What Mario and Michael Andretti said before Marco's 20th Indy 500 attempt went wrong

Racing legend Mario Andretti and his son, Michael Andretti, are present at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to witness their successor, Marco Andretti's 20th Indy 500 attempt. The retired father-son duo shared their feelings about Marco marking the Andretti family's 54th-straight Indy 500 appearance.

Mario, a four-time IndyCar champion who won the 1969 Indy 500, described what racing at the IMS means to their family. While rain delayed the start of the 109th running of the 'Greatest Spectacle of Racing', the 85-year-old shared his thoughts about the event.

"Obviously, (it means) a great deal. This is our rodeo. Coming back here as a family, we enjoy it so much over the years, as you can imagine, since 1965. We'll keep right on going as long as we can."

Sitting beside him on Marco's Andretti Global pit wall was Michael Andretti, 1991 CART champ and the winningest driver in that IndyCar era. When a FOX reporter asked him about the advice he gave to his son, Marco, for the big race, he replied:

"He doesn't really more advice. I think he's got more starts here than me now. He's pretty happy with the car, to be honest with you. He doesn't have the speed he'd like, but the handling is good and obviously, to win this race, you got to have good-handling car, so fingers crossed."

Unfortunately, Marco made contact with Jack Harvey's car in Turn 1 of lap 1, prematurely ending his race.

Marco Andretti's surprising revelation about dad, Michael Andretti, exiting Andretti Global

Michael, Mario, and Mario Andretti at "The Lionheart" Premiere - 2023 Tribeca Festival - Source: Getty

Michael Andretti was the chairman and CEO of Andretti Global until September 2024, when he stepped down and handed the organization's reins to partner Dan Towriss. He wrote a heartfelt letter to his fans after announcing his exit from his namesake organization. His resignation came as a huge shock to the racing world, as he had been leading Andretti Global since buying a stake in the team in 2002.

In the build-up to the 2025 Indy 500, his son Marco Andretti revealed that he knew this decision was coming.

"I knew it a year before," the junior Andretti said via Indy Star.

The 38-year-old also mentioned that his father's exit from the team didn't bring any change in his approach, adding,

"I don't think (him stepping down) really changed my approach. That’s (racing) been the same goal all along for me."

Marco Andretti retired from full-time IndyCar racing in 2021. Since then, he has been piloting the No. 98 Honda for Andretti Global on an Indy 500-only schedule. The closest he came to winning the race was on debut in 2006, before Sam Hornish Jr passed him just before the finish line. His father, Michael Andretti, finished P3 in the same race.