Jeff Andretti
Nationality
Born
(1964-04-14) April 14, 1964 (age 60)
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Awards
1991 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
1991 CART Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year
Champ Car career
21 races run over 5 years
Years active
1990–1994
Team(s)
TEAMKAR International (1990)
Bayside Motorsports (1991)
A. J. Foyt Enterprises (1992)
Pagan Racing (1993)
Euromotorsports, Hemelgarn Racing (1994)
Best finish
15th (1991)
First race
1990 Miller Genuine Draft 200 (Milwaukee)
Last race
Wins
Podiums
0
0
0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
3 races run over 1 year
Best finish
64th (1999)
First race
1999 Pronto Auto Parts 400K (Texas)
Last race
1999 NAPA Autocare 200 (Nazareth)
Wins
Top tens
0
0
0
Jeff Andretti (born April 14, 1964) is a former American professional race car driver. He competed in the Champ Car World Series and was the series' Rookie of the Year in 1991.
Andretti was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on April 14, 1964, the youngest son of Dee Ann (Hoch)[1] and Italian-born 1969 Indianapolis 500 and 1978 Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti. His older brother is Michael Andretti, and his uncle is Aldo Andretti. His nephew is Marco Andretti, who is the son of his brother, Michael. He is also the cousin of Aldo's two sons, John Andretti and Adam Andretti. The Andretti family became the first family to have four relatives (Michael, Mario, Jeff, and John) to compete in the same series, which occurred during the CART series.[2]
In 1983, Jeff was racing in Formula Fords, winning both the USAC Pro Ford Championship and the Skip Barber Formula Ford Eastern Series. After qualifying for his Sports Car Club of America national license in 1984, he won the Northeast Division title in Formula Ford. In the November, he made his Formula Super Vee debut at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.[3]
He continued in Formula Super Vee the following season, with the Ralt America outfit, winning the third race of the season, on the Milwaukee Mile. In the CART race at the same event, Mario did the same, marking the first time a father and son had started from pole and won races on the same track, in the same weekend. Jeff would also win in Cleveland and Phoenix, on his way the fifth in the Robert Bosch/Valvoline Championship.[3][4]
In 1986, Andretti moved into the new American Racing Series with Ralph Sanchez Racing. Like his Milwaukee win the previous year, his only race win was a "family affair". He earned his first ARS victory at Pocono, as his father wins the CART race at the same meeting, after his brother, Michael had started from pole, giving the Andretti family a "clean sweep." Jeff would go on and finish second the overall ARS standing. For 1987, Jeff switched to Arciero Racing for another attempt at ARS, winning the opening race of the season, in Phoenix. He would revisit the top step of the podium in the series finale, in the race around Tamiami Park, Miami, snatching second place in the championship away from Tommy Byrne in the process.[3][5][6]
In 1989, Andretti competed in the Toyota Atlantic, while developing a new chassis. Although the season was winless, he did earn Rookie of the Year honours, on his to sixth in the Atlantic Division.[3][5][7]
He moved into the CART ranks in 1990, joining his father and brother, making racing history, making it the first time a father has competed against his two sons in a CART race. After failing to qualifier for the Indianapolis 500, he make his race debut with TEAMKAR International in their Lola-Cosworth T89/00 in the Miller Genuine Draft 200 on the Milwaukee Mile, only to suffer mechanical problems and not finish. He sat out the rest of the season, returning in 1991, doing a full season with Bayside Disposal Racing, driving their Texaco Havoline Star sponsored Lola-Cosworth T91/00. With four top ten finishes throughout the season, three of which were the first three races, the best being a 7th place in the Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix; the race incidentally won by his cousin, John, earning the CART Rookie of the Year title.[3][8][9]
In May 1991, Jeff would qualify 11th for the Indianapolis 500, coupled with an outstanding performance before mechanical problems earned him the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year title. He followed his Mario and Michael in making it the first time ever, that three members of the same family have achieved this.[10]
Earlier that year, Jeff joined Mario and Michael to race for Jochen Dauer Racing in the SunBank 24 at Daytona. Although their Porsche 962C was classified in fifth place, they failed to finish due to overheating.[11]
Without for full-time drive for 1992, Andretti returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with A. J. Foyt Enterprises. Unfortunately, he became yet another victim of the infamous Andretti Curse at the famed race track when on lap 109, a right rear wheel came loose off his car at Turn 2 and he crashed violently head-on into the wall, smashing both his legs. He spent three weeks at the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, before the long road to recovery, determined to race again in 1993.[3][12]
