The Legends Trophy has added another Indianapolis 500 winner to an already stacked field for its race Saturday at virtual Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Mario Andretti, who won the Indy 500 in 1969, announced on Twitter that he would become the seventh former Brickyard winner in the field.
Past Indy 500 winners Emerson Fittipaldi, Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya, Gil de Ferran and Tony Kanaan already were entered in The Race All-Star Esports event and are regular competitors in the Legends Trophy.
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The simulation racing series, which is open to former drivers older than 40 (but also recently drew surprise cameos by Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel), features a collection of ex-Formula One, IndyCar, sports car and rally stars.
Among those who compete regularly: Jenson Button (the points leader), Jan Magnussen, Emanuele Pirro, Mika Salo, Adrian Fernandez, Max Papis and Petter Solberg.
Alonso also has announced he will be racing Saturday at the virtual Brickyard (where he intends to race his second Indy 500 when the 104th running takes place Aug. 23 on NBC).
I'm in. This Saturday. Indy. I have a steep learning curve ahead of me. Trying to learn as quickly as possible. It's been a long time since I was a rookie. I'll just commit and hope I'm competitive. https://t.co/RwP2KB5m6Z
— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) May 20, 2020
At 80, Andretti will be the oldest driver in the field (after the 73-year-old Fittipaldi) and will be competing against many drivers who didn’t have the chance to race the legend whose career ended in 1994.
Naturally, many of them are excited.
How cool is to get to race with such a legend that is Mario at @IMS https://t.co/O3ZVfbb94o
— Juan Pablo Montoya (@jpmontoya) May 20, 2020
Welcome Mario!! It will be amazing to share the track at @IMS with you (even if it is virtually) 👍🏼👍🏼 @wearetherace #LegendsTrophy https://t.co/JtVBzUd9jm
— Dario Franchitti (@dariofranchitti) May 20, 2020
This is MY DREAM coming reality racing @MarioAndretti @IMS I’ll go testing NOW ... sorry @MPI_INNOVATIONS but this is a priority ... https://t.co/VfLlmfIcpz
— Max Papis (@maxpapis) May 20, 2020
Another Legend joins the #Legendstrophy. Looking forward to going wheel to wheel with Mario 😊 https://t.co/WAZJ9RpFXO
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) May 20, 2020