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Marco started the race P16, and had close racing with Canadian Paul Tracy in
the race early stages. Both drivers raced up to 10th and 11th in the first few
laps.
After the first round of pit stops, Marco came out ahead of Tracey but unfortunately
had some damage to his right front wing which needed replacement. This set him
back in the pack at lap 46, essentially ending his hopes to compete for the lead,
but he moved up through the field as the laps wound down.
With seven laps to go he was 12th and would finish the race in P11. Tony Kanaan
and Danica Patrick followed behind Marco in 12th and 15th. Ryan Hunter-Reay was
Andretti Autosport's highest placed driver in 5th.
Marco: "We had to give 110 percent with the Venom car today and things just didn't
go our way. Once we get on the right side of circumstance and once things actually
go our way the 26 car will be pretty tough to get around."
Marco
was aiming to improve upon recent fifth-place finishes at Watkins Glen and after
qualifying 8th for the race things were looking good. His final position at the
Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen was 13th and didn't reflect the hard work
he put in, running as high as 5th. Marco raced between P8 and then P7 early but
a full-course caution set the #26 back, losing a position in the pits, and then
three more on the restart. Marco fell into a good battle with teammate Tony Kanaan,
but with 10 to go the car began to give up positions.
Will Power claimed Team Penske's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory at Watkins
Glen International, winning the sixth Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen.
Marco said after the race: "The Venom car was strong today, but we made
the wrong tire choice for the last stint. We put a qualifying set of reds on,
and the fronts were totally grain. It felt like I was driving in the wet. By
the finish, the tread was gone. Had we made a different choice, I think we could
have held our own and challenged for a top-five finish."
 Marco
started the race from 3rd and would take the lead early in the
Iowa 250. But luck wasn't with the 26 on Sunday as the car slowly
lost competitiveness - the Andretti cars of Ryan Hunter-Reay
(eighth), Danica Patrick (10th), and Marco Andretti (15th) fell
off the lead lap towards the close of the race.
Andretti Autosports' driver Tony Kanaan took victory at a track that's always
proved a challenge. Kanaan overtook fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves with
10 laps left and held on to win at Iowa on Sunday, erasing three crash-filled
years of history at the speedy short oval.
Marco said after the race: "It's definitely a disappointment to start
third and finish where we did. The handling for the Venom car just didn't
make sense. We made all the right adjustments and we were still too loose.
I wouldn't be surprised if we end up finding something broken on the car. We
just weren't able to make it happen today on the '26' side, but I'm happy for
my teammate (Tony Kanaan) and the '11' crew."
Marco
Andretti became the third generation from his famous family to
grace the famous La Sarthe track in Europe with Swiss team Rebellion
Racing in the LMP1 class.
The #12 raced hard into the evening, but Rebellion Racing’s 2010 Le Mans
came to a cruel end in the 12th hour when Neel Jani was forced to stop the
Lola Rebellion LMP1 Coupe just before the Ford Chicane. A transmission problem
that had seen the car repeatedly pit finally took its toll.
Marco had raced from 28th to 20th during his stint.
Marco Andretti's blog: Endurance and persistence
"In
case you didn't know, Le Mans is awesome. I love the atmosphere,
the track is one of the coolest circuits I've ever driven on and,
as I told my my father and grandfather, the sports prototypes are
amazing.
"I told them both they should try out one of these modern prototypes because
they're so much fun with paddle shift, strong grip, high downforce and so on.
As a driver, I was just striving to have as much fun as possible at this year's
24 Hours, and I did."
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For
the second week in a row, Marco Andretti raced to a third-place finish. He
followed up the Indianapolis 500 with another podium Saturday night deep
in the heart of Texas at the Firestone 550K.
The 1.5-mile, high-banked oval at the Texas Motor Speedway was full
of wheel-to-wheel action. Pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe nabbed his first win of
the season, with Marco's Andretti Autosport teammate Danica Patrick storming
up to second.
Marco told VERSUS after the race. "I think [it was] a great run for the
Venom team. It was also a great overall showing for Andretti Autosport, with
its four drivers all in the top 10. Tony Kanaan finished sixth, and Ryan Hunter-Reay,
who started in P24 and also had a pit-stop setback, finished seventh.
" We carried a little bit of momentum from Indy, but as a team just a great
effort," Marco said. "We just gotta keep working."
