With Marco Andretti stepping away from full-time IndyCar Series racing, he will be spending this summer in the new Superstar Racing Experience. On Wednesday, the series announced the addition of the IndyCar veteran, making him the tenth confirmed driver.
“I am extremely excited to join the SRX series. I look forward to racing against the legends of auto racing across multiple different series,” Andretti posted on social media. “I am especially excited to go head to head with my friend (Tony Stewart) and learning from him on the dirt, as well as a bunch of my other friends in Motorsport.”
Andretti raced full-time in IndyCar from 2006 to 2020 for his family’s team Andretti Autosport, winning two races in 2006 and 2011. While his last podium was in 2015 and he did not finish better than tenth (Iowa 2) in 2020, he won the pole for that year’s Indianapolis 500.
In January, he announced he would move away from regular IndyCar competition, but will remain involved for occasional one-offs such as the Indy 500. Besides SRX, his post-IndyCar schedule will include sports cars as he has expressed interest in running IMSA races; Andretti Autosport already runs a sports car programme for cousins Jarett.
“100% Marco is going to put on a car control clinic,” wrote longtime Andretti partner and Stadium Super Truck driver Bill Hynes, who also fielded a truck for Marco’s older cousin and Jarett’s uncle Adam, in an Instagram comment on SRX’s announcement post. “Can’t wait to watch him wheel!!!”
Andretti is not the only IndyCar veteran to join Stewart’s new project. Besides Stewart himself (being the IndyCar champion in 1996–97), Tony Kanaan, Paul Tracy, and Hélio Castroneves are also involved. NASCAR‘s Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott, Trans-Am‘s Willy T. Ribbs and Ernie Francis Jr., and Formula One‘s Mark Webber make up the rest of the confirmed field.
“Welcome Marco. So incredible! I have been able to work with Mario, Michael and now Marco,” series co-founder Ray Evernham tweeted. “Yes i am that old but i am as excited as a high school kid with dad’s car on prom night”.
The inaugural SRX season will begin at Stafford Motor Speedway on 12 June.
