IndyCar veteran and SRX champion Marco Andretti announced Sunday afternoon that he has agreed to drive for Big Machine Racing and will make his NASCAR debut later this season. Andretti will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet for car owner Scott Borchetta in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Oct. 8.
Andretti announced his intentions to compete in a Twitter post prior to the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix, posing for a photo with Borchetta as well as his grandfather, Mario, and father, Michael.
Andretti’s NASCAR debut comes after he found success as a stock car racer in the Camping World SRX Series over the past two seasons. After winning a race at Slinger Speedway and finishing fourth in points in 2021, Andretti had an outstanding 2022 season that ended in him winning the series championship. This past July, Andretti acknowledged his SRX success prompted him to entertain opportunities to race at NASCAR’s second level.
“I’m talking to some people about Xfinity,” Andretti told Frontstretch.com after finishing second at Nashville Fairgrounds. “If I can hang with these guys, maybe I can hang in Xfinity. It would be fun.”
The 35-year-old Andretti will become the fifth member of his famous racing family to compete in NASCAR. While Mario Andretti raced in NASCAR 14 times and won the 1967 Daytona 500, it was John Andretti who made the bulk of his career in NASCAR, competing full-time from 1994 until 2009 and earning two career Cup Series wins. Jeff Andretti also drove in three NASCAR Truck Series races in 1999, while Adam Andretti raced briefly in NASCAR regional competition.
Now in its second full-time season, Big Machine Racing has had multiple drivers take the wheel of their No. 48 since benching driver Jade Buford early in the season. The team has used six drivers so far this year, with Tyler Reddick earning the first win in team history at Texas Motor Speedway in May.
