Ma. Andretti, Mi. Andretti
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Just reminder, we try to pass the microphone around, so be orderly about that with regard to our questions.
I suspect that's a look of anguish, but I think all of us feel we've seen one of the most remarkable performances of a rookie of all time. (Applause) Well deserved. Marco, that was a phenomenal race, and we know the disappointment is there because you're a competitor, but my, oh, my, what a day for you.
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yeah. I've got to say thanks to all the NYSE boys.They did an awesome job all month. I knew I had a shot, the green flag, I knew I had a shot at this race, and that's what you want. To be completely honest, I thought I did it with one lap to go. But I don't know where that speed came from, I was on the overtake the last three laps of the race just holding it, but I don't know where that came from. I think I could have put a pretty decent block on him, but that's a very risky thing to do. But I know I have a lot of shots left, but you have to learn from my dad's career that you have to take advantage of every one of them. Man, I don't want to wait for next year. It's a bummer. (Laughter)
SULLIVAN: I think a lot of us thought, Marco, that when Sam made that move, and you were able to hold him off and he dropped way back, we thought perhaps it was there. Were you aware that he had dropped back that far?
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yeah and, that's why I had thought that I had won it because I knew if I -- to be honest, any other car on the racetrack, if that would have happened to, I would have had the race won. But woulda, shoulda, coulda. Second place is nothing here.
SULLIVAN: Your perspective on that may change but we understand your feeling now. Let's take some questions for Marco Andretti.
Q: Marco, can you describe the restart there trailing your dad? And was there any discussion with him about what lines you were going to take especially with the guys behind you and to have the temerity to take your dad on the outside, did he shake his fist at you as you went by? (Laughter)
MARCO ANDRETTI: No. When I passed him, I was hoping Bryan (Herta) was behind Dad, and the race was over. But no, you know, we spoke about this before that it would be a fairy tale if the two of us were coming down to try to win this race. We weren't going to let each other have it and we didn't.
Q: Marco, first part. When Sam did have to fall back at that point – let me rephrase it. If you had realized he was going to be coming through (Turn) 3 and 4 and off 4 like that on the last lap, is there anything you could have done if you realized he was going to come with that kind of speed?
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yeah, I could have crashed us; that's the only thing I could have done. I have to say congrats to him. It's tough for me to do, but they were fast all month. I think I could have moved to the inside, but at that time he would have already made his move and it would have been a big one, but I don't know.
Q: Marco, what did Mario say to you after you got out of the car?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I couldn't even hear anything that was going on. I was just doing the interviews. Obviously, "Good job." I'm sure everybody is happy with me. I'm happy with myself, definitely. Like I said, they don't remember people who finish second here, they really don't. Got to take advantage of every shot.
Q: Marco, can you just take us through that last maybe two laps?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I thought I did, but all right. I was on the overtake the whole time. I knew I had the car to win, like I knew I was quicker than Dad, actually. But when I got by Dad, I was hoping that, you know, like I said, Bryan was going to be behind us and try to help us do this. But, you know, unfortunately he wasn't, which it's fair. But I definitely -- I wouldn't have done anything different except for the last, coming off the last corner, that's the only thing I would have changed because I think I did everything I needed to do in the last couple laps. He just had that speed. I don't know where it came from.
Q: Marco, so many times, as you've mentioned, people don't remember who finishes second, but do you think you may have succeeded in altering that perception because of the fact you finished, you know, so close to him and had that chance to win? People still remember Scott Goodyear and Al Unser dueling it out at the end. Do you think people will remember this?
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yeah. Yeah, I do. You know, not just people in my city, I hope everybody sees it. But how many times did my Dad finish second, you know? He never won it, and neither did I.
Q: Marco, during the race we had a number of veteran drivers who either crashed out or had to stop. Did you notice any of that? And did it concern you at all being a rookie and thinking about how much their experience might have helped them in that situation?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I was just trying to be consistent and get the car home because, you know, with no mistakes. There was three or four times in this race where I almost crashed. I think you can't go through a race without having any scares. But, you know, the dear Lord was with me the whole time, and we made it to the end.
Q: Marco, for a lot of the race you and your father were tucked in there, Danica was in, and you sort of like laid in that six, seven, eight. Was that the way you saw the race developing and waiting, you know, was there a patience factor there?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I'm not that good, man. No, I was trying. There's a lot of great race drivers out here, you know. I don't have to sort of sit back. I wish I could have, but I wasn't, not one lap out there.
Q: Marco, if there is a word that you can describe today, thinking now that you finished second, what is that word?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I don't understand the question.
