FINALE AT MIAMI
The Indycar season ended at the Miami-Homestead Speedway - with Marco parking the car early. After running with the leaders for the first quarter of the race, he retired after completing 58 laps with his right front brakes up in smoke.

Afterwards Marco said "I'm really disappointed for the Venom boys tonight. We had a great car for our first stint and once we put some front wing in we have been able to continue to run at the front. After the first stop the brakes hung up and we just started getting slower and slower. By the time we came in it was too late and that was it for the #26 car. It's just a shame to have to end the season this way."

In the run-up to the finale weekend he said: "I'm excited about finishing the season at Homestead-Miami this year; it's a great circuit with a great atmosphere. We were able to run really strong here last year and finished on the podium. I think the Venom car will have a good chance of being just as competitive this year and I hope to end the season with a solid finish."

Marco started the race sixth in the IndyCar Series championship standings, only 13 points out of fifth.

DUEL IN MOTEGI
The 300-mile contest at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit featured a great duel between AGR teammates. Boost Mobile/Motorola driver Danica Patrick and Venom driver Marco Andretti finished sixth and seventh, respectively, the lead the way for Andretti Autosport in the Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.

Team 7-Eleven driver Tony Kanaan came from the back of the starting grid to finish 11th while Formula Dream driver Hideki Mutoh drove from 22nd to finish 14th.

Afterwards Marco said: "Today wasn't a bad showing for the Venom boys, especially considering our starting position. A better qualifying run obviously would have made our day a lot easier, but we were able to work through some traffic and make the best of it. Had that last yellow fallen a couple laps later I think it would have been a much brighter outcome for the #26 car, but you can't depend on yellows."

- Into the race Marco was sixth in the IndyCar Series championship standings, only 11 points out of fifth with has 10 top-10 finishes thus far this season. He finished the 2008 IndyCar Series season seventh in point standings with 363 points.

Marco Andretti on the Indy Japan 300: "Last year, our day ended almost before it started in Japan, but I still think we can be very competitive this year. As a team we've always run strong there and hopefully the Venom boys and I can get a third consecutive win for AGR."



MARCO RACES HARD AT CHICAGOLAND
Marco recovered from scraping the wall at Chicagoland to run as high as fourth into the closing stages. The thrilling finish came down to push-for-pass boost availability, and many of the leading drivers had options in reserve. The .0077 second margin of victory – about 28.5 inches – was the fourth-closest in the history of the series. Marco drove home P11 in the leading pack.

Marco also drove the fastest two laps of the race - over 217mph. Marco is now racing teammate Danica Patrick for fifth place in the championship.

Marco said: "I'm obviously not happy with the race results tonight. We were fourth going into the last restart after fighting our way up back through the field.  I couldn't get up to speed in time; we got caught out and lost position. It was a struggle all night.  A lot of ups and downs, but the Meijer boys did a great job hanging in there. I'm looking forward to some down time and hopefully strong results in Motegi in a couple weeks."

MARCO SOLID AT MID-OHIO
Marco used pit strategy and fast pit stops in a drive to sixth place on a hot day at Mid-Ohio. His race helped close the gap in the Championship - Danica Patrick's advantage over sixth-place Marco was trimmed to 14 points.

Andretti, who crashed out in his two previous starts here, not completing a lap two years ago, cruised across the finish line sixth after spending much of the latter stages in 2nd place behind eventual winner Scott Dixon. Andretti earned props for a cool, steady race in 90-degree-plus ambient heat and 120-plus track temps. Andretti's solid run was his 10th top-10 finish in 13 starts this season.

Highlights of Marco's race were two great pit stops, both gaining Marco crucial positions over his race rivals.

"Not a bad day for the Meijer car. But it was a long day," Andretti said. "I'm glad to we were able to finish in the top 10.The goal is to make our way in the points. It'd be great if we were able to make our way up to fifth," Andretti said. "Today put us closer."

