Jeff Andretti (born April 14, 1964) is an American former professional race car driver. He competed in the Champ Car World Series and was the series' Rookie of the Year in 1991.
Early life and education Andretti was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on April 14, 1964, the youngest son of Dee Ann (Hoch) 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.
Career
In 1983, Andretti 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 November, he made his Formula Super Vee debut, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Andretti 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. Andretti would also win in Cleveland and Phoenix, on his way the fifth in the Robert Bosch/Valvoline Championship.
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 won the CART race at the same meeting, after his brother, Michael had started from pole, giving the Andretti family a "clean sweep". Andretti went on to finish second the overall ARS standings. For 1987, Andretti 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.
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 way to sixth in the Atlantic Division.
Andretti 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 qualify 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.
In May 1991, Andretti qualified 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 Mario and Michael in making it the first time ever that three members of the same family had achieved this.
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.
Without a full-time drive for 1992, Andretti returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with A. J. Foyt Enterprises. However, 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.
It was February 1993, when Andretti set the 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 Andretti made his complete his comeback, only to record a third straight DNF.
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.
Andretti 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.
Andretti is now retired from competitive racing, and works as a driving instructor.Auto-racing.speedtv.com
Racing record Career highlights Season Series Position Team Car 1985 Robert Bosch Formula Super Vee ChampionshipTeamdan.com 5th Ralt American Ralt-Volkswagen RT5 1986 CART American Racing Series 2nd Ralph Sanchez Racing March-Buick 86A/2 1987 CART American Racing Series 2nd Arciero Racing March-Buick 86A 1988 HFC American Racing Series 21st Hemelgarn RacingAgapiou Racing March-Buick 86A 1989 SCCA Toyota Atlantic Championship - Atlantic Division 6th Newman Racing Reynard-Toyota 89H HFC American Racing Series 27th Baci Racing March-Buick 86A 1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series 38th TEAMKAR International Lola-Cosworth T89/00 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series 15th Bayside Disposal Racing Lola-Cosworth T91/00 USAC Gold Crown Series 15th Bayside Disposal Racing Lola-Cosworth T91/00 Camel GT Championship season 29th Jochen Dauer Racing Porsche 962C 1992 USAC Gold Crown Series 18th A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola-Chevrolet T91/00 CART PPG Indy Car World Series 49th A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola-Chevrolet T91/00 1993 USAC Gold Crown Series 29th Pagan Racing Lola-Buick T92/00 CART PPG Indy Car World Series 53rd Pagan Racing Lola-Buick T92/00 1994 CART PPG Indy Car World Series 44th EuromotosportHemelgarn Racing Lola-Ilmor T93/00Lola-Buick T92/00 1995 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship powered by Buick 19th Camaska Racing Lola-Buick T93/20 1996 North American Touring Car Championship 7th Leitzinger Racing Ford Mondeo Ghia 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 64th Enerjetix Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
SCCA National Championship Runoffs Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status 1984 Road Atlanta Swift DB1 Ford Formula Ford 35 2 Retired
Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1984 901 Shop Mike Schaefer Nick Nicholson Jeff Refenning Porsche 911 SC GTU 258 43rd (DNF) 12th (DNF) 1988 Buick Momo March Steve Phillips Michael Roe March-Buick 86G GTP 485 53rd (DNF) 14th (DNF) 1991 Jochen Dauer Racing Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Porsche 962C GTP 663 5th (DNF) 3rd (DNF)
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1993 Auto Toy Store Wayne Taylor Morris Shirazi Spice-Chevrolet SE90P GTP 165 37th (DNF) 7th (DNF)
American open wheel racing results (key)
American Racing Series / Indy Lights American Racing Series / Indy Lights results Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points 1986 Ralph Sanchez RacingPHX15MIL3MEA10TOR10POC1MOH4ROA2LS14PHX24MIA32nd107 1987 Arciero RacingPHX1MIL11MEA2CLE4TOR8POC2MOH5NAZ3LS7MIA12nd123 1988 Hemelgarn RacingPHX14MIL11POR11CLETORMEAMIA1723rd5 Agapiou RacingPOC14MOHROANAZLS 1989 Baci RacingPHXLBHMILDETPORMEATORPOCMOHROANAZ10LS27th3 1995 Canaska RacingMIA15PHXDNSLBH20NAZ10MIL19DET12PORTOR11CLE20NHA7VANLS19th12
CART 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 1990 TEAMKAR International Lola T89/00 Cosworth DFS V8tPHXLBHINDYDNQMIL17DETPORCLEMEATORMISDENVANMOHROANAZLAG37th0 1991 Bayside Disposal Racing Lola T91/00 Cosworth DFS V8tSRF7LBH9PHX10INDY15MIL11DET16POR12CLE16MEA23TOR9MIS12DEN12VAN11MOH22ROA18NAZ11LAG1315th26 1992 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T91/00 Chevrolet 265A V8tSRFPHXLBHINDY18DETPORMILNHATORMICCLEROAVANMOHNAZLAG49th0 1993 Pagan Racing Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6tSRFPHXLBHINDY29MILDETPORCLETORMICNHAROAVANMOHNAZLAG53rd0 1994 Euromotorsports Lola T93/00 Ilmor 265C V8tSRFPHX17LBH44th0 Hemelgarn Racing Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6tINDYDNQMILDETPORCLETORMICMOHNHAVANROANAZLAG
Indianapolis 500 Year Chassis Engine Start Finish 1990 Lola T89/00 Cosworth DFS V8t DNQ 1991 Lola T91/00 Cosworth DFS V8t 11 15 1992 Lola T91/00 Chevrolet 265A V8t 20 18 1993 Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6t 16 29 1994 Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6t DNQ
NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Craftsman Truck Series 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 Pts Ref 1999 Enerjetix Motorsports 94 Chevy HOM PHO EVG MMR MAR MEM PPR I70 BRI TEX31 PIR GLN MLW30 NSV NZH31 MCH NHA IRP GTY HPT RCH LVS LVL TEX CAL 64th 213
North American Touring Car Championship (key) North American Touring Car Championship results Year Team No. Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pts 1996 Leitzinger Racing 5 Ford Mondeo LRP LRP DET5 DET6 PIR6 PIR6 TORDNS TORDNS TRV9 TRV5 MOH6 MOH10 VAN6 VAN7 LS9 LS5 7th 106
References
External links
Jeff Andretti at Champ Car Stats Official Andretti family website