Mario Andretti

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Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021 (cropped).jpg
Andretti in 2021
BornMario Gabriele Andretti
(1940-02-28) February 28, 1940 (age 84)
Montona, Istria, Italy
(current day Motovun, Croatia)
Championship titles
USAC / CART Championship Car
(1965, 1966, 1969, 1984)
USAC Silver Crown (1974)
FIA World Drivers' Championship (1978)
Major victories
Daytona 500 (1967)
12 Hours of Sebring (1967, 1970, 1972)
Indianapolis 500 (1969)
Pikes Peak Hill Climb (1969)
24 Hours of Daytona (1972) [lower-alpha 1]
Long Beach Grand Prix
(1977, 1984, 1985, 1987)
Michigan 500 (1984)
Pocono 500 (1986)
Champ Car career
407 races run over 31 years
Best finish1st (1965, 1966, 1969, 1984)
First race 1964 Trenton 100 (Trenton)
Last race 1994 Monterey Grand Prix (Laguna Seca)
First win 1965 Hoosier Grand Prix (IRP)
Last win 1993 Valvoline 200 (Phoenix)
WinsPodiums Poles
5214165
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Active years 19681972, 19741982
Teams Lotus, March, Ferrari, Parnelli, Alfa Romeo, Williams
Entries131 (128 starts)
Championships 1 (1978)
Wins 12
Podiums19
Career points180
Pole positions 18
Fastest laps 10
First entry 1968 United States Grand Prix
First win 1971 South African Grand Prix
Last win 1978 Dutch Grand Prix
Last entry 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix
NASCAR Cup Series career
14 races run over 4 years
First race 1966 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside)
Last race 1969 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside)
First win 1967 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
WinsTop tens Poles
130
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1966 – 1967, 1982 – 1983, 1988, 1995 – 1997, 2000
Teams Holman-Moody, Grand Touring, Porsche-Kremer, Porsche AG, Courage, Panoz
Best finish2nd (1995)
Class wins1 (1995)

Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) [3] is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, [4] Andretti is one of only three drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR. He has also won races in midget car racing and sprint car racing.

Contents

Andretti won the Formula One World Championship in 1978, four IndyCar titles, including three under USAC sanctioning, and one in CART. He is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, and, along with Juan Pablo Montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. As of 2023, Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix is the most recent Formula One win by an American driver. [5] Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits. [6]

Andretti had a long career in motorsports. He is the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). [7] He was also one of only three drivers to have won major races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times. [7] With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to have won IndyCar races in four different decades [8] and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five. [7]

In American popular culture, Andretti's name has become synonymous with speed ("You think you're Mario Andretti?"), similar to Barney Oldfield in the early 20th century and Stirling Moss in the United Kingdom. [9]

Early life

Andretti and his twin brother Aldo were born to Alvise Andretti, a farm administrator, and his wife, Rina, in Montona, Istria, Kingdom of Italy, in what is present-day Motovun, Croatia. [10] Istria was then part of the Kingdom of Italy, but it became part of Yugoslavia at the end of World War II, as confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1947) and Treaty of Osimo (1975). The Andretti family, like many other Istrian Italians, left in 1948, during the Istrian–Dalmatian exodus, ending up in a refugee camp in Lucca, Italy. [11]

Andretti told author Paul Stenning, "My father left everything behind, we left our home and took what we could carry and went further into Italy. They had to swallow all of these families that were dispersed and they formed all different camps over Italy and we were shipped to a place in Tuscany. Life was a bit weird at the time but the one thing that my father always did, he always provided for us. As kids we were never cold, we were never hungry, we went to school, he always provided quite well." [12]

