Michael Andretti confirms Indy return

Team Green's first foray into Indy Racing League competition will be led by Tony Cotman, who manages Green's single-car Team Motorola effort in the CART FedEx Championship Series, also driven by Andretti. The Dallara-Oldsmobile obtained from IRL frontrunner Panther Racing will be entered as number 39, the same number Andretti runs this year on the CART circuit.

"We're delighted to have the opportunity to compete in the Indianapolis 500," commented Kevin Savoree, Team Green's chief operating officer. "It's a great car race in the city where our operations are headquartered. We've taken a hard look at competing at Indianapolis for the last few years through ongoing analysis, and thanks to Motorola and Archipelago, which have been very involved in the process, we're excited about the opportunity to go back this year."

Team Green was victorious the last time it entered the Indianapolis 500 with Jacques Villeneuve in 1995, the same year the Canadian won the CART championship.

The 1995 Indy 500 also marked the last time that the majority of CART teams participated at Indianapolis, prior to the creation of the IRL. Team Green's announcement brings the number of CART teams planning to compete at Indianapolis this year to three. Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing have already revealed plans to run two cars each at the Speedway. The three teams have collectively won every CART championship since 1994.

Andretti made 11 Indianapolis starts between 1984 and 1995, missing the race only in 1993 when he was competing in Formula 1 with the McLaren team. Michael's best result at the Speedway came in 1991 when he finished second to Rick Mears. He earned a total of six top ten finishes at Indy, though his best chance of winning came in 1992, when he led 160 of the first 189 laps before a fuel pressure problem cost him a certain victory.

Last summer, when Andretti announced he was leaving the Newman-Haas team after 10 years, much of his decision was based on Carl Haas' refusal to enter a car for him in the 500. And though Team Green officials have been denying an Indy effort for months, Savoree has been leading a persistent effort in the background to make Andretti's return to the Speedway possible.

Green has entered what Savoree called a "service and supply agreement" with the Panther IRL team for a supply of Dallara chassis and Aurora engines. Andretti will use his normal Team Motorola CART pit crew, but they will rely on Panther's engineering team, led by Andy Brown. Michael recently tested a Panther Dallara-Aurora at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"With any negotiation, there comes a time when you either have to go forward or stop," noted Savoree. "We set a deadline for Motorola and Archipelago, because we needed to get race cars, engines, and a crew together, and we were able to meet all of the objectives in time."

Savoree also stated that Team Green investigated the possibility of running cars at Indianapolis for its Kool-sponsored drivers Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti, but that it would not happen in 2001.