Daytona 500 2000 - Good times, bad times ... this Andretti's had a few

Good times, bad times ... this Andretti's had a few
ESPN The Magazine

'99 EARNINGS: $1,861,706 | POINTS: 17th | WINS: 1 | TOP 5: 3 | TOP 10: 10

JOHN ANDRETTI

What Makes Him Go: When a car becomes lapped traffic, the age-old question surfaces: Is it the car of the driver? Andretti answered the question with his victory at Martinsville in April and a four-place finish at Bristol the previous weekend. Once behind the wheel of a competitive car, Andretti went to the front.
What Makes Him Slow: The rap on Petty Enterprises is that the outfit's been out of touch and doesn't make the investments needed to keep up with the sport. Last April, Kyle Petty announced that the family was ready to do whatever it takes to win again regularly. By season's end, however, the Pettys were still only the third-best Pontiac outfit, trailing the Joe Gibbs and Bill Davis stables.
Key Stat: 10 Andretti was one of just six regulars to go double digits in wrecks or spins that caused yellow flags. Only Johnny Benson (12) and Kenny Irwin (11) , out-crashed Andretti. In the first eight races of the stretch run that began in late August, he had five crashes.

It's a puzzle. He carries one of the greatest names in racing. He drives one of the most famous cars in the history of NASCAR -- the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Pontiac. And he arrived on the big circuit in 1993 with one of the most complete racing resumés in history. Yet John Andretti, who calls Mario "Uncle," continues to struggle in Winston Cup.

Andretti started in go-karts and went to school in Belgium to learn how to race formula cars. As a teen, he raced late model stock cars, midgets and sprint cars. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1989 and raced at LeMans. In 1991 he finished fifth in the Indy 500 and won his first CART race. He even made it to the semifinals of an NHRA top fuel drag race in 1993, beating former champion Joe Amato along the way.

Then he comes to Winston Cup in 1994 and finishes 32nd in the season standings, then 18th, 31st, 23rd, 11th and, last season, 17th.

Not bad for most drivers. But disappointing for somebody with his pedigree, backing and surname.

Andretti obviously has the family racing spirit. And when he shines, he's nothing short of brilliant.

He won his first race, the 1997 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, in a No. 98 Ford owned by Cale Yarborough that was generally considered a second-class car. Andretti's second victory came at Martinsville last April. He made it one of the most exciting races of the year, charging through the field to pass Jeff Burton and take the lead for the first time with only three laps left.

But when he is not very, very good, Andretti is horrid. He had 10 DNFs last season. He finished 40th or worse six times. He crashed out of three straight races at New Hampshire, Dover Downs and Martinsville.

Not surprisingly, he took a roller-coaster trip up and down the Winston Cup points standings in 1999, starting in 43rd place after he blew an engine and finished dead last in the Daytona 500. He was up to 12th by May and spent the summer hovering in 13th before plummeting to 21st with just four races remaining.

"Yeah, if you pick up the statistics book, it's pretty ugly," Andretti said as the season wound down. "But we've run a lot better this year even though we're way further behind in points. But my attitude is, they're going to race next weekend and we're going to be there. I don't get down about any of this. I've been racing a long time."

And with all the expectations that come with his name, it must seem even longer.

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