Racing career

Childhood involvement in motorsports

The twins' mother Rina said that when they were two years old, they would take pot lids out of the cupboards and run around the kitchen, going "Vroom, vroom," like they were driving cars before the twins had even yet seen a car. [7] In 1945, at age five, he and Aldo were racing their hand-crafted wooden cars through the steep streets of their hometown. [13] Later, the brothers were hired by a garage to park cars, Andretti described the experience in his book What's It Like Out There: "The first time I fired up a car, felt the engine shudder and the wheel come to life in my hands, I was hooked. It was a feeling I can't describe. I still get it every time I get into a race car."[ citation needed ] Andretti's first racing experience was in a new youth racing league called Formula Junior in Ancona, Italy when he was thirteen years old. [10] [14] Years later, in an interview during an RRDC Evening with Mario Andretti, Andretti implied that he and his brother made up the story of racing in the Formula Junior league when they moved to Pennsylvania to improve their chances of competing in dirt track racing because they looked the part after having purchased racing suits in Italy. [15]

Marco De Cesari and Danilo Piccinini, the owners of the garage, noticed the Andretti brothers passion for racing and brought them to the Abetone pass to watch a stretch of the Mille Miglia race in 1954 which caused him to become captivated by Italian two-time Formula One world champion Alberto Ascari, who won the race. Later in the same year, Piccinini brought the brothers to the Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, where Andretti saw Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio race against each other. [14] [16] "I remember being just mesmerized, overwhelmed by the sound, by the speed" Andretti recalled years later. "We didn't even have a grandstand seat, we were up on that bank before the Parabolica on the left. You know, we had a good view of things [17] ".

Stock car racing

Move to the US and start in racing

Andretti at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania in 1984 Mario Andretti 1984.jpg
Andretti at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania in 1984

Andretti's father had maintained contact with his brother-in-law who had lived in the U.S. for many years. It took the family three years to obtain a U.S. visa. Alvise Andretti initially told the family they would move to the U.S. for five years and then return to Italy. In 1955, the Andretti family emigrated to the U.S., settling in Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania with just $125 to their name. [7]

In 2013, Andretti said, "When I looked at my life in many ways out of so many negatives here comes a positive and this was certainly one of them, here was an opportunity created for us, the kids, and my dad always cited that. He would say in a sense I am looking at your future, where I think would be the best solution for you kids to have opportunities and he was correct, he was right because if we had remained in Italy I don't know whether I could have pursued what my first passion was and the only passion I really had career wise." [12]

While getting acquainted with Pennsylvania, Mario and Aldo were surprised to find a half-mile dirt racing track Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth. [7] The twins worked on a 1948 Hudson and raced it in the Limited Sportsman Class, funded by money that they earned in their uncle's garage in 1959. [7] They took turns racing the old Hudson on oval dirt tracks near Nazareth. After finishing high school, Mario planned to become a welder, but he falsified a driver license so he could pass for 21 and enter an amateur race. [18] Mario and Aldo did not tell their parents that they were racing. [10] The twins each had two wins after their first four races. [19] Aldo was seriously hurt near the end of the season, and their parents were unhappy to find out that the twins were racing. [10] Mario had 21 modified stock car wins in 46 races in 1960 and 1961. [7]

USAC stock car

Andretti became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1964. He competed in United States Automobile Club (USAC) stock car events in 1965, and finished twelfth in the season points. [10] He won a USAC Stock Car race in 1967, and finished seventh in the season points. [10] He won three 1974 USAC stock car races on road courses, and won four road course races in 1975. [10]

NASCAR

Andretti competed in fourteen NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) events in his career. He competed in Holman Moody cars for his final ten events. Holman Moody was one of NASCAR's most successful teams at that time, as the team won NASCAR championships in 1968 and 1969 with driver David Pearson. [20] Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500 for Holman Moody. [21] [22]

International Race of Champions

Andretti was invited to race in six International Race of Champions (IROC) series in his career. His best years were his first three years. He finished second in the final points standings in IROC III (1975–1976) and IROC V (1977–1978). He won the IROC VI (1978–1979) points championship with finishes of third, first, and second. He won three races in twenty events. [21]

Open-wheel racing

Early open-wheel racing

Andretti's goal was to race in single-seater open-wheel cars. Andretti said "Aldo and I were winning in the modifieds. But my objective was to get into open-wheelers." [10]