The IndyCar Series now takes a one-week break before heading west to California for the final road-race event of the season, the August 23 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County at Infineon Raceway.

MARCO AT EDMONTON
Marco Andretti rounded out the top ten on another hard working day for AGR. He spent much of the race tucked in behind slower cars, then had to work to avoid going a lap down to the leaders. It was difficult to pass on this physically demanding, 14-turn airport course - there were just five lead changes all related to pit stops. Marco gained a spot in the championship race and now lies 6th, just behind Danica Patrick.

Team-mate Tony Kanaan had been set to finish at least ninth for the team before an apparent fuel rig problem caused a dramatic fuel spill and fire at his first pit stop. The former champion escaped with minor burns.

Marco said afterwards "The No. 26 definitely wasn't perfect today, but that's racing. The perfect car isn't possible. We went out and kept pushing but just got caught behind a couple of slower cars and the leaders were able to increase their gap on us. The Mott's boys worked hard all day and we'll take the top-10 finish. It put us up one position in points, and we're closing the gap on fifth. Hopefully we'll find the points we need in Kentucky next week."

MARCO 8th AT TORONTO
Marco raced to 8th place at the Honda Indy Toronto on the street of Exhibition Place. It was a typical Toronto battle of attrition with many incidents, and a number of drivers kept their heads above water to score solid results. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, putting him back into the championship lead by two points over Dixon. Marco is now in 7th position in the championship just behind Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick.
Toronto Photo Gallery

Marco said afterwards: "It didn't turn out as too bad of a day for the NYSE iShares car considering it seemed to turn into an attrition race. We were able make it to the end and work our way toward the front. The #26 car was quick on the black tires so the longer stint we ran on reds cost us some time and I think we lost a little ground there. The boys did a great job in the pits all day and we're nearing the top-five in points.  Overall I'm happy with the top-ten finish today."

CAMPING WORLD GRAND PRIX AT THE GLEN
Marco Andretti capped an outstanding recovery drive by passing rookie Mike Conway on the final lap to secure 5th place at The Glen. Andretti had regained a lost lap (caused by EJ Viso running into the back of the #26 car) in the first pitstops and under yellow, then jumped up the order by staying out until lap 45 before his final stop. PHOTOS FROM THE GLEN

Up front Justin Wilson took Dale Coyne Racing's first victory in 23 years of IndyCar and Champ Car competition.

"It was a great effort for the Venom boys today," Andretti said. "We definitely had the pace, and I think that’s definitely promising for the future."

In the sole free practice session before qualifying Marco gave Andretti Green a boost by surging to third with his final lap of the session, pushing Graham Rahal down to fourth.

Said Marco: “The #26 car ran well at The Glen last year and I’m looking forward to returning this weekend. I think as a team AGR has learned a lot about our road course package this season; we left Long Beach with good information and were able to test there (Watkins Glen) a couple weeks ago. For me, this is as close to a home town race as it gets. It’s great to have the fan support and to have so many friends at the track. I’m hoping the fans and friends get to see a strong finish for the Venom boys.”

Richmond under the lights
Suntrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway
Saturday 27, 2009.
Strategy nearly brought Andretti Autosport a famous 1-2-3. On Lap 247 the leaders—Dixon, Franchitti, and Rahal—were all nearing the end of their fuel and, had they pitted under green, would have surrendered the lead to the four AGR cars, Mutoh, Patrick, Kanaan, and Andretti, who were in line behind them. But a yellow caution gave it up...

Richmond Photo Gallery

Marco would finish seventh after starting back in 16th. He said "We had a really good race car, but passing was tough tonight. Track position is really important here since it's a hard track to pass on. I think we made the best out of it and got a top-10 finish for Team Venom Energy."

Iowa Corn Indy 250 - June 21st
Team Venom Energy driver Marco Andretti was relegated to a backup car after a hard crash on Saturday destroyed his primary #26 machine. Andretti never found the handle he needed to return to the podium at Iowa and ended the day in 12th. Teammate Hideki Mutoh though took a second straight podium at the Iowa track. Follow us on twitter for the latest news on race day.

