John Andretti Will Drive for Cousin Michael, Richard Petty in Indy 500

Cousins Michael and John Andretti and racing legend Richard Petty are joining forces to field an Indy Car for John in the Indianapolis 500 as well as the May 1 Indy Racing League race at Kansas Speedway.

Michael's team, Andretti Autosport, made the announcement Wednesday and said that Window World, Inc., which has sponsored John's cars in the past, including his entry in last year's 500, will sponsor this effort as well.

After his debut run at Kansas, John will attempt to make his 11th Indianapolis 500 start behind the wheel of the #43 Team Window World car in the 94th running of the Memorial Day weekend classic on May 30.

"I feel like this is my best shot and I want to take full advantage of it," John Andretti said Wednesday during a teleconference. "It's something that can't start soon enough and is going to end way too early, I'm sure.

"If I was to write out what I wanted as a wish list for this race, this is what I'd get," he said. "Hopefully, I can make all my mistakes at Kansas, if I have any, and be ready for Indy and not to make any mistakes."

Andretti Autosport already fields four cars in the Indy Racing League, with drivers Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti (Michael's son), Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay, but Michael said the addition of a fifth car shouldn't be difficult.

"We're used to running multiple cars," Michael said. "We've done it in the past. We ran five cars at Indy when i drove there with Marco in '06 and in '07 as well. We had our best race of year last year at Sonoma where we ran five cars. We feel it only adds to the strength of the team if you have the right driver and we feel we do with John."

Michael said he has no desire to join his cousin behind the wheel at Indy. "I'm very happy and content with my decision to be out of the car now," he said. "I'll let John be the old guy out there getting it done."

Mario Andretti, Michael's father and John's uncle, "was pretty excited when I broke the news to him," MIchael said. "He'll be there rooting for all of us."

Petty, who also participated in the press conference, said he became an Indy 500 fan after finally seeing the race in 2007. "You've got a hundred years of history there and I'm gettin' old enough now that I appreciate history," he said.

Andretti Autosport has tasted victory twice at Indianapolis - the first time in 2005 with Dan Wheldon and most recently with Dario Franchitti in 2007, which is also the last time the team featured a five-car lineup in the storied event.

John Andretti ran in his first Indy 500 in 1988 and has a best finish of 5th in 1991. Last year, in his 10th start, driving a Richard Petty Motorsports/Dreyer and Reinbold car sponsored by Window World, he completed all 200 laps and finished 19th.