When John Andretti arrived at The Milwaukee Mile on Friday and discovered that IndyCar Series officials were giving newcomers to the series an hour of practice, he wanted to be a part of it.
Andretti was turned down because of his “vast experience racing at The Milwaukee Mile,” which includes a second-place finish in 1991 to his cousin, Michael.
The only problem — it has been 16 years since Andretti raced at Milwaukee in an Indy car.
“I might as well have never been here for as long ago as it has been,” said Andretti, who competed in four CART races at Milwaukee with three top-10 finishes.
After finishing 16th in the Indianapolis 500 for Roth Racing, Andretti agreed to drive the No. 24 car at Milwaukee and in Saturday night’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I came here because I want to be here and it will help me at Indy,” Andretti said. “I had a good time at Indy, but I always want to learn more for Indy. I really felt like there were times we could have been better if I knew more. Also, from the race team as well. None of these guys are pushovers. They are really, really good race drivers. They’ve got great teams and it is like racing anywhere else. There are no freebies, you have to work for it.
“I’m enjoying it, too. It’s fun. I haven’t raced up here in a long time, except in Busch cars. I always liked racing up here.”
Andretti started 16th and finished 19th at Milwaukee, three laps down to the winner. But Andretti also made a “rookie mistake” in Saturday’s qualifications when he tried an old racing line that doesn’t work anymore.
“I know the feel and what I want out of the car,” Andretti said. “We were getting there, but it is not as happy as it would like to be. I have enough experience to know what to do, but that was a big rookie mistake getting into the dirty part of the track down there.
“Ron Dixon, my spotter, said, ‘whatever you do don’t get high down there because you will flat-wall it.’ I didn’t get high, but when I went toward the wall his face came up in my visor.”
Dixon should know a thing or two about what makes a successful race driver. After all, his son, Scott, won the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25.
Ron Dixon began the season serving as the spotter for rookie driver Jay Howard, but with his status at Roth Racing in limbo, Dixon has enjoyed his two races working with Andretti.
“I think he is adapting very well and he seems to be enjoying it which is the important thing,” Dixon said. “He is right into it. He eases himself into it. He doesn’t charge. I’m impressed with the guy. He’s a good guy.
“He has the feel for them, and it hasn’t taken him long to get the feel back. He is doing a good job. He was as high as 10th in the 500. That was good going. He looked good there. That was solid, too. I think he is the type of guy that deserves to be here full-time.”
That has become a realistic possibility to Andretti, who left CART after the 1992 season to become a full-time competitor in NASCAR Cup racing.
He won two Cup races in his career, but hasn’t had a full-time ride in that division since 2002. He has driven in three of the 14 Sprint Cup races this season and admits that he may be lured back to the cockpit of an Indy car on a more regular basis.
“I really enjoyed Indianapolis and had a great experience with Roth Racing,” Andretti said. “The opportunity arose to do some more races, and I really kind of jumped at the chance, as the opportunity to get more experience in the series and in the cars is a good thing for the future. My goal is obviously to get as competitive as possible at Indianapolis, and I’d still like an opportunity to win that race.”