Andretti raced midget cars from 1961 to 1963. He started racing 3/4 (sized) midget cars in the American Three Quarter Midget Racing Association in the winter to be seen by full-sized midget car owners. [10] He raced in over one hundred events in 1963. [23] Andretti won three feature races at two different tracks on Labor Day in 1963. [10] He won an afternoon feature at Flemington, New Jersey, and swept twin features at Hatfield, Pennsylvania. [10]

The next rung on the racing ladder on the East Coast of the United States was to race in sprint cars in the United Racing Club (URC). [10] Andretti was able to get a ride for individual races in the URC sprint car racing series, but was unable to secure a full-time ride. [10] He once drove from Canada to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania hoping to find a ride in an event, but he went empty-handed. He bypassed the series when he was offered a full-time ride in a United States Automobile Club sprint car for 1964. [10]

USAC sprint cars

Andretti won the 1964 Joe James-Pat O'Connor Memorial USAC sprint car race at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana. Andretti continued to race in USAC sprint cars after moving into champ cars. In 1965 he won once at Ascot Park, and finished tenth in the season points. [10] In 1966 he won five times (Cumberland, Maryland, Oswego, New York, Rossburg, Ohio, Phoenix, Arizona, and his second win at the Joe James-Pat O'Connor Memorial at Salem Speedway), but finished behind Roger McCluskey in the season championship. [10] In 1967 he won two of the three events that he entered. [10]

IndyCar career (1964–1974)

A replica of the Brawner Hawk in which Andretti won the 1969 Indy 500 now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Indianapolis AndrettiHawk.jpg
A replica of the Brawner Hawk in which Andretti won the 1969 Indy 500 now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Indianapolis

From 1956 to 1979, the top open-wheel racing series in North America was the USAC National Championship. It was often referred to as IndyCar racing, referring to the famous Indianapolis 500 race which was the centerpiece of the championship. The races were run on a mixture of paved and dirt ovals, and in later years also included some road courses.

Andretti made his IndyCar debut on April 19, 1964, at the New Jersey State fairgrounds in Trenton, New Jersey. [10] He started sixteenth and finished eleventh. Andretti was introduced by his USAC sprint car owner, Rufus Gray, to veteran mechanic Clint Brawner. Brawner was not impressed since sprint car drivers Stan Bowman and Donnie Davis had recently died, and Brawner's current driver, Chuck Hulse, had been critically injured. [10] Chris Economaki recommended Andretti to Brawner, so Brawner watched Andretti race at Terre Haute, Indiana. [10] Brawner was convinced that he had found the new driver for his team. [10] The two stayed together for six years. [10] Andretti finished eleventh in the USAC National Championship that season. [10] Andretti won his first championship car race at the Hoosier Grand Prix on a road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1965. [10] His third-place finish at the 1965 Indianapolis 500 in the Brawner Hawk (a mechanical copy of the then-current Brabham Formula 1 design) earned him the race's Rookie of the Year award, and contributed towards Andretti winning the series championship. He was the youngest national champion in series history at age 25. [23] He repeated as series champion in 1966, [14] winning eight of fifteen events. [10] He led every lap of the 1966 Langhorne 100. He also won the pole at the 1966 Indianapolis 500. [10] Andretti finished second in IndyCar in 1967 and 1968. He also won a single non-championship drag race in 1967 in a Ford Mustang. In both 1967 and 1968, Andretti lost the season USAC championship to A. J. Foyt and Bobby Unser, respectively, in the waning laps of the last race of the season at Riverside, California—each by the smallest points margin in history.

Andretti won nine races in 1969, the 1969 Indianapolis 500, and the season championship. He also won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which was part of the USAC National Championship. [19] He was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. Between 1966 and 1969 he won 29 of 85 USAC championship races. [7]

In 1973, USAC split its National Championship into dirt and pavement championships. [10] Andretti had one win on the pavement and finished fifth in the season points, and finished second in the dirt championship. [10] He competed in USAC's dirt track division in 1974, and won the dirt track championship while competing in both series. [7] Andretti also competed in the North American Formula 5000 series in 1973 and 1974, and finished second in the championship in both seasons. [7]

