When you think of legends within motorsports, one family has been around for generations paving the way in historic wins and setting records across the world. The Andretti family has helped celebrate the city of Indianapolis and bring attention to the Racing Capital of the World for years, but in 2017, John Andretti and the rest of his family was about to face an unexpected battle with colon cancer.
In honor of John Andretti and his larger- than- life legacy, the foundation “CheckIt4Andretti” has decided to start a Mini with a Meaning team for the May 2022 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. Mini with a Meaning teams run in honor of a particular foundation that raises awareness across the state of Indiana and the rest of the country. Members of the 500 Festival team talked with members of the Andretti family to talk about their Indy Mini training, John’s passions, and battle with cancer, and how they hope to increase awareness of the importance of screenings in the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer.
“John started racing go karts at a very young age with his dad, Aldo” said Olivia Andretti, daughter of John and Nancy Andretti. “From there, his love for racing took off and they loved spending time at the track together. John would drive anything with wheels – two wheels or four wheels, it didn’t matter as long as it was fast!” Indianapolis also has a special meaning for Nancy and her late husband John because the two met at Cardinal Ritter High school and were inseparable ever since.
When asked to describe John in a few words, it was hard to pinpoint his passions and love for philanthropy in a few sentences. “It’s hard to describe John because he had so many facets to his life! Racing was his passion and he loved to drive all different types of cars from sprint cars, to drag racing, to NASCAR and IndyCar – he did it all! He was deeply involved in charity for Riley Hospital for Children and St. Jude Children’s Hospital and always enjoyed visiting the kids. Most of all, he fiercely loved and supported his family – whether that was going to the racetrack or attending a cross country meet or horse show for his daughters, he was always there.”
In January of 2017, John’s colonoscopy came back positive for cancerous polyps. Olivia mentioned, “When John went public with his diagnosis, the response was incredibly supportive. John decided to use the hashtag #CheckIt4Andretti on social media to raise awareness for the importance of colonoscopy screenings and encourage others to get checked, just as he had.”
CheckIt4Andretti started as a hashtag to raise awareness and is now a foundation in honor of John with a two-part mission: to save lives by increasing awareness of the importance of screenings in the prevention and early detection of colon cancer, and by providing funding to high-risk, low-income patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or too young for insurance to cover the cost of screening.
With his legacy in mind, Olivia said that the CheckIt4Andretti Mini with a Meaning team would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the organization and bring the awareness to a much larger stage. “And as Andretti’s, we of course always love a good race (whether it’s on foot or in cars)!” The family emphasized how important colon screenings are to the Indianapolis area because participants make up a large portion of those who are eligible for colonoscopies, especially with the screening age being lowered to 45. The Andretti family says “We want everyone to know this! Colon cancer is preventable with easy screening, the prep is not as bad as you think, and the colonoscopy is painless and takes very little time.”
With the Month of May approaching fast and the Andretti family preparing for a new racing season, John’s life will be remembered in new lights, especially during the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. Olivia left us with one final remark which was,” While John is no longer with us, this foundation will continue his legacy of helping others and saving lives.”
Join the CheckIt4Andretti team in taking on the Indy Mini on May 7! Register today at indymini.com/register.