As the motorsports world continues to buzz about two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso’s entry into the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, the rumor mill of future driver crossovers has officially begun to churn.
NASCAR champion Kurt Busch said in a news conference Friday that he’d like to see Verizon IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti attempt the Daytona 500. Busch and Andretti were teammates (shown above) when Busch attempted “the double” in 2014 – competing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
“Marco is a talented kid,” Busch said. “I love his enthusiasm and his knowledge of the sport. It’s hard to not have as much knowledge as he does when you’re an Andretti. He can do whatever he wants to do. I kept telling him, from what I saw when I was at Indy, and what he saw in me and just us talking, and how well Indy went for me. I think he has the same ability if he was to come to NASCAR and run Daytona.”
The idea quickly made its way to Twitter. Andretti responded enthusiastically.
Andretti, who led Friday’s practice sessions for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by America’s First at Barber Motorsports Park, addressed the subject in more detail in the afternoon’s news conference.
“Just driving race cars in general interests me, but definitely some unfinished business here (in the Verizon IndyCar Series),” Andretti said. “I want to win the Indy 500. I want to get a road or street course pole and start showing our speeds there, and a championship. So there's a lot of unfinished business here. But if it's an off weekend, it's better than the couch, that's for sure.”
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama qualifying starts at 4:15 p.m. ET today and will be joined in progress on NBCSN at 4:30. The 90-lap race on the 2.3-mile permanent road course is set for Sunday, with live coverage at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network. Alonso is expected to attend the race.