IndyCar: 8 years after Iowa triumph, Marco Andretti still seeking another win

By Asher Fair | Jun 25, 2019

NEWTON, IA - JUNE 25: Marco Andretti, driver of the #26 Team Venom Dallara Honda, stands with the winner's trophy alongside runner-up Tony Kanaan of Brazil and third place finisher Scott Dixon of New Zealand, after winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on June 25, 2011 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Eight years after earning the second victory of his IndyCar career in the race at Iowa Speedway, Marco Andretti is still searching for his third.

For any IndyCar driver, a 77-race win drought is quite a lengthy win drought. Entering the race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 25, 2011, Marco Andretti was on a 77-race win drought, as he earned his most recent victory, the first victory of his IndyCar career, in the race at Sonoma Raceway in the 2006 season, his rookie season.

Andretti ended this lengthy win drought by holding off Tony Kanaan by 0.793 seconds to win the 250-lap race around the four-turn, 0.894-mile (1.439-kilometer) Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, Iowa after starting in 17th place.

Little did anyone know at the time that this 77-race win drought would seem like a lap around Iowa Speedway compared to the win drought that the 32-year-old Nazareth, Pennsylvania native has been on since he won that race.

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From the time that Andretti crossed the finish line to lead his 42nd lap of the 2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 and seal this 0.793-second victory over then reigning Iowa Speedway race winner Kanaan in second place until now, he has not been to victory lane — anywhere.

Andretti’s win drought is now at a whopping 136 races, and if he does not end it soon, it will be on pace to double his previous win drought at roughly the midway point of next season.

A total of 22 different drivers, several of whom haven’t competed in IndyCar in several seasons, have won at least one of these 136 races. Andretti, meanwhile, has only finished on the podium in eight of them, with just three of these eight podium finishes being second place finishes.

Andretti has not finished on the podium since he finished in third place in the race at Auto Club Speedway in the 2015 season (four years ago this Thursday, June 27), a race that, had it not finished under caution, he likely would have won due to his advantage of having far newer tires than the top two finishers, an advantage he utilized to carve through the field from 11th to third following the race’s final restart with three laps remaining.

His podium drought is currently 65 races, making it nearly as long as the 77-race win drought he ended eight years ago today, and if this podium drought were his win drought, it would still be the second longest win drought among the win droughts of all 19 of the sport’s active full-time drivers. Kanaan’s 76-race win drought would still be higher.

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Will Marco Andretti’s active win drought ever end, and if so, when? The race at Iowa Speedway on the 2019 IndyCar schedule is not scheduled to take place until Saturday, July 20. This race, the Iowa 300, is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET, and it is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.