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Andretti Moves to 12th During 500 Mile Race
INDIANAPOLIS (May 24, 2009)— Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver John Andretti was in position to score a Top Ten finish Sunday in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race before a late yellow flag hurt their chances.
Andretti, starting his tenth Indy 500 [along with 10 Brickyard 400 starts], also turned in a tremendous drive from his 28th starting spot by driving the No. 43 Richard Petty Window World Honda Dallara to 12th on lap 131. But a restart hurt the Indy native’s chances when he was forced near the wall and lost 10 positions due to dirt on his tires.
With Richard Petty watching from his pit area, Andretti fought his way back into the Top 15 with 30 laps remaining in the race. Andretti pitted on lap 173 for fuel and new tires and a possible late-race dash to a Top Ten slot. But track conditions had become slippery. and passing was difficult. Andretti was able to finish 19th.
JOHN ANDRETTI, No. 43 Richard Petty Window World Honda Dallara: "This has been a long month. Our goal was a Top Ten, and we were moving towards that end, running 12th. But, on a restart, I got pushed out to the wall and got the car in the dirt. Then everybody behind me was able to get by. It took me a few laps to clean off the tires and get going again. I got a good restart the next time and went from 22nd to 16th. At the end, we did the opposite strategy as the leaders. We took new tires and some fuel, hoping to drive through the field. But the track was just too slippery to make a move. So, we probably had a better car than our finish today. But, overall. It has been a good month. It was fun to bring the ‘King’ [Richard Petty] as a car owner at the Indianapolis 500."