Marco said afterwards: "It was a character building weekend for the #26 car.  After the wreck in practice on Saturday the guys did a great job rebuilding the car in time, but we weren't able to get the track time we needed for the new car.  With the lack of track time, we had to set-up the car with minimual information.  We did everything we could but there are only so many changes you can make during a race."

"Marco on Saturday after Q was cancelled: "We have a decent starting position for the #26 car.  It's a bummer for the Venom Energy boys.  They worked their tails off to get the car ready for qualifying and then qualifying got cancelled.  We are going to focus our attention on the race set-up and hopefully we can keep the car up front."


Marco spoke to reporters on Friday: (About the season so far and racing at Iowa): “Definitely not as good as I would like so far. At the start of the season, I didn’t think I’d be sitting eighth at this point, but I’m still very optimistic definitely about the next few races if not the whole rest of the season. I always enjoy coming to Iowa. The fans are unbelievable here. That’s what really makes an event in the first place. The track is pretty unique, as well. We’ve run good here in the past, so we’re looking to do the same again this year.” (About Hideki): “I think he’s the same as me. He can’t wait to get going here again. We all know it’s like starting over again each year for sure, but hopefully we have a decent race car as we have here in the past. It was really good for him. Hopefully, he can finish one spot higher and I can finish two spots higher. We’ll have to argue that one out in the last few laps.”

Marco - currently eighth in the championship point standings - is back to the track where he took pole and a podium position last year, and where where his father (Michael) recorded his first pole position. The race is run on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised by ABC.
 
Marco Andretti on the Iowa Corn Indy 250:
"I'm looking forward to returning to Iowa Speedway. It's a track where I think the #26 car and Andretti Green as a whole have been very strong. Hideki (Mutoh) and I both finished on the podium last year, and I brought home second the year before that. Hopefully we can keep at least the podium streak alive, although maybe on the top step this year. It should be a great weekend for Team Venom Energy."

SOLID RACE AT TEXAS
Marco charges to 4th at TMS.
All the Andretti Autosport drivers completed the six race of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, the Bombardier Learjet 550, led by Marco who put on the charge of the race in the closing laps, battling his own Andretti Autosport teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick -- as well as Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon -- to move from seventh to fourth in the final 20 laps.
"I'm happy to get the #26 car a top-five finish, we have been working really hard this season and our efforts finally paid off for the Venom.  We struggled on the restarts but seemed to get stronger on the longer stints, but unfortunately we were fighting traffic at the end and didn't have enough time to get a higher finish."

Latest photos and news are added to our Twitter account as they come in. Follow us HERE

The IndyCar Series now takes a one-week break before resuming June 21 at the Iowa Speedway short oval with the Iowa Corn Growers 250.

COMEBACK AT MILWAUKEE:
From the back to seventh.
ABC Supply/AJ Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile Sunday, May 31, 2009
Gallery of Photos From Milwaukee
Andretti-Green teammates charged through the field near the end of the race with Danica Patrick finishing fifth and Marco Andretti in seventh. Marco had fallen to the back of the pack at the start of the race but made a good recovery. Patrick's top five finish was her fourth in five races this year.

"The No. 26 car was strong today, and it's a shame we weren't able to show it with a higher finish. We got caught up in some traffic near the end and were boxed in. I definitely think we were capable of a top-five finish. The Venom boys did a great job all day, and I'm looking forward to Texas next weekend."

INDIANAPOLIS 09, THE CURSE OF TROY RUTTMAN:
Marco Andretti hit by Mario Moraes on first lap.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 4790 W. 16th St., Indianapolis, IN 46222
On the first lap Moraes - with plenty of room down low on the track - came up high and touched wheels with Marco Andretti between Turn 1 and Turn 2.

The contact knocked Moraes out of the race, cost Marco a shot at victory and heavily damaged the Team Venom Energy car. Andretti eventually returned to the track before handling issues sidelined him for good. He finished 30th.