It was February 1993, when Andretti set the (then) unofficial closed-course speed record for IndyCars of 234.50 mph, the fastest speed ever recorded at Texas World Speedway, while testing for the Indianapolis 500. This marked his first time back in an IndyCar since the accident the previous year. Andretti's fast run came at the conclusion of two days of testing where he consistently posted laps in the 230 mph range. Andretti's Buick-powered Lola was prepared by Pagan Racing. It was at the Indy, that Jeff made his complete his comeback, only to record a third straight DNF.[3][13]
The accident severely hampered Andretti's career, at least in terms of his competitiveness, since he was never the same afterwards. In 1994, Jeff did a one-off race with Euromotorsports, finishing 17th in the Slick 50 200, held at Phoenix Raceway, 21 laps adrift. In May 1994, Jeff switched to Hemelgarn Racing, but his bid for a fourth consecutive start failed due to a blown Buick engine.[14][3]
He returned to racing full-time at the Indy Lights with Canaska Racing in 1995, but recorded just one top-ten finish. In 1996, he stepped away from open-wheel racing and joined the tin-top brigade, racing to seventh place overall in the North American Touring Car Championship in a Leitzinger Racing prepared Ford Mondeo. After a gap of three year, he moved to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 94 Chevrolet for Enerjetix Motorsports, he raced in three events in 1999, posting a best finish of 30th at the Milwaukee Mile.[3][5][15][16]
Andretti is now retired from competitive racing, and works as a driving instructor.[17]
Season
Series
Position
Team
Car
1985
Robert Bosch Formula Super Vee Championship[18][19]
5th
1986
CART American Racing Series[20][21]
2nd
Ralph Sanchez Racing
1987
CART American Racing Series[22][23]
2nd
1988
HFC American Racing Series[24][25]
21st
Hemelgarn Racing
Agapiou Racing
1989
SCCA Toyota Atlantic Championship - Atlantic Division[7][26]
6th
Newman Racing
HFC American Racing Series[27][28]
27th
Baci Racing
1990
CART PPG Indy Car World Series[29]
38th
TEAMKAR International
1991
CART PPG Indy Car World Series[30]
15th
Bayside Disposal Racing
USAC Gold Crown Series[31]
15th
Bayside Disposal Racing
Camel GT Championship season[32][33]
29th
1992
USAC Gold Crown Series[34]
18th
CART PPG Indy Car World Series[35]
49th
1993
USAC Gold Crown Series[36]
29th
Pagan Racing
CART PPG Indy Car World Series[37]
53rd
Pagan Racing
1994
CART PPG Indy Car World Series[38][39]
44th
Lola-Ilmor T93/00
Lola-Buick T92/00
1995
PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship powered by Buick[40][41]
19th
Camaska Racing
1996
North American Touring Car Championship[42][43]
7th
Leitzinger Racing
1999
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series[44][45]
64th
Enerjetix Motorsports
Year
Track
Car
Engine
Class
Finish
Start
Status
1984
Swift DB1
35
2
Retired
Year
Team
Co-Drivers
Car
Class
Laps
Pos.
Class
Pos.
901 Shop
Mike Schaefer Nick Nicholson Jeff Refenning
GTU
258
43rd
(DNF)
12th
(DNF)
GTP
485
53rd
(DNF)
14th
(DNF)
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti
GTP
663
5th
(DNF)
3rd
(DNF)
Year
Team
Co-Drivers
Car
Class
Laps
Pos.
Class
Pos.
Auto Toy Store
GTP
165
37th
(DNF)
7th
(DNF)
(key)
Year
Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Rank
Points
Ralph Sanchez Racing
PHX1
5
MIL
3
MEA
10
TOR
10
POC
1
MDO
4
ROA
2
LS
14
PHX2
4
MIA
3
2nd
107
PHX
1
MIL
11
MEA
2
CLE
4
TOR
8
POC
2
MDO
5
NAZ
3
LS
7
MIA
1
2nd
123
PHX
14
MIL
11
POR
11
MIA
17
23rd
5
Agapiou Racing
POC
14
Baci Racing
NAZ
10
27th
3
Canaska Racing
MIA
15
PHX
DNS
LBH
20
NAZ
10
MIL
19
DET
12
TOR
11
CLE
20
NHA
7
19th
12
PPG IndyCar World Series results
Year
Team
Chassis
Engine
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Rank
Points
Ref
TEAMKAR International
Lola T89/00
PHX
LBH
INDY
DNQ
MIL
17
DET
POR
CLE
MEA
TOR
MIS
DEN
VAN
MDO
ROA
NAZ
LAG
37th
0
Bayside Disposal Racing
Lola T91/00
SRF
7
LBH
9
PHX
10
INDY
15
MIL
11
DET
16
POR
12
CLE
16
MEA
23
TOR
9
MIS
12
DEN
12
VAN
11
MDO
22
ROA
18
NAZ
11
LAG
13
15th
26
Lola T91/00
PHX
LBH
INDY
18
DET
POR
MIL
TOR
MIC
CLE
ROA
VAN
MDO
NAZ
LAG
49th
0
Lola T92/00
PHX
LBH
INDY
29
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
MIC
NHA
ROA
VAN
MDO
NAZ
LAG
53rd
0
Lola T93/00
PHX
17
LBH
44th
0
Lola T92/00
INDY
DNQ
MIL
DET
POR
CLE
TOR
MIC
MDO
NHA
VAN
ROA
NAZ
LAG
Year
Chassis
Engine
Start
Finish
Lola T89/00
DNQ
Lola T91/00
11
15
Lola T91/00
20
18
Lola T92/00
16
29
Lola T92/00
DNQ
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
NCTC
Pts
Ref
94
TEX
31
MLW
30
NZH
31
64th
213
(key)
Year
Team
No.
Car
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
NATCC
Pts
5
DET
5
DET
6
PIR
6
PIR
6
TOR
DNS
TOR
DNS
TRV
9
TRV
5
MOH
6
MOH
10
VAN
6
VAN
7
LS
9
LS
5
7th
106
Sporting positions
Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
1991
Mario Andretti
Aldo Andretti
Games
