Notebook: Marco Andretti gives father a thrill with run

Updated: May 20, 2006, 10:36 PM ET

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By John Schwarb
Special to ESPN.com
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Marco Andretti said they were the longest four laps of his life.

Perhaps, but during Saturday's qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, they were plenty fast -- even faster than Dad.

The 19-year-old continued an impressive rookie campaign at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by putting his Dallara-Honda ninth in the starting grid with a speed of 224.910 mph.

His father Michael claimed the 13th qualifying spot, clocking 224.508 mph. Moments after the run he arrived in the media interview room at the same time as Marco took the track, and while glued to the monitors he appeared to be riding shotgun with his son, nervously twisting a water bottle cap and shifting in his chair.

But with the twitching came approving nods as Marco put together the most consistent of runs, with the four laps no more than .105 seconds apart.

"I'm definitely playing the role of a father up here watching him. That was a really good effort for him, he put together four consistent laps," Michael Andretti said. "It's a great feeling to see him done with his run, but it's also a feeling of relief, too. This is the worst day in terms of pressure.

"I was feeling pressure out there, so I can't imagine what Marco was feeling since it's his first time here."

Turned out the son was feeling the same way. Even after getting acquainted with the 2.5-mile oval by logging 485 practice laps through Saturday morning, tops among all drivers.

"C'mon, this is my first one. I'm only 19," Marco said with a smile. "It's special, my whole life I couldn't wait to be here. Now that I am and I'm qualified for this thing, I'm definitely excited. Last week we had to worry about qualifying and the race, now we can just look forward to trying to get a good car for the race."

This was the second time a rookie Andretti topped the father on qualifying day. In 1984, Michael's maiden qualifying effort was fourth, two spots better than Mario Andretti. In the race Michael was also better, finishing fifth to Mario's 17th.

Now, for Michael, the roles are reversed.

"The thing is, I have to figure out a way to pass him [Marco]," Michael said.

Finding some answers

It wasn't the same as qualifying fourth with a car capable of the pole as was the case a year ago, but Danica Patrick walked away from her second Indianapolis 500 qualifying day with renewed confidence.

All month the Rahal Letterman driver had been struggling with grip in her Panoz chassis and was mired in the middle of the speed charts. But in Friday's practice she started to find some speed, turning in her best lap of the month at 223.601 mph.

The momentum carried over to Saturday, with Patrick qualifying 10th at an even faster speed of 224.674 mph. She went increasingly faster in each of the four qualifying laps.

"That was a pretty solid run. To post those speeds in qualifying is the right time to do it," she said. "We have had a hard month, it hasn't been easy like it was last year."

Patrick was the fastest of the three Rahal Letterman drivers, as Buddy Rice qualified 14th (224.393) and Jeff Simmons, after wrecking his primary car in Friday's practice, landed in 25th on the grid (220.347) in his backup Panoz-Honda.

Super sub

Three-time 500 starter Roger Yasukawa was a regular in the garage area all month, only without a ride. Friday he got a chance, getting a tryout for Jon Herb in the Playa Del Racing Panoz-Honda.

Now, he's in the show. Yasukawa got the job and qualified the car 28th at 218.793 mph.

"I was originally talking to the team to perhaps do some races later on this year, I guess the deal came sooner than we thought," said Yasukawa, who finished 10th in the 2003 and 2004 races. "I think I had about 10 laps [Friday] to get up to speed and prove that I can do the job. It was a little nerve-wracking, but once you get back into the rhythm, it is better."

Eventful Eddie

Eddie Cheever Jr. said he was excited about returning to the 500 for the first time since 2002, but his qualifying effort was a little more eventful than necessary.

"If you go away for four years and get sideways in your warm-up lap, it's even more exciting," Cheever said.

With the bobble, his first lap was merely 220.916 mph. But he picked up the pace in his three subsequent laps, clocking speeds above 222.305 to post an average of 222.028 mph, good for 19th place.

Cheever Racing teammate Max Papis, named as the team's second driver just this week, qualified 18th at 222.058 mph, just ahead of his boss.

John Schwarb is a freelance journalist covering motorsports and a contributor to ESPN.com