Andretti Curse - Jeff Andretti

Jeff Andretti

Jeff is the son of Mario, and the brother of Michael. He has driven in the Indianapolis 500 three times (and failed to qualify on two other occasions).

1990: Jeff's first attempt at Indy wound up short. He had a wreck during practice the day before pole day, which coupled with several days of rain, kept him off the track for nearly a week. He completed a qualifying run on the third day of time trials, but his speed was 4th-slowest. On bump day, he was bumped from the field with less than 15 minutes remaining.

1991: Jeff returned for a more successful attempt at Indy. He qualified an impressive 11th, and finished the race in 15th. Though he was not actually running at the finish, he was the highest-placed rookie, and won the rookie of the year award. He became the third Andretti, after his brother Michael and father Mario, to win the rookie of the year.

1992: During the first half of the race, the rear brake rotors kept slipping out of place. Just after the halfway point, the right rear wheel hub broke from his car at turn 2 and he crashed violently head-on into the wall, severely injuring both his legs. He placed 18th.

1993: Jeff returned to Indy after recovering from his injuries in 1992. He experienced the rather dubious distinction of becoming the first driver to spin out on the newly-constructed warm-up lane during practice. It would be his final start at Indy, and on race day it ended with a crash.

1994: Jeff entered the month without a ride, but joined Hemelgarn Racing during the second week. He was unable to get the car up to speed, and never made a qualifying attempt.

Jeff's 1992 crash effectively curtailed his - although he returned to racing shortly afterwards, he never achieved a level of success in subsequent competition in the Indy 500, Indy Lights, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2011, Jeff Andretti served as the driver coach for rookie Ho-Pin Tung, who crashed during his qualifying attempt, and was unable to qualify.