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Marco Andretti, the son of Michael and grandson of Mario, is mobbed by media after finishing second in the Indy 500 on Sunday.

“It’s always been an agreement in our family,’’ Mario said earlier this month, recalling how he, too, drove against his sons. “When it’s time to race, we race. The best man and the best car win.’’

For most of the race, the best man with the best car was Wheldon, last year’s winner, who dominated Sunday the way Tiger Woods has dominated The Masters. At Indy, though, it always seems to come down to pit strategy and strange breaks and survival. So with six manic laps remaining, it came down to Michael and Marco and Hornish, the latter having made up for a pit-stop mishap.

Suddenly, a forgettable race was becoming unforgettable. The last four laps, there were three leaders. First Michael. Then Marco. And then, just yards from the finish line, there was Hornish, whose car seemed to have been propelled by jet fuel.

“I literally put my hand in the air thinking (Marco) had won the race,’’ Michael said. “I couldn’t believe it. Where did Hornish get that speed? It was like he had a button in there to push. It was unbelievable.’’

A lot of other drivers would find solace in a second-place finish, especially a 19-year-old rookie who is going to be a star for years to come. But Marco is an Andretti, and he knows from his father’s close calls at Indy, you can never count on another chance.

“Second is nothing,’’ Marco said. “I’ve got to take advantage of every chance I get. It’s a bummer.’’

As Hornish made his last-second charge, Marco’s only recourse was to move low and block his opponent. But that could have ended with a horrific crash. Hornish was going for it. Period. The kid might get the publicity after this race, but he wasn’t getting a swig of milk or a look at the Borg-Warner Trophy.

“On the last lap coming down to the start/finish line, I kind of looked at it as I was going to drive over him if I had to,’’ Hornish said. “It didn’t matter. Anything in between the walls, up the walls, against the walls, I needed to go wherever I needed to go.’’

Hornish, who’s had his share of tough breaks at Indy over the years, got what he wanted, what he’s yearned for since he first saw the race in person when he was four years old.

For the second year in a row, though, the biggest winner wasn’t even the driver who won the race.

For now on, one name is enough.

Marco.