By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Former race car driver John Andretti has died. He was 56.
Andretti died of cancer, according to Andretti Autosport. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2017.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts we share that John Andretti has today lost his battle with cancer,” Andretti Autosport said in a Facebook post. “John was a loving husband and father, a devoted son and a trusted cousin. He was a philanthropist, an advocate for the sport, a dedicated teammate, a driven competitor and most importantly a dear friend.
“Through Race4Riley, John spent decades dedicating his time and fundraising attention to Riley Hospital for Children. When first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017, John vowed to fight back and use his voice to help spread the word of prevention and early detection. He fought hard and stole back days the disease vowed to take away. He helped countless others undergo proper screening, and in doing so, saved lives. We will forever carry with us John’s genuine spirit of helping others first and himself second. Our prayers today are with Nancy, Jarett, Olivia and Amelia, with our entire family, and with fans worldwide. We urge all our followers to, please, #CheckIt4Andretti.”
Throughout his racing career, Andretti has raced for several governing body’s. He has competed in NASCAR, IndyCar, USAC Champ Car Series, CART, and Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series.
In his Cup Series career, he had two wins from 1993 through 2010. His two wins came in 1997 and 1999.
He appeared in 37 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Andretti also competed in six races in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series.
He also competed seven times in the AAA/USAC Champ Car Series. His son Jarrett is a USAC Sprint Car driver.
Andretti competed in 73 CART races and 10 NTT IndyCar Series races. He did win one CART race back in 1991.
He raced in NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series. Andretti won once race in the series in 2001.
Andretti also competed in the NHRA in 1993 for owner Jack Clark when he piloted the Taco Bell Express Top Fuel Dragster. He went to the semifinals in his first career race at the FRAM Southern Nationals.