Moraes was making his second Indy 500 start. Andretti, making his fourth Indy 500 start, started right next to him at eighth. The ghost of Troy Ruttman (still the youngest ever '500 winner) ensured everyone under 25 was out of the race early! Marco would have broken Ruttman's record had he won.

• We've a new gallery of the best pics from Indy.
• See our full Indy gallery collection here.


INDIANAPOLIS MARCO 8TH ON GRID
Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 4790 W. 16th St., Indianapolis, IN 46222
Andretti Autosport drivers Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti qualified for the 93rd Indianapolis 500. Andretti, driver of the #26 Team Venom Energy car, started in the eighth position, Danica, driver of the #7 Boost Mobile/Motorola car, started in the 10th position. Tony, driver of the #11 Team 7-Eleven entry, started sixth.

INDIANAPOLIS PRACTICE SESSIONS AND QUOTES
Looking for a setup. The #26 car did a few laps on Sat AM and 114 laps on bump day. On yesterday's work Marco said: "The Team Venom Energy car felt good today and I think we are only minor changes away for being ready for the race.  The #26 boys have been working really hard and deserve the next couple of days off.  I'm looking forward to the final practice on Friday."

On Saturday Marco said: "Because of the weather, the #26 car was only able to run for a short amount of time this morning and with the air temperature was so cool, I think we had more downforce than we would normally. The car was really easy to drive but we still didn't have the speed that we needed. Team Venom Energy will have to wait until tomorrow to see where we really stand."

On friday: " It's been a rough day for the #26 car. We've tried several set ups, including my teammates' but haven't been able to find what we're looking for. I would say we have a lot of work to do and unfortunately we're running out of track time. Hopefully Team Venom Energy will come out with something strong tomorrow."

PHOTOS!
Images of the first few days at Indy, incuding Thursday, when Marco was the fastest car on track. Gallery 1 | Gallery 2

FAST FRIDAY: Marco was 6th on the chart with a fast lap 224.724 47 after he recorded the fastest lap of 225.4 on the 1st full day of practice. Marco has now qualified in the top 10 in all four Indianapolis 500s that he has started. Heading into Indy, Marco is now 7th in the overall points standings, just 27 points behind TK, the leader.

MARCO ON PRACTICE DAY 2: "I'm pleased with Team Venom Energy's performance today and glad the rain held off. It would have been nice to take home the Fast Friday check, but we got the track time we needed, and I think we have a good set up for qualifying. Tomorrow is going to be stressful, for sure, but I think the No. 26 car will be a pole contender."

FIRST THURSDAY: Marco Andretti is the fastest driver after the first full day of practice for the Indianapolis 500.
"We really worked on the car the whole day. The car was good to run with it," Andretti said. "It's super-close out there, and it's going to be even closer as we go on. So hopefully we'll just build on what we did today."

Thirty-two drivers were on the track Thursday, with Andretti's top lap at 225.478 mph.


KANSAS - RACE THREE
RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300, April 25-26, at the Kansas Speedway, KS
Started 5th, Finished 6th.
Marco raced to a creditable sixth place in the first oval round of the '09 IndyCar Series season.Weather was an issue all weekend.

Strong winds hampered practice and qualifying, and a strong line of storms Saturday afternoon wiped out the NASCAR trucks race and produced a tornado a few miles from the track.

Marco was part of an Andretti Autosport contingent that placed all four drivers in the top 10 for the first time since Milwaukee 2006. Tony Kanaan finished third, Danica Patrick finished fifth, Marco sixth and Hideki Mutoh eighth. Marco and Danica battled over fifth in the closing stages of the race.

NEW SPONSOR FOR #26 CAR
GMarco Andretti announces a new primary sponsorship deal.
Andretti Autosport announced today it has signed a partnership agreement with Dr Pepper Snapple Group that expands an existing partnership to include Venom Energy, a hardcore energy drink designed to keep you going all day.

