John Andretti announced Monday he continues to fight colon cancer after the conclusion of his latest round of chemotherapy treatments.
“I just ran out of ride tickets on the #chemocoaster,” Andretti announced in a tweet. “We still have to deal with the cancer. Will know more following scans in a couple of weeks.”
Health update: I just ran out of ride tickets on the #chemocoaster. We still have to deal with the cancer. Will know more following scans in a couple of weeks. Thank you for all the prayers. Please #CheckIt4Andretti#silentkiller
He made five starts in the Indianapolis 500 and was the first driver to attempt the “Double” of competing in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
In his first ARCA race on a superspeedway, Harrison Burton won the General Tire #AnywhereisPossible 200 on Friday at Pocono Raceway.
The victory is Burton’s second career ARCA triumph (he won at Toledo Speedway in May 2017). The 17-year-old son of NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton started 12th in the 30-car field. Sheldon Creed placed second and was followed by Zane Smith, Travis Braden and Riley Herbst.
Harrison Burton, Creed and Smith swept the top three spots for MDM Motorsports.
“I’m kind of speechless,” Burton told Fox Sports 2 in Victory Lane. “This one is for John Andretti. He’s a really close family friend for us. He’s going through a tough time, but he’s the toughest guy I’ve ever met.”
Burton has made two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season. He finished fifth at Dover and eighth at Martinsville. He’s limited in the tracks he can run in NASCAR because he is under 18.
My goodness how time fly’s by. Just watched @HBurtonRacing win the @poconoraceway ARCA race. Used to watch him ride a bike with training wheels in the coach lot. Obviously no longer needs training wheels . Congrats !
Following my 6 month scans last week, we received the news that the cancer has returned & spread to other areas. We are in the process of evaluating our options of treatment. Although this is a difficult time for us, your continued prayers & support are very important to us.
He made five starts in the Indianapolis 500 and was the first driver to attempt the “Double” of competing in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
In light of UMBC’s upset of Virginia in the NCAA basketball tournament, what’s an upset in NASCAR that stands out to you?
Nate Ryan:David Gilliland in the Xfinity race at Kentucky Speedway in 2006. That’s the closest approximation in modern-day NASCAR of what the Retrievers pulled off last Friday.
Dustin Long: David Gilliland’s Xfinity win at Kentucky in 2006 with a part-time and independent team. Remarkable upset that eventually led to a Cup ride.
Daniel McFadin: Front Row Motorsports’ two Cup wins, at Talladega in 2013 and Pocono in 2016. The first because David Ragan‘s surge to the lead on the final lap is the definition of “Where did he come from?” The second, because Chris Buescher earned his first Cup win via pit strategy and … fog.
Jerry Bonkowski: Actually, a two-part answer. First, when Trevor Bayne came out of nowhere and was pushed to the win in the 2011 Daytona 500 by Carl Edwards. And then there was the 1990 Daytona 500, when underdog Derrike Cope won.
What was something that stood out to you from the West Coast swing?
Nate Ryan: That the storylines from the end of last season (Toyotas, particularly Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch, are fast; Kevin Harvick is a championship contender; Hendrick Motorsports still is searching) generally have remained intact.
Dustin Long: Overlooked was that Erik Jones was one of only three drivers (Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. were the others) to score a top-10 finish in all three races.
Daniel McFadin:Joey Logano going from 16th to first in four laps in the Xfinity race on Saturday thanks to fresh tires. It’s the closest thing to a video game I’ve ever seen in real life.
Jerry Bonkowski: I thought for sure that we’d see more success from some of the young drivers. But when it came down to it, veterans won all three races. Sooner or later, the young drivers have to start making more of a name for themselves, guys like Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, William Byron and others. And by making a name for themselves, I mean winning.
What’s a special Martinsville memory you have?
Nate Ryan: John Andretti rallying from a lap down to win the first race I covered (and attended) there in April 1999. I was crossing the track in Turn 1 when Andretti drove the No. 43 right by into victory lane … with “The King” sitting on the driver’s window opening (to an enormous cheer from the crowd).
Dustin Long: John Andretti’s April 1999 win, which completed a weekend sweep for Petty Enterprises. Jimmy Hensley won the Truck race for the organization the day before Andretti’s victory. “It looked like the good old times,’’ Petty said in victory lane after riding in on the driver’s window opening of the No. 43 car.
Daniel McFadin: When I covered my first race there in the fall of 2014 as an intern for Sporting News. It turned out to be Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s first and only win at the track and the only time I attended a race he won. He’s retired now so I can say he’s my favorite driver. I still have confetti from the celebration in a plastic bag.
Jerry Bonkowski: This is more of a sad rather than special memory. I was at the fall race in 2004 when the Hendrick Motorsports plane crashed into nearby Bull Mountain, killing all onboard. We got word about halfway through the race that there had been an incident, and as we got closer to the end of the race, things became confirmed. I recall it as if it was yesterday, and it’s a day I’ll never forget.
How Austin Dillon’s first two Cup wins stack up against other drivers
It took Austin Dillon until his fourth full-time season to finally visit victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series.
In his 133rd start, in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600, the Richard Childress Racing driver took his first trip to victory lane.
Dillon only needed 24 more races to make a return visit, winning Sunday’s Daytona 500.
The 27-year-old driver claimed victories in two of NASCAR’s crown jewel events to begin his climb up the all-time wins list.
How do those two victories compare to the initial set of wins for other notable drivers throughout NASCAR history?
David Pearson
The second winningest driver in Cup history and a NASCAR Hall of Famer, Pearson also got his first victory in NASCAR’s longest race on May 26, 1961, beating Fireball Roberts and Rex White.
Win No. 2 came two months later in the July race at Daytona, the Firecracker 250.
Jeff Gordon in victory lane following the Coca-Cola 600 on May 29, 1994 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)
Jeff Gordon
In his second full-time season in 1994, Gordon went to victory lane for the first time in the Coca-Cola 600. It came in his 42nd start in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
As a rookie in 2000, the former Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing driver claimed his first Cup win in the Coke 600, beating Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt. It was in his 18th start (his first was in 1998).
Kenseth’s second win came in the spring 2002 race at Rockingham.
Waltrip had a lot more starts before achieving his first Cup win – 462. In start 463, Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
He didn’t have to wait quite as long to get win No. 2. That came in July 2002 in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. All four of Waltrip’s Cup wins came at restrictor-plate tracks.
Dale Jarrett
The NASCAR Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst also took awhile to get his first victory. After eight years and 129 starts, Jarrett got his first victory in a photo finish over Davey Allison at Michigan while driving for Wood Brothers Racing.
It only took two starts for McMurray to get his first win.
Substituting for an injured Marlin in Chip Ganassi’s No. 40 car, McMurray won the fall 2002 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He wouldn’t win again until 2007.
In a common theme with this look back, win No. 2 took place at Daytona. Driving for Roush Fenway Racing, McMurray won the Pepsi 400 by .005 seconds over Kyle Busch.
