Spouse: Nancy Kids: Jarrett, Olivia Elizabeth Hometown: Indianapolis, IN Birthdate: March 12, 1963

Eight-year Winston Cup veteran John Andretti revisited the word "frustration" in his vocabulary in 2000, as the driver of Petty Enterprises' No. 43 STP/Cheerios Pontiac struggled to achieve both consistency and results in a season marred by a variety of misfortunes.

His season's nadir was a horrible five-race string in July and August in which he had four DNFs and finishes of 43rd, 40th, 41st and 37th. That settled his lot in a campaign that marked the second straight year in which Andretti backslid from a career high 11th place point finish in 1998, his first with the Pettys. He started all 34 races last season, but scored only two top-10 finishes -- his lowest since his first full season in 1994 -- with his best coming with a seventh in the fall at Loudon, N.H. He led only 11 laps.

Seventh DNFs and nine finishes of 30th or worse troubled Andretti in 2000. But with Petty Enterprises moving to Dodge in 2001 -- which undoubtedly affected their performance last season -- Andretti's fortunes may bring a few other labels to mind. Andretti will drive the No. 43 Cheerios Intrepid in 2001 as he attempts to move back toward the top-10 in the Winston Cup standings. While crew chief Robbie Loomis' loss to Hendrick Motorsports in the off-season leading up to 2000 was a major blow, Greg Steadman's second season with the team in 2001 is greatly anticipated.

Versatility is a word that emerges when discussing Andretti, a native of Bethlehem, Pa. With major victories in Indy cars and sports cars and experience in just about every other kind of race car -- top fuel dragsters, Midgets and Sprint Cars among them -- Andretti has achieved success in every racing series he's entered.

Andretti has established that he's not just a jack-of-all-trades; he's no longer a curiosity from open-wheel racing. He's a respected Winston Cup Series driver, and a good one.

That diversity and experience should come into play with the three-car Petty team's daunting task of returning Dodge to the forefront in Winston Cup racing in 2001.

Andretti made his Winston Cup Series debut in 1993 and committed himself totally to NASCAR's elite series in 1994. After a variety of stops with different owners, it appears Andretti has settled down.

Certainly the names "Andretti" and "Petty" together have a winning ring to them. The nephew of Mario Andretti (his father is Mario's twin brother Aldo) and the Godson of renowned Indy car pilot and NASCAR and Northern Light Indy Racing League owner A.J. Foyt, John has been a racer practically since birth. Starting with karts when he was only 9, the cousin of Indy car stalwart Michael Andretti has had a perpetual focus on winning, as if it were hereditary.

John graduated with honors from Moravian College with a B.A. in business management. He co-owns two auto parts stores.