The new agreement is tied to the #26 program of Andretti Green driver Marco Andretti and kicks off with this weekend's IndyCar Series event at Kansas Speedway where Venom Energy will serve as primary sponsor of Marco Andretti and the #26 car.

"Dr Pepper Snapple Group has been a great partner for us on the Team 7-Eleven program and with Tony Kanaan, and we're very excited to be able to expand this relationship and build on it with Marco. Venom Energy is a great fit for him, and we can't wait to see the new car hit the racetrack this weekend at Kansas and next month at Indianapolis."
MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, ANDRETTI GREEN

LONG BEACH - RACE TWO
Grand Prix of Long Beach, Round 2 of the 2009 IndyCar Series
Sunday, April 19, 2009, 4:30 p.m
Marco finished in sixth place in Saturday's race as the team of Andretti Autosport enjoyed a strong run in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Thanks to cool strategy calls he would lead the race at times.

AGR teammateTony Kanaan finished third Sunday and Danica Patrick was fourth.. The fourth driver on the team, Hideki Mutoh, finished 20th after being involved in a crash.

Marco too had a late scare: With under five laps remaining, Marco Andretti attempted a pass on the inside of turn eleven, making slight contact with the #4's right-rear wheel, but fortunately not damaging it sufficiently to halt his race.

"This weekend we learned a lot about what we need to work on the rest of the season" said Marco afterwards.

As the team prepared for qualifying all the Andretti Green cars were struggling to find pace, and this was reflected in Marco's 19th qualifying position.

"It was a disappointing day for the #26 AFS car. Everyone seemed to find the speed they needed but we only found a little; so I think we went the wrong way on the changes we made on the car throughout both sessions. We need to think everything through tonight and hopefully we will get a better result at the qualifying run tomorrow." - MARCO on Friday.

ST. PETERSBURG - SEASON OPENER REPORT
Race One - The Streets of St. Pete.

The day ended literally with a bang for Marco in the opening race of 2009.
Thanks to some creative pit strategy and a heavy foot on the gas pedal Andretti led two laps and held seventh place with 31 laps to go to the lap 100 finish. But the end came on a lap 69 collision with Alex Tagliani, who made a chancy passing move.

After qualifying deep into starting grid - 18th - Marco had worked hard to get into contention. Three of AGR's four drivers, including Marco, failed to finish. Along with Marco, teammates Danica Patrick and Hideki Mutoh also turned in wrecked race cars.


PRE-SEASON INDYCAR TESTS
Andretti Autosport - Barber Motorsports Park

Marco set his fastest time on the final day of the Barber Motorsports Park IndyCar Series test, finishing fastest of the AGR drivers and seventh overall.

Much of the talk on Monday again focused on the possibility of a race at the Alabama facility, which has held numerous sportscar and motorcycle events since being opened in 2003. Unconfirmed rumours circulated that a deal was in the works to get a race at Barber on the 2010 IndyCar schedule, but no announcement was made.

Marco Andretti, who was eighth-fastest, agreed with Patrick about making some tweaks to the course -- "We might have to sit down and try and develop some passing zones," he said - but also mentioned the great turnout.

"I think it would be good. Look at the amount of fans we have here just for a test. As far as driving, I enjoy the place. We might have to sit down and try and develop some passing zones, maybe Turn 5. It would definitely be a tough place to pass. It's definitely a fun track. There's a lot of fast corners." (About which tracks on the schedule Barber compares to) "It's pretty unique. I think the closest would be Sonoma or Watkins Glen. Watkins has the longer corners. Sonoma has the compression and the ups and downs. Turn 1 you could kind of compare to Mid-Ohio."

The 2009 IndyCar Series season opens April 5 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 2 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS.

The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season begins with a doubleheader race weekend April 4-5 at St. Petersburg. The races will be telecast at 6 p.m. (EDT) on April 6 by VERSUS.

 Previous Races
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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