Marco
Andretti brought the #26 Team Venom Energy car home P6 in
the 2010 Indy 500 race, which was won by former Andretti teammate
Dario Franchitti. Marco had piloted the Andretti Autosport car to
P3 into the final stages, with only a 'conserve fuel' order between
him and a push for the win. By the final lap, which was driven under
caution, he was running on ethanol fumes. Several cars overtook Marco
at this point, including teammate Danica Patrick, who took 5th place.
Dario Franchitti , who lead 155 of the 200 laps, took
the twin checkered flags for the
second time in his IZOD IndyCar Series career. Dan Wheldon - another
former Andretti driver - was runner-up for the second consecutive
year and Alex Lloyd finished a career-high
third.
MORE LATER - JOIN MARCO'S FANS
IN RACE CHAT AT THE MARCOZONE
Marco said after qualifying P16 with a fastest
lap speed of 224.575 mph. "I would
have loved to put the Venom car in the top nine but we didn't have
the speed.
The
car
was just super loose during our run today and when that happens,
your lap time drops. I was all over the cockpit working tools,
trying to bring the car back in balance.
 "In
hindsight maybe we should have run during the morning practice session,
but then again it's just as easy to get lost. If we
had gone out it could have sent us in a worse direction. It's
a roller coaster of a month. When we think we're completely
happy and think we're flying, then we roll off the next day and we're
a mile (an hour) slower. That's Indy. I can't wait to get the
#26 car out there in race trim and try to stick it to these guys."
After further practice on Sunday he added "I'm confident
with our race trim and I think the Venom team is looking pretty strong
right
now.
We're
ready
to
go
as of
today,
but it's Indianapolis so you can't get too excited too early - but
if we had to race right now I think we're looking pretty good. I'm
super happy for John, Tony and their guys, they put up great efforts
to get qualified today. I don't think any of us are starting as high
in the field as we'd like - but a lot can happen in 500 miles."
Marco
finished Friday practice with 119 laps and a fastest lap
speed of 224.615 mph
" It was a very productive day for the Venom car as far
as race trim is concerned. I think we're only one or two changes
away from
where we need to be, and hopefully we know what those changes are.
We were able to find a nice alley and have just been working to dial
things in."
Marco
and Team Venom Energy clocked in at 225.751 mph for P3 during Tuesday
practice
Marco said: "I think we're getting there, but it's
still quite early for the Venom car. I'd say our time today was in
a tow but, then again, so were most of the top-10 times. The good
thing is that we've been checking things off our list, both good
and bad. So we're getting a lot of answers on things in testing and
that's what we're here to do. We're also trying to prepare for the
warmer weather that's supposed to be coming. We know that as it gets
hotter it's going to be less downforce on the car. We're trying to
find the most mechanical grip as possible now so when balance comes
into play we'll have done the right thing."
MarcoZone.com
will be up-to-date daily with news, schedules & quotes from Marco,
so visit often! Don't forget to check the Events section to see what
Meijer Stores Marco will be at during the month, blog on your personal
page about your visits to the track and upload pictures for all members
to enjoy. Be sure to visit the Online Store for specially designed
Marco merchandise not available at any track this season.
 After qualifications
weekend there's an additional Forum Discussion for Good Luck Wishes
for the 500. Feel free to use the current Indy 500 Discussion to
wish Marco & the 26 crew Good Luck during Quals this weekend!
Race Results : Marco
finished P13 at the Kansas International Speedway, after
starting the Grand Prix of Kansas at the back of the pack.
Andretti
Autosport™ had five cars in Saturday's race: Tony
Kanaan was third, Ryan Hunter-Reay fifth, John Andretti
ninth, Danica Patrick 11th
and Marco Andretti 13th
MARCO CONTINUES NEW RACER MAGAZINE COLUMN
Marco on his race at Kansas, and the special race that is the Indianapolis 500.
"It's Indy time again, so mentally, we're all about looking ahead to a pretty
intense couple of weeks of action. But for the sake of this column, we have to
look back, too. And there's a positive vibe at Andretti Autosport™ at
the moment, with Ryan Hunter-Reay winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
But you know,
the No. 26 Venom Energy car could have broken the team's winless streak a
week earlier…
"That's the thing about Indy: there's so much luck involved, and our family hasn't
had the best of it through the decades. So when I say we'll need luck, I mean
it in May more than at any other time"
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