Formula One career

Part-time status (1968–1972, 1974)
Andretti driving his Lotus Type 63 at the 1969 German Grand Prix AndrettiMario19690801Lotus63-Allrad-3.jpg
Andretti driving his Lotus Type 63 at the 1969 German Grand Prix
Andretti's Lotus 77 racecar Lotus 77 Sears Point.jpg
Andretti's Lotus 77 racecar
Andretti at 1978 Dutch Grand Prix Andretti celebrating at 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg
Andretti at 1978 Dutch Grand Prix
Andretti driving his Alfa Romeo 179C at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1981 Andretti at 1981 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg
Andretti driving his Alfa Romeo 179C at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1981
Andretti and Colin Chapman at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix Chapman and Andretti at 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg
Andretti and Colin Chapman at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix

Formula One is the highest form of open-wheel racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's international governing body. Although originating in Europe, by the 1960s it included races worldwide. At Andretti's first Indianapolis 500, in 1965, he met Colin Chapman, owner of the Lotus Formula One team, who was running eventual race winner Jim Clark's car. [24] Andretti told Chapman of his ambition to compete in Formula One and was told "When you're ready, call me." [25] By 1968 Andretti felt he was ready. Chapman gave him a car, and the young American took the pole position on his debut at the 1968 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in his Lotus 49. [24] [26]

Andretti drove sporadically in Formula One over the next four years for Lotus, March, and Ferrari, while continuing to focus on his racing career in America. [24] At the 1971 South African Grand Prix, on his debut for Ferrari, he won his first Grand Prix. [24] "That was a big moment, one of those I'll always cherish," recalled Andretti. "Kyalami was a fun circuit to drive with lots of elevation changes and Ferrari gave me equal equipment to my teammates. It was a good weekend." [27] Three weeks later, at the non-championship Questor Grand Prix in the U.S., he brought the Italian team a second victory. [28] The day before the Questor GP, he had finished 9th in the Indy car race at Phoenix International Raceway. [29] At the end of the season, Ferrari called Andretti and made him a pitch to be his No. 1 driver but Andretti declined. "F1 didn't pay much back then and my contracts and commitments were so lucrative over here I couldn't give that up for the security of my family. The timing wasn't right yet, so I had to turn him down; but I always figured I'd get another opportunity."

Full-time status (1975–1981)

In 1975 Andretti drove a full Formula One season for the first time, for the American Parnelli team. The team was new to Formula One, although it had been successful in both Formula 5000 and IndyCar racing in America with Andretti driving. The team had run Andretti in the two North American end-of-season races in 1974 with promising results. Andretti qualified fourth and led the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix for nine laps before his suspension failed. He scored five championship points in the season. Andretti continued to compete in IndyCar, missing two Formula One races in the middle of the season to do so. [30] When the Parnelli team pulled out of Formula One after two races of the 1976 season, Andretti returned to Chapman's Lotus team, for whom he had already driven at the season-opening Brazilian Grand Prix. Lotus was then at a low point, having failed to produce a competitive car to replace 1970's Lotus 72. Andretti's ability at developing a racing car contributed to Lotus' return to the front of the Formula One grid, culminating in lapping the field in his victory at the season ending race at the Mount Fuji circuit in Japan. [24] Since mid-1975 Lotus had been developing the use of ground effect, shaping the underside of the car to generate downforce with little penalizing drag. For his part, Andretti worked at setting up his cars for the races, exploiting subtle differences in tire size ('stagger') and suspension set up ('cross weighting') on each side of the car to optimize it for each track, an approach imported from his extensive oval racing experience in the United States. [31] In 1977, at Long Beach, he became the only American to win the United States Grand Prix West, and the last American as of 2022 to win any US Grand Prix. [32] [33] The Lotus 78 "wing car" proved to be the most competitive car of 1977, [34] but despite winning four races, more than any other driver, reliability problems and collisions with other drivers meant Andretti finished only third in the championship. [34]