Q: What word would you use to describe today?
MARCO ANDRETTI: Well, it definitely was awesome. I had a shot at winning the Indy 500, but we didn't.
SULLIVAN: Questions?
Q: Marco, just talk about the influence your dad had on you being behind you. You could tell he was trying to help you out and give you what line you should take. Just how influential was it having him kind of guide you through this?
MARCO ANDRETTI: It definitely, you know -- that's the good thing of having four teammates. You know, they're all out there yet they want to win the race but they're out there. It's us against everybody else, if you look at it like that until the last couple laps. But, yeah, I mean -- I don't know. At that stage in the race, I don't know how much I was actually learning, you know, from him but definitely, you know -- I don't know how to answer it any more than that.
Q: Marco, it's a very physical race out there today because of the heat and the slipping and sliding. How physical was it for you?
MARCO ANDRETTI: It was tough. Fortunately enough we had a pretty decent amount of yellows it seemed like. But, no, I was all right. And I knew once I settled in, it's the best feeling in the world once you get in the rhythm and start hitting your marks. There was a middle stint where the car sort of went off a little bit. Man, there's so many things that could have won me this race, but I don't want to get into that.
Q: Marco, if we could, could we go back to the -- oh, I'll pause. (Applause) (Michael Andretti enters conference room.)
Q: Marco, could you -- welcome, Michael, by the way.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Thank you.
Q: Marco, let's go back to the second-to-last lap. Did you see Sam making the run on you going into 3?
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yes, and I really think any other car on the racetrack, if that would have happened, you know, me getting the gap after Turn 3, I think the race would have been mine. I thought it was. I really thought it was. I was holding the overtake the last couple of laps. I don't know where it came from -- again, I don't know where that speed came from.
SULLIVAN: We did this informally, but I think we do owe a round of applause to a guy who came back and put on a whale of a show with a third-place run. How about it for Michael Andretti? (Applause)
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Thanks.
Q: One more question for Marco. I know you're disappointed that you finished second, but has it sunk in yet of what you accomplished today as a rookie? I mean, in my opinion, one of the greatest rookie drives ever.
MARCO ANDRETTI: Yeah. Like I said, it does feel awesome and, you know, I can't complain, I almost won the Indy 500 my first year in it. It's just the way as a competitor, I don't want to finish second. I don't want to wait until next year. I know I have a lot of shots at it, but I wish it was this year. Got to take advantage of every shot.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I'm glad he's not happy. (Laughter)
SULLIVAN: Questions?
Q: Michael, as proud as you must be for the two of you to be sitting here second and third, after it sinks in, is this going to rank right up there in the Andretti heartbreaks after it really sinks into you?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I don't think -- I really believe it's right now feeling like that, it's the heartbreak, another one. But I think in another couple days we're going to sit back and think, 'Oh, wow, who would have ever thought it would come down to that?' You know, we were running one and two with just a few laps to go in the Indy 500, and he almost pulled it off. I literally put my hand in the air thinking he won the race, and I couldn't believe it. Where did Hornish get that speed? It was like he had a button in there to push. It was just unbelievable.
MARCO ANDRETTI: I have to interrupt him and for everyone in the media we talked to before that asked us what we would do if we were coming down one-two, we thought it would be a fairy tale and thought we had it won.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: We almost did. I knew I didn't have the speed, and I saw Marco get a run on me and I figured I would get over, block him a little bit, but then I saw he had such a run that I was going to give him the line and figured I would try to help protect him and unfortunately, I didn't do a good enough job. Hornish got by me a little too quick, and that was it. But it was a fairy tale, it was the dream that we talked about. We all saw what we would do.
Q: Michael, you talked a little bit about that moment where Marco came up on you. Do you think that he showed that there was a little chip off the old block there when he came right around you, overtook you?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: It was great. He had a really good run. And you know, there's nothing I could do except for just run the low line and see if he maybe wouldn't go for the outside, and he did. Then he had the line for the corner, and I knew that he would. So I figured I would ease out of it a little bit so he could run his own normal line so he wouldn't have to break stride and try to win, and he almost won.
Q: Michael, I know you said this will seem like a heartbreak right away, but really, is this about as good as you felt about a second and third finish at Indianapolis? I mean, is the flip side how great it turned out, too?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I just wish Penskes weren't out there. (Laughter) I can't tell you how many times he cost me Indy, either three or four. Either the team or a driver, he's cost me. Yeah, I mean it's going to definitely -- that's what I meant by in a few days we'll get over the disappointment of the loss, and we'll look at the real story of really what happened. I think that's when it's all going to sink in. I mean, it was a storybook finish, you know. People are going to know that -- people are going to remember that even more than Hornish winning the race. What are the odds of a father-son coming down for that?
