to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. This is known as "Double Duty." He finished tenth at Indy and 36th in the Coca-Cola 600.

Later in 1994, he joined Petty Enterprises and drove the famous No. 43 STP Pontiac. In 1995, he got his first pole position (starting first) at the Southern 500. He also finished in the top ten five times that year.

In 1997, John got his first NASCAR win at the Pepsi 400 race. In 1998, he returned to the No. 43 Petty car. He didn't win any races that year, but he had ten top-ten finishes. This helped him achieve his best overall points finish, placing eleventh. In 1999, he won his second NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway. He made an amazing comeback in that race, taking the lead with only four laps left.

John Andretti in the No. 43 Pontiac in 1998

Later Years (2000–2010)

In 2000, Cheerios became John Andretti's main sponsor. Over the next few years, he had some good finishes, including a second-place finish at Bristol. He left Petty Enterprises in 2003 and raced for a few other teams. His best finish that year was eighth at California.

In 2005, he raced in the Craftsman Truck Series for a few races. He finished eighth at Memphis International Raceway. In 2006, he returned to the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) and competed for Rookie of the Year. He finished second for the award.

John Andretti's Sprint Cup car at Daytona in 2008

In 2008, John Andretti drove for Front Row Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series. He raced his way into the 2008 Daytona 500. He continued to race part-time in 2009 and 2010. His final NASCAR race was the 2010 Daytona 500, where he finished 38th after an accident.

IndyCar Series Return

John Andretti driving in practice for the 2008 Indianapolis 500

In 2007, John Andretti returned to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 1994. He qualified for the race and started in 24th place. He crashed on lap 95 and finished 30th.

He raced in the Indy 500 again in 2008, finishing 16th. He also competed in a few other IndyCar races that year. In 2009, he teamed up with Richard Petty and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to race in the 93rd Indianapolis 500. He finished 19th in that race.

In 2010, John announced he would race in two IndyCar events with Richard Petty and his cousin Michael Andretti's team, Andretti Autosport. He finished 9th at Kansas Speedway and raced in the 94th Indianapolis 500. His last IndyCar race was the centennial Indianapolis 500, where he finished 22nd.

Personal Life and Legacy

John Andretti with his uncle Mario at the 2007 Indy 500

John Andretti was very involved in his community. He helped organize the "Race for Riley" event each year. This event raised money for James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children. He also co-hosted a radio show about NASCAR.

John's son, Jarett, also became a race car driver.

In 2017, John shared that he had colon cancer. He started a social media campaign called #CheckIt4Andretti to encourage people to get checked for colon cancer. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free later that year. However, the cancer returned in 2018 and again in 2019. John Andretti passed away from colon cancer on January 30, 2020, at the age of 56.

After his death, #CheckIt4Andretti became a foundation. It helps people who don't have insurance get colonoscopies. In 2021, Andretti Motorsports partnered with the foundation for a "Steer Clear of Cancer" campaign to raise money and awareness.

Images for kids

• 

  1997 race car

• 

  Andretti in the Petty Enterprise No. 43 Pontiac at Pocono June 1998

• 

  2008 Sprint Cup car at Daytona

• 

  Andretti driving the Roth Racing No. 24 car in practice for the 2008 Indianapolis 500

• 

  Andretti with uncle Mario at the 2007 Indy 500