John Andretti, NASCAR driver and nephew of Mario Andretti, dies from colon cancer

NASCAR driver John Andretti, a nephew of racing legend Mario Andretti, has died from colon cancer, according to a tweet from Andretti Autosport.

John Andretti was 56.

“We will forever carry with us John’s genuine spirit of helping others first and himself second,” Andretti Autosport said.

Andretti raced all types of cars, but spent the most time in NASCAR’s top series, running 393 races. He won twice, in the 1997 summer race at Daytona International Speedway and in 1999 at Martinsville, Virginia, winning for Petty Enterprises.

Andretti’s father is Aldo Andretti, the twin brother of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti. Mario Andretti was the only driver to win NASCAR’s Daytona 500, the Formula One driver’s championship and the Indy 500 during his career.

John Andretti raced 12 times at the Indy 500, and in 1994 he raced there and in a NASCAR event that night. He was the first driver to pull off the feat.

He announced in 2017 he had stage 4 colon cancer, NASCAR.com reported.