INDIANAPOLIS — Marco Andretti was 2 months old the last time his venerable racing family led the field to green at the Indianapolis 500. In this strange pandemic-plagued season, he ended a 33-year Andretti drought by winning the pole.
That darned “Andretti Curse” has haunted three generations of racers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1969 when Mario Andretti won his only Indy 500. Now his grandson, with a lightning-fast and fearful four laps around the speedway, has cleared the first hurdle toward an elusive victory.
Mario Andretti was 1-for-29 in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” with just three career poles, his last in 1987.