Josef Newgarden pays heartfelt tribute to Marco Andretti as legendary IndyCar era ends

Two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden paid a heartfelt tribute to Marco Andretti as the IndyCar veteran announced his retirement from racing. Andretti put out a post on social media on Tuesday, October 29, to announce that he was hanging up his boots to focus on his family life and business ventures.

The third-generation Andretti, son of 1991 CART champion Michael Andretti, and grandson of four-time IndyCar champion and 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti, was an IndyCar icon in his own right despite never winning a championship or the Indy 500. He competed full-time in the premier open-wheel racing series from 2006 to 2020 with Andretti Global, and earned two race wins and 20 podiums during that stint.

These numbers don't paint a complete picture of his talent, as he impressed many rivals and legends of the sport with his exceptional racecraft. One of those drivers was Josef Newgarden. In a video message that Marco Andretti shared on his X account after announcing his retirement, the Team Penske driver said:

"For me, it was cool to race you on track so many years and continuing to do so at the Indy 500. You, to me, are one of the best racers I've ever seen on track. If I think about a memory, you at Detroit, had wet tires before anybody, I forget the year this is, it's probably like 2016 or 2017. You are one of the bravest people I have seen on the racetrack." "And your racecraft, I've told you this before, your racecraft is some of the best of anybody in the world. Like you just have incredible racecraft. You know where to place the car, you know exactly where you are, proximity to the cars around you. I have not seen people come through the pack, especially on a street circuit, quite like you. You are amazing. You are part of a great family that has an amazing heritage, but you've made your own mark, and you should be proud of everything you've done," the two-time IndyCar champion added.

Marco Andretti's retirement means there will be no active Andretti on the IndyCar grid or the paddock for the first time in 32 years. If his dad Michael Andretti's 1993 sabbatical from the series (during his driving days) is excluded, that number rises to 61 years, with first-gen Andretti racer, Mario Andretti's driving career in Champ Car having begun in 1964.

What Andretti Global's newest driver Will Power said about Marco Andretti

Will Power at the NTT INDYCAR Series Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Two-time IndyCar champion Will Power will join Andretti Global in 2026 to replace Colton Herta in the No. 26 Honda. The 110th Indy 500 could've been the first time he and Marco Andretti raced at the premier IndyCar race as teammates, if not for the latter's retirement.

In a video message from Power that Andretti shared on X, the 44-year-old highlighted the best attribute of his former rival's racecraft.

"A great memory of Marco, I'd say, whenever there's a drying track, so it's been wet, he's always the first one on slicks, has incredible car control," said Power. "I think everybody would mention that."

In his retirement announcement, Marco Andretti also shared that he was working on a memoir on his life called "Defending the Dynasty," the details of which would be out "soon."

Edited by Yash Kotak