Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
The cast: Race engineer – Nathan O’Rourke. Race strategist – Michael Andretti. Chief mechanic – Dave Sharpley.
Twitter: @MarcoAndretti, @FollowAndretti
The car: No. 27 Snapple Honda
The driver: Turned 28 on March 13. … Lives in hometown of Nazareth, Pa. … Completed ninth season with the team owned by his father Michael.
Video: Marco Andretti reviews his season
Season finish: Placed ninth in Verizon IndyCar Series standings for second consecutive season (third year in row in top 10 and fourth in past five years).
Season stats: Andretti had a three-race stretch midseason in which he finished in the top five, which put him in championship contention. Overall, he posted two podiums (second at Belle Isle-1 and third at Auto Club Speedway) and 11 top-10 finishes. For the third consecutive year, he finished in the top six of the Indianapolis 500. … He led four races for total of 60 laps, and was running at the finish in 15 of the 16 races (contact at Pocono Raceway, where he finished season-low 18th). Until that point, Andretti was the only driver to complete every lap during the season. He completed 2,170 of the 2,232 total laps.
Year over year: 2015 best qualifying third at Auto Club Speedway (11.5 average), best finish of second at Belle Isle-1 (9.1 average). 2014 best qualifying fifth at Pocono Raceway (12.4 average), best finish of second at Barber Motorsports Park (12.2 average) in 18 races.
The gist: Andretti has driven for Andretti Autosport in each of his nine Verizon IndyCar Series seasons. His first start was in 2006 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He earned his maiden victory five months later at Sonoma Raceway. In May 2006, he finished second in the Indianapolis 500. … Third-generation racer (grandfather Mario won 52 races, including the 1969 Indianapolis 500, and four Indy car championships; father Michael won 42 races and one Indy car championship). … Drove for Andretti Formula E team in 2014 race at Buenos Aires. … Won three of the six Indy Lights races he competed in during 2005 season.
The chart (below): Looking at how Andretti finished relative to his qualifying position:
