Those wondering what Marco Andretti was going to do this season, he has a 20-race schedule across ARCA and NASCAR. Andretti will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, as well as ARCA West in addition to select Craftsman Truck Series races.
The two-time race winner in IndyCar is going to give the stock car thing a try for real. He wants to get used to all kinds of tracks, cars, and situations. I think throwing yourself into a gauntlet in ARCA and the Truck Series will do just that.
Andretti is set to compete with Cook Racing Technologies in the ARCA Series. He will be with Roper Racing in the Truck Series.
Both ARCA and the Truck Series are known for showing off great talent, but also showing off rookie mistakes and ill-advised moves on the track. Andretti will likely find himself wrecked a couple of times.
However, that’s part of it all.
“I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” Andretti said, via CatchFence. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after.
“It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars. I also want to do it the right way and not go right to the top of their sport on my IndyCar and SRX merit, as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series.”
So, Marco Andretti is going to give NASCAR a try. He had starts with Spire Motorsports in 2023 in the Truck Series. While some thought that was his 2024 landing place, Andretti has other plans.
Marco Andretti – can he succeed in stock cars?
At 36 years old, Marco Andretti still has miles left in the tank. Most drivers are considered in their prime from about age 33-40, at least in the NASCAR ranks. Andretti knows he likely won’t compete full-time in IndyCar again, but NASCAR is different.
There is a path in stock cars for Andretti should he want to take it. Of course, some of that comes with figuring out sponsorship and finding results on track. It felt like that Gainbridge/Group 1001 deal with Spire would surely lead Andretti to their Truck Series team.
That didn’t happen. Instead, MMI Racing and Sun West Construction will join to sponsor Andretti. Other sponsors will also be included and announced at a later date. For now, it is just those two on board with the former IndyCar race winner.
Do you see Marco Andretti finding his footing in ARCA and NASCAR? His family is full of racers and clearly, the passion is still there in Marco. Will we see him make a jump to the Cup Series in the next couple of years?
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