Yahoo Autos Here's Why Michael Andretti Is No Longer Running His Team
Michael Andretti shocked the racing world two weeks ago with the sudden announcement of his departure from his own multi-series racing team. Now that the dust has settled, Andretti on Monday revealed why he stepped away and what he plans to do next in an open letter shared by the team.
In the letter, Andretti says that "decades of running flat out" came with sacrifice and, "after much thought and reflection over the past several months," he eventually decided to take a step back from the program. Andretti notes that he has been in a "day-to-day operational role" since the day he retired from driving 17 years ago, a job that he now hands over to Andretti Global co-owner Dan Towriss.
While the 62-year-old has stepped down from his role managing the program, he has not stepped away from his namesake team entirely. Andretti says that he is "not going away" and will serve "as an advisor" for the team, a role that should see him still show up to race tracks throughout the world over the course of the racing season. Away from the track, Andretti says that he is "excited about the opportunity to spend more time with my beautiful family, including my 10-year-old twins, embrace my new Nonno title and explore new things on a personal level and with my other businesses."
Andretti's team currently competes in IndyCar, Indy NXT, Formula E, and Extreme E. Two other teams owned in part by Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing and Walkinshaw Andretti United, compete in the IMSA GTP and Australian Supercars championships, respectively. The team is also still pursuing a Formula 1 entry alongside Cadillac, although that FIA-approved program was rejected by F1's commercial rightsholders early this year.
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