At the end of 1977, Andretti was approached by Ferrari as a potential replacement for Niki Lauda. "I had a handshake agreement with Colin and he'd already agreed to pay me what Ronnie Peterson was making, which was the highest salary in F1. So I asked Mr. Ferrari what was he willing to pay me. He said, 'You know, Mario, I can't put a price on your talent so you tell me.' That SOB threw it right back in my lap! Well, [Andretti's wife] Dee Ann was sitting next to me and I asked her what should I do and she said 'double it.' And Mr. Ferrari agreed. The next day I got a telex from him saying 'Let's just leave things alone' because he'd just had a visit from Colin (who'd) followed me to Maranello and raised hell with Mr. Ferrari. Can you imagine? So I told Colin he'd always been good to me but you don't want an unhappy driver. Then I told him I wanted $10,000 a point — you got nine points for a win back then — and he had to agree.' [27]

In 1978, the Lotus 79 designed by Chapman exploited ground effect even further. Andretti dominated the season and took the title with six wins. [34] He clinched the championship at the Italian Grand Prix. [7] There was no championship celebration though because his teammate Ronnie Peterson crashed heavily at the start of the race; he was hospitalised and died that night from complications resulting from his injuries. [7] [35]

Andretti found little success after 1978 in Formula One – he failed to win another grand prix. He had a difficult year in 1979, as the new Lotus 80 was not competitive, and the team had to rely on the Lotus 79 which had been overtaken by the second generation of ground effect cars. [36] In 1980, he was paired with the young Italian Elio de Angelis, and briefly with test driver Nigel Mansell, but the team was again unsuccessful. [37]

For the 1981 season, Andretti decided to move to the Alfa Romeo team run by Carlo Chiti. Although the car was reasonably competitive (Andretti finished fourth on his debut with the team in Long Beach), a general lack of reliability resulted in yet another unsuccessful campaign. Like other drivers of the period, Andretti did not like the ground effect cars of the time: "the cars were getting absurd, really crude, with no suspension movement whatever. It was toggle switch driving with no need for any kind of delicacy...it made leaving Formula One a lot easier than it would have been." [38]

Brief returns with Williams and Ferrari (1982)

The next year, Andretti raced once for the Williams team, after their driver Carlos Reutemann suddenly quit, before replacing the seriously injured Didier Pironi at Ferrari for the last two races of the year. Suspension failure dropped him out of the last race of the season, but at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza he took the pole position and finished third in the race. [24] [39] [40]

There was almost a return to F1 for Andretti at the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix when the Renault team put him on standby to replace regular driver Patrick Tambay if the Frenchman had been unable to race, as was the case at the previous race in Canada. However, in the event, Tambay was able to take part in the race. [41]

Andretti was also considered as a replacement, again for Tambay who had been injured in Canada, at the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix, this time for the Carl Haas-owned Haas Lola team. Andretti declined, but recommended his son Michael Andretti. When Michael was unable to obtain the FIA Superlicense required to allow him to race in Formula One, the drive went to Eddie Cheever. [42]

Return to IndyCar racing (1982–1994)

The Penske PC-9 driven by Andretti during the 1980 CART season Penske PC-9 Indy Car, built for Mario Andretti, 1980 - Collings Foundation - Massachusetts - DSC07041.jpg
The Penske PC-9 driven by Andretti during the 1980 CART season
Andretti in 1991 MarioAndretti.jpg
Andretti in 1991
Andretti driving at Laguna Seca Raceway in 1991 Mario Andretti 1991 Laguna Seca.jpg
Andretti driving at Laguna Seca Raceway in 1991

Andretti had continued to race, and occasionally win, in the USAC National Championship during his time in the Formula One world championship. In 1979 a new organization, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), had set up the IndyCar World Series as a rival to the USAC National Championships that Andretti had won three times in the 1960s. The new series had rapidly become the top open-wheel racing series in North America. [43]

Andretti joined CART full-time in 1982, driving for Patrick Racing. He started from row two in the Indianapolis 500 that year but was involved in a wreck on the approach to the start when rookie Kevin Cogan suddenly spun out. Three minutes after the wreck Andretti was heard saying "This is what happens when you have children doing a man's job up front," and he and Cogan were later involved in a shoving match. [44]

In 1983, he joined the new Newman/Haas Racing team, set up by Carl Haas and actor Paul Newman using cars built by British company Lola. Andretti took the team's first win at Elkhart Lake in 1983. [45] He won the pole for nine of sixteen events in 1984, and claimed his fourth Champ Car title at the age of 44. He edged out Tom Sneva by 13 points. It was the first series title for the second year team.

