Coca-Cola 600 - John Andretti Notes

John Andretti, Driver #14 VB/APlus at Sunoco Ford
Famous name in stock cars, Indy cars Compares Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600

John Andretti is one of the most well-known drivers in NASCAR racing, with race victories at two of the most difficult speedways on the circuit – the tight, fast 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the demanding .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

In 1994, he became the first driver to run both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. And he is one of just a handful of drivers in history with major race victories in the top three forms of motorsports – NASCAR Nextel Cup, Indy car and major league sports car racing.

Andretti discusses the Indianapolis 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and more.

Has the Coca-Cola 600 become more prominent than the Indianapolis 500?

“Both races can stand up by themselves, no question. It has always been that way. The Indianapolis 500 has an attraction and a tradition, and that is always going to be there. It’s not a matter of one race over another. Some guys do one, some do the other, and some do both on the same day.

“It depends on what you grew up with. I grew up with the Indianapolis 500 being the first thing you ever thought of. It has sort of always been in the back of your mind. The Indianapolis 500 is just huge but that doesn’t diminish how valuable the Coca-Cola 600 is. I grew up an open wheel racer, and I raced in the Indianapolis 500 long before I came to NASCAR. If I were to win one over the other, and it goes back to my history and where I started, the Indy 500 would be bigger. That’s just me. The guy down the road is going to say the other because he grew up dreaming about racing stock cars.”

Does it hurt the Coca-Cola 600 or the Indianapolis 500 that the Indianapolis 500 has a change in its start time? Does it hurt drivers attempting to do the “double/”

“It definitely hurts anybody who was hoping to do both in the same day. There is still no question, however, that the Indianapolis 500 is going to be over before the start of the Coca-Cola 600. It’s just going to be a lot closer. The people at the Indianapolis 500 who go home to watch another race on TV, because they didn’t get enough out of just one race, are racing home. They are still probably going to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. I don’t know if the start time for one really hurts the other, except for the guys trying to do the “double.” I think it’s impossible. In my eyes I don’t think you can do it.

“There was excitement watching the guys attempt both - that question of, ‘Is he going to make it?’ The year that I did it (1994) the time was closer than any other year. Being that it was the first year, and first time that anyone ever did it, yeah, I think people were in anticipation. They wanted to know, ‘Is he going to make it?’ Now there isn’t any of that. I think it brought an added element to both races. Not that they didn’t have enough excitement on their own, but it still added to the excitement of the day. It was even that way for me. After doing it, and watching other drivers do it, it was interesting to see what they were going through. It was no different last year with Robby Gordon. He actually had to pull out of the Indy 500 to make the Coca-Cola 600. He had an annual contract in one race, and a one-race deal in his own car in the other. That element is now going to be missing.”

Why are younger drivers coming into NASCAR rather than open wheel racing?

“It’s always going to be based on opportunity. The best opportunities, the ones that are being offered on more of a regular basis, are in NASCAR. Those are just the facts. It has nothing to do with ability or any of that. The guys who are getting groomed in sprint cars and midgets, the NASCAR owners are already looking at them. They probably already have some under contract. It didn’t used to be like that.

“The open wheel guys were sort of taboo. They weren’t the guys that NASCAR owners wanted to hire. Obviously that has changed considerably. Now, I think, starting with guys like Tim Richmond and Ken Schrader, and leading today to Jeff Gordon, Kenny Irwin, and Tony Stewart, it’s where NASCAR goes to find its drivers. Unfortunately that’s not the case in open wheel racing. Today, that’s not the mentality. The mentality is different. I’m not so sure that they don’t recognize the talent, but I’m not sure they can come after the guys as aggressively as the Cup owners can.

If you were advising a young driver what direction might you lead them?

“I think you go where your heart is in some occasions, but ultimately you have to go where the opportunity is. I think both NASCAR and open wheel racing offer great competition. Overall, for longevity, opportunity, and otherwise the best bet is NASCAR.”