IndyCar: Did Marco Andretti hint at another 2021 race?

Marco Andretti may or may not have hinted where else he might like to compete in the 2021 IndyCar season outside of the Indy 500.

Marco Andretti announced last Friday that he is stepping back from his role as the full-time driver of the #98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian Honda, which will bring to an end his streak of 248 consecutive IndyCar starts going all the way back to his debut in 2006.

The 33-year-old Nazareth, Pennsylvania native isn’t retiring, however. He plans to continue competing in the Indy 500, and he plans to maintain his role in terms of fielding the #98 entry in the series, a role he has held since the 2019 season.

Andretti also didn’t rule out competing in additional races throughout the 2021 season, not just in IndyCar but in other series such as IMSA.

And he may or may not have hinted at where else he may like to compete in the upcoming IndyCar season.

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On his Instagram post of him announcing that he will no longer be competing full-time, a fan commented the following: “Thank you for the opportunity and the excitement over the years to watch you race. I hope you consider the Nashville road race as that is my hometown and can’t wait to watch IndyCars race the streets of Nashville.”

Andretti simply replied, “yes!”, which may or may not simply be referring to looking forward to watching the race. But it could very well mean that this is one of the races aside from the Indy 500 in which he would like to compete as a part-time driver in 2021.

IndyCar is set for its first race on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, August 8. This is the only race on the 17-race 2021 schedule which has never previously been on the calendar, and it is an event that is being hyped up by many parties involved.

The inaugural Music City Grand Prix around the 11-turn, 2.17-mile (3.492-kilometer) temporary street circuit outside Nissan Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, is the 12th race on this year’s schedule.

The 105th running of the Indy 500, Andretti’s lone scheduled start for 2021, is scheduled to take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30.

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The 2021 IndyCar season itself is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, April 11 at Barber Motorsports Park after the originally scheduled season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida was pushed back from Sunday, March 7 to Sunday, April 25 as a result of coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions.