Former IndyCar Star to Appear in Reality Television Show: A Fan’s Reaction

Michael Andretti will be appearing in the "Celebrity Apprentice" starting in February of 2012. The show will be pitting Andretti against 17 other contestants in various business activities designed to help Donald Trump select the best candidate of the season. In the celebrity edition of the show, the competition winners earn money for charities. Michael Andretti will be playing for Racing for Cancer. Racing for Cancer helps fight cancer in two ways. The charity helps promote and fund early detection and prevention efforts, as well as finding cures for various childhood cancers.

The former driver is currently the head of Andretti Autosports. He comes from a family of racers that includes Michael's father, Mario Andretti, and Michael Andretti's son, Marco. The family is the first three generation family to receive the Rookie of the Year award. The Andretti's are a force in the series and there is no reason to think that Marco will not be continuing the legacy.

This will be the fifth season for the show. There has never been another race car driver to appear on the popular reality show. Reports indicate that there were some issues created for the series due to the tragic fatal accident that ended the 2011 IndyCar season. Originally, Marco Andretti, the son of Michael Andretti, had been cast. Unfortunately, during taping for the first episode, Dan Wheldon died in a wreck early in the IndyCar finale. Marco Andretti had been his close friend and when Wheldon died, during the same month Andretti lost his grandfather, it was too much. Michael Andretti took his son's spot in the show.

It will be cool to see an Andretti on the show. As a fan of the "Celebrity Apprentice" it will be awesome to see a race car driver on the show. It is unusual for the show to have just one athlete, even though it is the largest cast in show history. I think that Michael Andretti would make it further than Marco simply due to age and level of respect that the drivers could each command. It should be a great season judging by the cast list and Andretti may even get new fans to the sport depending on how well IndyCar is showcased. Hopefully, Andretti's charity, Racing for Cancer, will get a lot of money and publicity.

Kristin Watt has been a fan of motorsports since she was a young girl and she watched NASCAR races with her mother. That love of NASCAR quickly evolved into a great enjoyment of many different motorsports including everything from local dirt track action to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans to the adrenaline rush of the extreme motocross events. She has been following motorsports for many years.

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