Versatility is a word that comes to mind when discussing NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver John Andretti.

With major victories in IndyCar and IMSA, and experience in just about every other kind of race car -- drag cars, midget racers, dirt cars, spring cars, you name it -- Andretti has achieved success in every racing series he's entered.

Andretti finally broke through to Victory Lane on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1997, with a win in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. That followed a top-five in the first race at Talladega, establishing the young driver as a force on the restrictor-plate tracks. He finished the season a solid 23rd in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series standings.

He quickly became one of the hot properties in the garage as talk turned to 1998, and despite his loyalty to Cale Yarborough Motorsports, the lure of returning to work for "The King" is one that few drivers could resist. Understandably, Andretti returned to suit up in the distinctive No. 43. Joining with Petty Enterprises, a team with a win in each of the last two seasons, Andretti feels he can take the next step. He hopes to go from a superspeedway specialist to a legitimate contender on all tracks.

Andretti demonstrated his versatility and talent in his two top-10 finishes in 1996, a ninth in the Winston Select 500 and a fifth at the Mountain Dew Southern 500. The fifth-place represented a standout weekend for Andretti, as he began it with a qualifying run of 15th. He ended the year in 31st place, earning $688,511.

Andretti made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut in 1993 and committed himself totally to NASCAR's elite series in 1994. And after a variety of stops with different owners, it appears Andretti has settled down. He has signed to drive the No. 43 STP Pontiac for Richard Petty in 1998, a team that he drove for in 1994.

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) and the godson of accomplished IndyCar and NASCAR driver A.J. Foyt, John has been a racer practically since birth. Starting with go-karts when he was only 9, Andretti always has had a focus on winning, as if it were hereditary.

Andretti is the son of Aldo Andretti, Mario Andretti's twin brother. He graduated with honors from Moravian College with a B.A. in business management. He co-owns two auto parts stores.