Marco Andretti still searching for Indy 500 glory after 3rd-place finish - MotorSportsTalk

Marco Andretti keeps banging on the door at Indianapolis, but the darn thing doesn’t seem to want to open.

The third-generation driver threatened late as he battled both Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay and Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves for the win in today’s Indy 500.

But the latter two drivers ultimately settled the matter among themselves, leaving him to settle for a third-place finish behind RHR and Helio.

Add that to a growing pile of near-misses for the son of Michael and grandson of Mario.

Today marks his third P3 finish at Indy to go along with the runner-up to Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006 and the fourth-place showing he had in last year’s ‘500.’

“[We were] close but we never really dominated. You could say that Ryan and Helio did,” said Marco. “The only way we had a shot is if those two got together. They were putting so many blocks on me that there was nothing I could do.

“Every time we got to the front, we got shuffled back.”

Marco took the lead from Hunter-Reay in Turn 3 with 19 laps remaining, but Hunter-Reay quickly reclaimed it on the next lap. Castroneves would also jump him for second, and that was that.

Michael Andretti, Marco’s team owner in addition to his Dad, felt like Marco’s No. 25 Snapple Honda simply had too much downforce in the final laps.

“There were a few times when Marco tried to get up there, but I saw his car didn’t have the speed…[The downforce] was the difference with Ryan’s car to his,” Michael said.

“I think they were both really good, but I think [Ryan’s car] was a little more trimmed, we had a little more speed. I knew at that point [of the race], if we were going to win it, it would most likely be with Ryan.”

Afterwards, Michael met up with his son, who according to him was “really upset.” Considering his own star-crossed history as a driver at Indianapolis, he couldn’t blame Marco for feeling that way.

“It’s a weird feeling because I really was disappointed for him,” Michael said. “I know you only get that many shots. He had a car that was close, just not close enough.

“Yet I’m so happy and proud of the rest of the team. So it’s a weird feeling. As a dad, disappointment. As a team owner, couldn’t be happier. You have to try to balance those things.”

Marco has now led 141 laps at Indy, which is the fifth-most among drivers that have never won. Michael tops that agonizing list with 431 laps led over his 16 starts in the ‘500.’

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”