"Michael did it all by freakin just sweat and tears": Mario Andretti shares emotional reaction to Dan Towriss' promise

Racing legend Mario Andretti has shared an emotional reaction to Andretti Global's new owner Dan Towriss, who replaced Michael Andretti, vowing to honor the Andretti name and not change the team name under his leadership. The racing organization was the product of Mario's son Michael's genius.

Michael bought a stake in IndyCar's Team Green in 2002, and renamed it to Andretti Green Racing. In 2009, he acquired full ownership and renamed it Andretti Autosport, before again rebranding it to Andretti Global in 2023. Under his leadership, the team won four IndyCar championships, five Indy 500s, six Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) titles, and many more trophies in the junior categories.

In September 2024, Michael Andretti stepped down from his role as chairman and CEO of the organization to eliminate the friction between him and Formula One Management, which was preventing Andretti Global's joint bid with General Motors, the Cadillac F1 team, from entering F1. Partner Dan Towriss has been leading the team since and recently promised to not change the team name.

Michael's four-time IndyCar champ father Mario Andretti reacted to this development and said (via Indy Star):

"It means a great deal to me. Michael put a lot of sweat and tears into this over the years, and I think he can be proud of what he accomplished as a team owner. He did everything, grassroots stuff, and Dan came in, and the can make a lot of things happen with their financial capacity. But Michael did it al by freakin' just sweat and tears, and I'm proud of that. There's nothing to feel negative about in any way, and everything's all worked out properly. That's all you can ask for."

For Mario Andretti, his son's team, which operated in the world's top racing series like IndyCar, Formula E, Supercars, and junior series like Indy NXT, became a means for him to be involved with the world of motorsport up close post-retirement.

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Mario Andretti confirms the presence of a feud between son Michael and F1 management

Michael Andretti at the F1 Miami Grand Prix 2024 Sprint And Qualifying - Source: Getty

Michael Andretti's exit from his organization in September 2024 came as a shock to the racing world. He cited the need to cater to his family and other business ventures as the reason for stepping down in a long, heartfelt letter to his fans.

Soon after he left, F1 took a U-turn on its earlier rejection of the Cadillac F1 team for a 2026 entry and gave the team a provisional green light, before the official confirmation in March this year. A few days before the official announcement, Mario Andretti admitted that Michael's exit came as a result of some tension with Formula One Management.

"I mean, it's (his exit) something you have to talk to Michael about, and he's quite happy with the way the whole thing was reasoned out. You know there, I don't know... there was just some personal things going on that I don't even understand there, you know with the FOM (Formula One Management)," the 1978 F1 champ said on the Speedfreaks podcast on YouTube [37:40 onwards]

However, Mario Andretti chose to focus on the positives because everything "worked out in the best possible way" for Michael and the team.

Michael Andretti was present at IndyCar's 2025 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg. He watched the race as a fan for the first time in years and admitted how he felt so relaxed being away from the high-pressure environment of management.