In August 1986, Andretti won the Pocono 500, in his 14th attempt to win at the track near his Pennsylvania home. It gave Andretti 500-mile Indy car wins at Indianapolis, Michigan, and Pocono.

Mario's son Michael joined Newman/Haas in 1989. Together, they made history as the first father/son team to compete in both IMSA GT and Champ Car racing. [14] With regard to the former, it was their fourth time in an endurance race together as co-drivers. Mario finished seventh in points for the 1991 season, the year that Michael won the championship. Mario's last victory in IndyCar racing came in 1993 at Phoenix International Raceway, [8] the year that Michael left Newman/Haas to race in Formula One. The win made Mario the oldest recorded winner in an IndyCar event (53 years, 34 days old). [8] [46] Andretti qualified on the pole at the Michigan 500 later that year with a speed of 234.275 miles per hour (377.029 km/h). The speed was a new closed course world record. [23] Andretti's final season, in 1994, was dubbed "The Arrivederci Tour". He raced in the last of his 407 Indy car races that September.

Indianapolis 500

Mario (left) and his brother Aldo (right) at pole day for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Mario and aldo.jpg
Mario (left) and his brother Aldo (right) at pole day for the 2007 Indianapolis 500

Andretti won once at the Indianapolis 500 in 29 attempts. Andretti has had so many incidents and near victories at the track that critics have dubbed the family's performance after Mario's 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory the "Andretti Curse". [47] [48]

Andretti finished all 500 miles (800 km) just five times, including his 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory. Andretti was the first driver to exceed 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) while practicing for the 1977 Indianapolis 500. [18] In 1969, after 4 years of bad luck and 4 non-finishes, Andretti dominated the Indianapolis 500 en route to his only victory in the race. [49] The race is notable as it is the only Indy 500 in history where the winning driver ran the whole race on only 1 set of tires.

Between his 1969 victory in the race and 1981, Andretti dropped out of the races due to part failures or crashes. His luck seemed to turn around in 1981. Andretti finished second in the 1981 Indianapolis 500 by eight seconds behind Bobby Unser. The following day Unser was penalized one lap for passing cars under a caution flag, and Andretti was declared the winner. Unser and his car owner Roger Penske appealed the race stewards' decision. USAC overturned the one lap penalty four months later, and penalized Unser with a $40,000 fine.

At the start of the 1982 Indianapolis 500, second-year driver Kevin Cogan, teammate to polesitter Rick Mears, suddenly spun right when accelerating for the green flag. Cogan bounced off A. J. Foyt, slamming Foyt's steering rod. That contact turned Cogan's car left at a 90 degree angle to the field where he was promptly t-boned by Mario. Andretti was livid and engaged in a shoving match with Cogan before walking off. In an interview, 3 minutes after the wreck, an irked Andretti was heard saying "This is what happens when you have children doing a man's job up front." Andretti's Patrick Racing teammate that year was the eventual race winner, Gordon Johncock, who started next to Andretti in the middle of row two. In later years, Johncock pointed out that Andretti had jumped the start, and could have avoided the spinning car of Cogan had he been lined up properly in the second row next to Gordy. [50]

In the 1985 Indianapolis 500, he was passed for the lead by Danny Sullivan in Turn One on lap 20. Immediately after completing the pass, Sullivan spun in front of Andretti. A caution flag for the spin minimized the time Sullivan would lose to Andretti by pitting to replace his tires. Sullivan took the lead for good 20 laps later when he passed Andretti without incident. Andretti dominated the 1987 Indianapolis 500, leading 170 of the first 177 laps of the race. His lead was so large, that he was advised to slow his pace to preserve his equipment. In a cruel twist of fate, when Andretti started running slower, his reduced engine rpm's created a harmonic imbalance in his turbocharged Ilmor/Chevrolet V8 that led to a broken valve spring with 20 laps to go. [51]

