IZOD IndyCar Series: Honda Indy Toronto

Topics:  Honda Indy Toronto

Michael Andretti
July 8, 2012

TORONTO, ONTARIO

THE MODERATOR:  We are very pleased to be joined by today's winning team owner Michael Andretti.  Your name is synonymous here at Toronto.  Talk about getting the first win as a team owner. 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  What can I say, I love Toronto.  I think everybody knows that.  It's been a great track to me as a driver.  We struggled here a little bit from the owner's standpoint.  It was great to finally get to Victory Lane. 
Ryan did a fantastic drive.  The team did great pit stops.  The whole DHL team, couldn't ask for a better team for them. 
THE MODERATOR:  We'll open it up for questions. 
All today's top three drivers at some point in their career drove for Michael's team. 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  That's pretty cool. 

Q.  Michael, in 1989, your first win here, tremendous feeling.  Is there any similarity at all to today, your first win as an owner?  And are there six more to come? 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  I hope so. 
I don't know.  It's always different as an owner and a driver.  They're both really special in their way.  As a driver there's more of that self-satisfaction.  As an owner it's a great feeling, too.  More the camaraderie of the people. 
I feel happy for everybody on the team that has worked so hard.  But it's great.  I do hope there's more than six, because hopefully I can be an owner a lot longer than I was a driver. 

Q.  Three weeks ago Ryan wins at Milwaukee, they say he wins at Milwaukee.  He wins at Iowa; he's great on the short tracks.  Now it's three in a row.  How formidable do you see him being in the championship? 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  I think he's a real factor in the championship.  He's really strong on these types of tracks as well.  He doesn't have a weakness when he's driving.  That's what you need to have as a driver.  As a team owner, to have a driver like that, that's something we liked about Ryan, that we could be competitive on all types of tracks. 
We're looking forward to the next how many races we have.  I don't think there's a weak track for him. 

Q.  Michael, James Hinchcliffe came into this weekend with a lot of expectation locally.  He had a disappointing weekend.  Can you talk about that. 
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  I feel bad for him because he was doing a helluva job.  He was going to be a factor for the win watching the times he was running.  They did a good strategy as well, and then his engine had a problem which was a shame. 
It wasn't anything Ryan did wrong.  I think he was driving a helluva race.  The whole Go Daddy team is doing a good job with their strategy. 
I thought we were looking at a really strong contender there.  I was hoping for a shot at the 1-2.  I mean, he just had bad luck, plain and simple. 

Q.  Michael, as a driver and as an owner you've seen streaks.  What do you advise your driver who is probably on the hottest streak of his career how to handle it going into the next few races?
MICHAEL ANDRETTI:  Don't do anything different than you've been doing the last three races.  He's been late every Thursday for his engineering meeting, so he's got to plan on being late for the next one in Edmonton. 
I don't think Ryan should do anything different.  I don't think the team should do anything different.  We should just continue to do our job.  If everybody does their job, we should be okay.  If there's no mistakes made the rest of the year, I think we have a good shot at winning the championship. 
THE MODERATOR:  Michael, thank you for taking the time.