Q: Michael, what's the future hold for you now? Is this retirement permanent?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: You guys just don't let off. Give me a break. Let me think about it a little bit. (Laughter)
I don't know, it's a little disappointing, you know, coming that close again. I've just got to sit back and see. I'll wait a few months to make my decision on whether I want to do it or not. It was a lot of hard work to do what we did. Coming up this close, coming this close, though, it does irk you, but still feel like you have a little unfinished business.
MARCO ANDRETTI: I'm going to work him for sure. I'm going to work him. (Laughter)
Q: Michael, you alluded to this but maybe lost in this, you had a shot at winning this race at the end.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I know. I was there, I remember. (Laughter)
Q: You had the fuel, and --
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: If that yellow didn't come out, we win the race. It's as simple as that. I know it was a shame. When I saw that yellow, I was like, 'No, no, no.' Then I knew it was going to be a shootout, and I didn't have the speed for a shootout. So I was hoping that the yellow would go. I was hoping when they had the wavearound that there would be another crash or something, you know, that the yellow would stay out. But it didn't, and I think if it would have been three laps to go, could have been a little different story. But five laps to go, just too many laps for me to hold them off.
Q: To both of you, you've both said several times, Marco, especially you and Michael, you said once you wonder where that speed came from. Quite candidly, where do you think it came from?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I don't know.
MARCO ANDRETTI: We need to find out. (Laughter)
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: If we knew, don't you think we'd have it?
Q: An inspection?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: No, Penske's wouldn't cheat. He had a good tow, and he was able to keep his foot in it coming off, he didn't have to get out of it. He had the right gear at the right point. It was just -- he was lucky that he hit everything, the timing of where he fell back, actually. Probably if he would have fell back just a little further or a little closer, it wouldn't have worked out for him. You know, it just worked out that way for him again.
Q: You mean when he had to back off?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, if he would have backed off not that much and just lost a little bit, he couldn't have done it because he would have been too close to get a run. If he would have lost it a little more, he wouldn't have had enough time. It was just one of those deals.
Q: Guys, before this race, did you even allow yourself to think that this was possible that you would be going down the stretch last couple of laps?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I wasn't thinking about the two of us. I really thought I was going to win the race. In my mind I thought I was going to win the race. I just felt like I had a good car, and it just felt like it was time. There in the end, I thought if the yellow doesn't come out, we're going to win this race. I never dreamt about me and Marco, though. We dreamt about it, but we never really thought realistically it would happen.
Q: Michael, did you think that Marco had won the race there?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I went -- oh, I mean literally my hand was out of the cockpit, and I'm like he didn't just win it. Then I'm like calling on the radio, did he win? Did Hornish pass him? I'm like, no. So it was disappointing.
Q: Just for Marco, if you could clarify, how much distance was there between you and the finish line where he made that pass? Can you just give us a guesstimate?
MARCO ANDRETTI: What?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: How close is the finish?
Q: How close was the finish line?
MARCO ANDRETTI: I don't even know the numbers, actually.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Look on TV.
SULLIVAN: Second-closest finish.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Was it?
SULLIVAN: I believe so.
Q: Michael, one of those what-if questions. What if you, if the position was reversed and you had been where Marco was and Hornish was coming like that, what would you have done?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Nothing I could have done. You know, at that point Marco did everything. In fact, he did a great job holding him off down the back straightaway. Then I thought when I saw that, 'Wow, I think he's going to win it.' So I wouldn't have done anything different. He did everything he could do. Crash him, you know, we're not going to crash him.
SULLIVAN: We're going to make this the last question.
Q: Michael, I'm wondering if your son showed that he is even a better driver than you thought or if something surprised you out there today?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: No, I just knew he was going to surprise a lot of people. He didn't surprise me. He did everything what I thought he could do and, you know, he just did it a little quicker than I thought he would do that.
SULLIVAN: I'm going to give him one more here.
Q: Michael, can you speak to how much better it would have been for the IRL if your son had won this race today?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: That's right, you should tell them that. You should tell Hornish that. (Laughter) It would have been a great story, for sure. I think it's still a great story, but it would have been a better story.
SULLIVAN: History will record that it is a great story, indeed. What a great performance by the two of you. Congratulations, Marco and Michael, on just a splendid month of May.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Thank you.
| Indianapolis 500 Talkback | Post Comment |
|
|
|