INDIANAPOLIS — Sunday’s 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC, INDYCAR Radio Network) could go through an Andretti. That’s a big thing. That’s something that is being celebrated. Marco Andretti put together eight phenomenal qualifying laps this past weekend and turned them into the pole for this Sunday’s race.

But, it’s not just the pole that gives me reason that the third generation driver should be the favorite, it’s just how focused he looks right now too.

Andretti, was in the top three of literally every practice session run last week. His No. 98 Honda looks so strong in every situation. Everyone says this is going to be a track position race. He’s got it. Everyone says the cars that handle the best in traffic are going to still be the ones to beat. His No. 98 Honda has it too.

“Its been a dream week so far,” Andretti said on Media Day on Thursday. “The roll off speed was awesome. We haven’t been out of the top three. It’s been really good in race traffic. Its been one of those where I’m not going to sit here to figure out why it’s the case, I’m just going to keep it going.”

When asked about his race car, Andretti said that, “I think we’re there. I really do.”

So, how does he manage this over 500 miles of action on Sunday? His grandpa Mario Andretti has been giving him great advice all along. He noted a couple of things he told him this past weekend in what ended up helping him earn the pole.

So, what does grandpa Mario have up his sleeve for the race?

“The thing that he keeps driving home to me is I need to know and believe what I can do,” Marco said on what Mario has told him leading up to Sunday’s race. “He wants me to build this confidence. The biggest thing is, the team actually felt it as well. It’s a good thing. It was needed. There’s a pep in the guys’ step now. It’s fun. Everybody’s feeling great about it.”

Andretti said that his past troubles have paid off for this month more than he ever thought that they would have.

“I think this month I’ve done my best driving ever,” Andretti continued. “I think it’s come from things not going right and me learning from it. If it goes right, it goes right. But when it doesn’t go right, it makes you dig and go to work. When you go through struggles, it makes you tougher.”

Andretti says that his fourth lap on Sunday to win the pole showcased his abilities finally to silence any doubters and show why his competitors support him so much too.

“The lap maybe wasn’t my best ever, but it was showcased. You can see it. A tough part about it is, if I have a casual error and I’m 28th, to the casual fan, Marco sucks. It’s easy to do that. I think a lot of people clapping witnessed me go through a lot of heartache through the sport and near misses.”

Andretti, is 0-for-14 in his race. He set the fastest Fast Friday speed since 1996. He won the pole in dramatic fashion. He has the car, the confidence and the ability. This could be Marco’s year.