Andretti taking laps in vintage Cummins race car
Racing legend Mario Andretti has been taking laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1952 Cummins Diesel Special car, according to the engine manufacturer.
The No. 28 car is the only diesel-powered car to ever win the pole at the Indianapolis 500. According to the company, a team of engineers built the modified 400 cubic-inch, six-cylinder, turbocharged Cummins diesel truck engine. It was the first turbocharged engine to run the Indianapolis 500. At the time, the car set a one-lap track record of 139 mph to qualify for the pole position.
In 2019, Cummins engineers used 3D printing to recreate a water pump, bringing the car back to running condition.
On Twitter, Andretti posted a photo of himself driving the car earlier this week at the speedway during the leadup events to Sunday’s race, saying that when Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum asked him to take a lap in the car, he said “Of course I’ll do it.”
Photo courtesy of Mario Andretti Twitter feed.