'Team player' an element important to Andretti

 'Team player' an element important to Andretti

First the status of Ryan Hunter-Reay's long-term IZOD IndyCar Series future: "We are getting real close to having (a contract) all locked down. I feel very confident that Ryan is going to be with us," Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti said Sept. 5.

As for the short term, the season's drama continues at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 15 as the driver of the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car attempts to claim his first series championship. Hunter-Reay, with a series-high four victories, enters the season finale 17 points behind front-runner Will Power of Team Penske, whose last title was in 2006 (Sam Hornish Jr.).

Also in the short term, Andretti announced that Sebastian Saavedra, who was eliminated from Firestone Indy Lights title contention at Baltimore, would be entered in the 200-lap race in the No. 17 Team AFS car.

Hunter-Reay, who had moderate success in CART in 2003-05, moved to Rahal Letterman Racing for six races in the 2007 IZOD IndyCar Series season -- earning Rookie of the Year -- and remained with the team for '08 (with a win at Watkins Glen on the Fourth of July weekend). He split the 2009 season between Vision Racing and A.J. Foyt Racing (filling in for the injured Vitor Meira in the No. 14 ABC Supply car).

He joined Andretti Autosport for 2010, winning a race in each of the past two seasons, before his breakout this year.

"The thing about Ryan is he's an all-around racer," Andretti said. "He can race on all different types of tracks so that was really important, especially the way the series is today. Also, another important part is he's a real team player. He's all about the team, whatever the team needs to do, and work together with the teams; and he knows that if that happens, everybody works as a team, you then get the result."

Hunter-Reay and the arrival of James Hinchcliffe to take over for Danica Patrick appeared to have gelled with Marco Andretti to revitalize the team, which had sunk in the championship standings the previous four seasons (high finishes of third, fifth, sixth and seventh).

"There have been quite a few changes and some personnel changes in certain positions from engineering to management, and also the driver situation is much different, as well," Andretti said of the turnaround this year. "I think that has a lot to do with it. The three drivers are getting along really well, working really well together, and I think that has a lot to do with our result."

Andretti, who is the race strategist this year for Hunter-Reay also points to another chemistry.

"I think we have connected really well," he said of the dialogue with the 31-year-old Floridian. "Also, you always talk about chemistry and I think we have the chemistry going on that stand, and Ryan's part of it and it's been really good. Whereas in the past, some of the other places, it just wasn't working with me being there, and so, you know, we made changes.  And it also has to do with other people there that just didn't    the chemistry wasn't working.

"So constantly you're working on those things to try to make those pit stands work. Right now, ours is working really well."

The Target Chip Ganassi Racing championship streak ends at four -- with Dario Franchitti as the 2011 champion. An Andretti team (then Andretti Green Racing) car won the '07 title -- with Dario Franchitti behind the wheel. It was preceded by championships in 2004 (Tony Kanaan) and 2005 (Dan Wheldon). Franchitti won the final race of the '05 season -- at Auto Club Speedway -- with Kanaan finishing second. 

It might be Hunter-Reay's time to bring the title back to the Andretti team.