I rooted against him as a kid. I was an F1 snob when he was dominant in Indy and other cars. When I look back on a lifetime of racing fanhood however, I realize he was probably the greatest driver of all time. Indy 500. Daytona 500. World Driving Champion. Awesome. Go Mario!
His stats combined with his multi-discipline accomplishments, examined in the context of the bare knuckle lethal era of racing, solidify those accomplishments up into best ever status. Being a life long open wheel fan, I'm well aware of his pursuits in USAC Stocks (dirt and pavement), USAC Open Wheel (dirt and pavement), F1, and Of course CART. In all of those successful endeavors the details of events and stories amazingly never get old. However, the explanation and details of Mario's time in the run-up to his Daytona 500, and the win itself, is nothing short of extraordinary. In addition to the strong field of competitors, he battled his teammate and his own team as well! The factory Ford team wanted their primary driver Lorenzen to win. So Andretti, fighting a deliberately underpowered engine, opted for a small rear spoiler for quals. After quals someone convinced Ford execs to assure Andretti had equal power as his superstar teammate. Andretti was unknowingly stuck with the small spoiler for the race. The full power factory Ford power-plant, combined with less rear downforce meant that the car was nearly undriveable! However in Andretti's hands, THAT was a recipe for one of the greatest drives in racing history. Marshall Pruett did a written piece, I heard Andretti tell the full story on Pruett's Podcast
His story is a good one,rags to riches .He found his niche in life & by God he could drive anything.Even his son Michael,when they were driving for Newman- Hass,it was a great time for Indycar.Week in week out he or Michael were usually one of the fastest cars on the track.
Met you in Milwaukee when Brother Warren introduced me to you Mario. I was 13 or 14 at the time. I will never forget that day outside the Holliday Inn for the Milwaukee 150.
Growing up, if I was with some one who drove too fast we'd say "slow down Mario" and I still say this to my son today. We didn't say slow down "Bobby" or "AJ", even though they are the legends that they are, Mario Andretti is a stand out.
Got his models,figures most important full admiration ,legend , also Jacky Ickx, Lauda ,Jim Clarke and many more not these new kids on the block with these f1 toys these guys are the pioneers of the sport!
As a motor racing historian, I would of course like to ask some questions about his career. On the other hand, I bet he would be even more interesting as a person to discuss with. The way he talked with his parrot Gonzo and the way he talked about Martini the pig... He must be a very nice man and a great human being. That matters the most.
riverside 67' mario's dean van lines spl. brakes , andy g. takes pollard out of one of the turbines puts mario and a can under his foot to reach gas pedal . he almost made a lap bafore the can slipped out and he took leanard in the other turbine in tun 9
Really neat life story and we are all headed to a box Mario. That's why more than any other business, we need to be certain we are ready to meet Jesus face to face. Acts 2:38
