Michael Andretti is taking the large view of his future. And his company’s future. One of the most successful racers of his day, Andretti currently fields teams in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDYCAR’s Indy Lights and IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s LMP3 class, just to name a few. He’s working towards owning a Formula One team of his own, and now he feels the need to put down roots apart from his current Zionsville Road in Indianapolis headquarters.
Needing added space for Andretti Global, the parent company of Andretti Autosport, Michael Andretti and his backers plan to invest $200,000,000 in a new 575,000 square-foot facility at Fishers, Indiana, north of Indianapolis and the 465 circle freeway that surrounds much of the city. This will be the headquarters for all commercial functions and base of operations for all racing programs, current and future.
Construction should begin over the next few months of 2022, pending regulatory approvals, and the building is expected to be operational by 2025, adding approximately 500 new jobs by 2026. In addition housing day-to-day operations for the racing team, the building is expected to contain the advanced research and development programs of Andretti Technologies, run by Marissa Andretti, its managing director, who is vice president of Andretti Autosport. Combining these two entities will allow the campus to feature modern technologies and create a work-life environment that benefits all Andretti Autosport teams, its fans and the team’s partners.
Andretti Global intends to partner with Fishers Parks Nature First programs, with a planned indoor amphitheater and a museum/innovation center that will preserve and showcase the Andretti racing legacy and inspire the future of motorsports. The approximate 90-acre site in Fishers, a very fast-growing area north of the city, is near the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport, and is alongside Nickel Plate Trail and the Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve.
Andretti began his team in 2003 at his current location closer to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it has served him well over the past 20 years. “Our team has expanded in both competition and commercial areas, and our people deserve the best environment and resources available,” Michael Andretti stressed. The chairman and CEO of Andretti Global continued, “Indiana holds an important place in the history of racing, and in my career as a driver and an owner. We’re excited about our plans for the new campus and looking forward to becoming a part of the Fishers community.
“I’m excited to have so many of our teams under one roof as we continue to build and grow. For us,” he continued, “it’s about more than just having somewhere to work on the cars; it’s about having a global motorsport home and sharing that with our people, our fans and our sponsors to advance the sport and leave a lasting legacy.”
Andretti Global’s current motorsports reach has tentacles worldwide. Operating in seven racing championships and across eight types of motorsport with 17 full-time drivers, Michael Andretti has built a diverse, global enterprise. Michael Andretti first became a team owner in 2003 after retiring from full-time driving. In his time as a team owner, Andretti has collected 17 championship titles and 252 race wins. His drivers have secured five Indianapolis 500 victories, won the Bathurst 1000, the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, together with wins in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the Extreme E series.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) board of directors is currently looking to commit an investment in Andretti Autosport of as much as $19 million in the form of conditional tax credits, together with up to $125,000 in training grants, based on the company’s plans to invest in its Indiana operations. The city of Fishers has approved added incentives for this project.
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