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When NASCAR introduced its NextGen car in 2022, it was with the goal of lowering costs for teams and potentially enticing new manufacturers and teams owners to join the sport.
The immediate success of new owners such as Grammy award winner Pitbull and legendary NBA player Michael Jordan only furthered that agenda.
Now, it appears that the sport could be set to add one of the most legendary names in racing to the grid in the near future.
Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal reports that Michael Andretti is looking to bring his Andretti Autosport team to NASCAR.
“Andretti Autosport is kicking the tires on deals in NASCAR to possibly enter America’s leading racing series in the coming years, according to people familiar with the matter. The team is currently applying for an F1 expansion slot in addition to its current racing activities in IndyCar, Formula E, IMSA and Australian Supercars,” Stern reported.
This was a follow up to an earlier comment by Andretti about entering the series.
“Team Owner Michael Andretti told Forbes in January that he wanted to get into NASCAR after getting admitted into F1. However, sources have now revealed that Andretti has already started having discussions in the NASCAR sphere about how and when to get into the series,” Andretti wrote. While Andretti could purchase a charter to enter NASCAR as its own outfit, another option would be to partner with a team that already controls one. It could not be determined how advanced the conversations were, but the series is already midway through its 2023 season so any program by Andretti would be unlikely to start until 2024 at the earliest.”
Andretti himself is a former CART Series champion and Formula 1 driver. While his father Mario is one of motorsport’s most legendary drivers.
Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 in 1967. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. And he claimed the Formula 1 drivers championship in 1978.
Andretti is the only driver to complete the feat.
Adding Andretti back to the NASCAR field would be unquestionably be a home run move for the series.