Beyond the Flag
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IndyCar: Five Bold Predictions for 2017

By Asher Fair

Charlie Kimball on track during the 2016 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Photo Credit: Bret Kelley/Courtesy of IndyCar
Charlie Kimball on track during the 2016 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. Photo Credit: Bret Kelley/Courtesy of IndyCar /
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Marco Andretti will be looking for a series title or an Indy 500 win in 2016. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Marco Andretti will be looking for a series title or an Indy 500 win in 2016. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4: Marco Andretti Will End His Win Drought

Sure, picking a guy to win one unspecified race isn’t exactly bold. But in Marco Andretti’s case, it is.

After ending a 77-race winning drought with his win at Iowa in 2011, Andretti has gone on a career-high 92-race winless streak. While six years seems like a long time in itself, let me illustrate to you just how long it has been.

The last time Marco Andretti won an IndyCar race, Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, JJ Watt, Andrew Luck, and Von Miller had never played a snap in the NFL. Peyton Manning was still an Indianapolis Colt. Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and Kemba Walker were two days removed from being drafted into the NBA and had never stepped on an NBA court in an NBA uniform.

As you can see, it’s been quite a while since Marco Andretti took the checkered flag at an IndyCar race.

That drought will end this season. Andretti is more motivated than ever to prove he belongs in this series, and he is coming off of the worst season of his career. His top finish a season ago was a mere 8th place finish at the season finale at Sonoma. If he doesn’t win this season, it may never happen, and that is not something that anyone wants to have to think about. Don’t worry, they won’t have to.