IndyCar: 5 drivers who should attempt the Memorial Day Double

Marco Andretti

Marco Andretti, 31, has kept the Andretti family name in IndyCar over the last several years since he first started driving full-time in the sport as a 19-year-old in the 2006 season. His grandfather Mario Andretti is a four-time champion of the sport in addition to an Indy 500 champion, and his win total of 52 ranks second on the all-time IndyCar wins list.

Michael Andretti, who is Mario Andretti’s son and Marco Andretti’s father, is also a champion of the sport, and his win total of 42 ranks third on the all-time IndyCar wins list. Marco Andretti’s uncle, John Andretti, also raced in IndyCar for several seasons and secured one career victory.

There has been at least one Andretti driver in IndyCar, whether he was a full-time driver or a part-time driver, for all but two seasons, the 2004 season and the 2005 season, since the 1963 season ended, as Mario Andretti made his IndyCar debut in the 1964 season.

Something that is not really considered or thought about a whole lot that should be is an Andretti driver in NASCAR. After all, Mario Andretti is also a Daytona 500 champion, as he won the race in his second of three attempts back in 1966, and John Andretti spent several seasons as a full-time Cup Series driver after leaving his role as a full-time IndyCar driver following the conclusion of the 1992 season.

Marco Andretti putting the Andretti family name in NASCAR is something that is certainly possible. Last fall, he discussed the possibility of driving in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, the team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Rick Hendrick.

In April of last year, he also discussed driving in Xfinity Series races and Cup Series races, possibly for Stewart-Haas Racing, the team co-owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to the Associated Press.

"“I’ve talked to Smoke (Stewart) a little bit about it. I don’t think I should jump right to Cup. I think there’s probably some Xfinity stuff that could be a possibility. Smoke hates restrictor plate races to begin with, so he’s not very high on me wanting to do it. But I think if we could put something together it would be fun.”"

There is certainly nothing to suggest that Andretti will leave IndyCar, at least not to the extent where he would no longer drive in the Indy 500, within the next few seasons. Whether you believe that is due to the fact that he drives for Andretti Herta Autosport, the team his father co-owns with Bryan Herta, is up to you, but the fact is, he does run extremely well in the Indy 500.

With recent discussions about him driving in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series, what better way to get the Andretti name back into the sport than by also driving in the Coca-Cola 600 to attempt the Memorial Day Double, something that John Andretti also did?