John Andretti, Richard Petty qualify for Indianapolis 500
John Andretti qualified for the Indianapolis 500 Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. // Gary Shook, NASCAR Scene
John Andretti made the field for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with his qualifying attempt Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andretti, who is taking a break from driving the Front Row Motorsports entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to compete at Indy, had a rather tense Sunday. He began the day in the field, was bumped from it, then spent his final qualifying attempts trying to get back in the field.
With just 15 minutes remaining, he was not in the field. With eight minutes to go, on his final attempt, he locked in for his 10th Indianapolis 500. He will start 28th in Sunday's race.
"I'm exhausted," Andretti said at the end of the day, according to a track news release. "I don't want to do this anymore, to be honest. Just coming down pit road, you would have thought that I won the race. I couldn't hear the crowd, but I could see them standing and waving. The fans have always been behind me at Indianapolis. The team did such a great job. We tried something different in practice today. We got advice, and it was one of those things that we couldn't get to work."
He said that his team returned to the garage and borrowed his teammate's shocks. He says that his team has struggled and gotten better as a group. Andretti, driving the Richard Petty-owned car fielded by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, said that they grew as a group and that helped him make the field.
"We were fighting hard, each one of us," said Andretti, who is 46. "I'm the old man, and I had to fight the hardest, and it's not supposed to be that way. I've always looked at these guys on the bubble on Bump Day and absolutely felt for them. … I can't imagine how embarrassed I would have been to call Richard Petty and have him ask, 'Where do you start?' And I don't [start].
"It's been a very, very tough day. I'm going to say that [this] one is for my dad [Aldo Andretti]. My dad is such a strong supporter - I know this was a challenge that he would appreciate."
Now, Andretti is glad to have a bit of a break before competing in the actual race.
"I'm glad the race isn't tomorrow," he said. "I am physically, mentally, just totally exhausted."