The 1992 Indianapolis 500 was run in extremely cold weather which resulted in a large number of wrecks by cars on cold tires. Andretti accelerated off of turn three for the restart at the end of the 83rd lap. Under acceleration, Mario's car got loose in the middle of turn four and rotated 270 degrees to smash nose first into the wall. Andretti was taken to the hospital with six of his toes broken and would shortly be joined by his son Jeff Andretti who smashed both legs after a wheel came loose on his race car on the 109th lap of the race. Mario would only miss one race due to his injuries, and returned to run 6th in a race just four weeks after his crash.

The 1993 Indianapolis 500 was Andretti's last notable run, and he had just come off a victory at Phoenix. On pole day, Andretti was the first car to complete a qualifying run, and sat on the provisional pole position. Andretti's speed held up all afternoon, but with less than an hour to go, Arie Luyendyk topped his speed, and took the pole. On race day, Andretti was a factor most of the afternoon, leading the most laps (72). While leading on lap 134, Andretti was penalized for entering the pits while they were closed. A stop-and-go penalty dropped him only down to second place. In the final 50 laps, he began developing handling problems because of his tires, and slid down the standings to finish 5th. Andretti's last race at Indy was the 1994 Indianapolis 500. [47]

On April 23, 2003, in the lead up to the 2003 Indianapolis 500, Andretti took to the track for the first time in ten years in a major open-wheel car at the age of 63. He participated in a test session for son Michael's AGR IndyCar team. One of the team's regular drivers, Tony Kanaan, suffered a radial fracture of his arm a week earlier in an April 15 crash at Twin Ring Motegi. If Kanaan was not cleared to drive in enough time, tentative plans were being prepared for Andretti to qualify the car for him. He would turn the car over to Kanaan on race day, though no plans had been made for Andretti to actually drive in the race. During the test, Andretti ran at competitive speeds, but running over debris saw his car becoming airborne and the attempt ended with a spectacular crash. Andretti was able to walk away from the wreck with just a minor cut on his chin. This was Andretti's last significant on-track activity at Indianapolis.

Sports cars

Andretti's 1989 Porsche 962 co-driven with son Michael 1989Porsche962MarioAndrettiMichaelAndrettiMillerHighLife.jpg
Andretti's 1989 Porsche 962 co-driven with son Michael

His first race start with a Ferrari was in 1965 with a Ferrari 275 P during the Bridgehampton 500 km at Bridgehampton Race Circuit; he did not finish the race. Andretti won three 12 Hours of Sebring endurance races (1967, 1970, 1972), [7] [52] and a 6-hour race at Daytona in 1972. [53] In early sportscar races he competed for the Holman Moody team, but later often drove for Ferrari. He signed with Ferrari in 1971, and won several races with co-driver Jacky Ickx. [24] In 1972 he shared wins in the three North American rounds of the championship and at Brands Hatch in the UK, contributing to Ferrari's dominant victory in that year's World Championship for Makes. [54] He also competed in the popular North American Can-Am series in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Le Mans

Andretti competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in four decades. In 1966 he shared a Holman Moody Ford Mk II with Lucien Bianchi. They retired after their car dropped a valve at 10:30 pm. [55] In 1967, during a 3:30 am pit stop, a mechanic inadvertently installed a front brake pad backward on his Ford MkIV. As Andretti passed under the Dunlop Bridge before the Esses, he touched his brake pedal for the first time since leaving the pits. The front wheel instantly locked, turning the car hard into the dirt embankment at 150 mph (240 km/h). The wreckage slid to a stop with Andretti badly shaken, the car sideways to oncoming traffic and the track nearly blocked. His teammates, Jo Schlesser and Roger McCluskey, crashed trying to avoid Andretti's car. McCluskey pulled Andretti to safety, and Andretti was taken to hospital for x-rays. [56] [57]

Andretti did not return to Le Mans until his full-time Formula One career was over. In 1982, he partnered with son Michael in a Mirage M12 Ford. They qualified in ninth place, but the pair found their car being removed from the starting grid 80 minutes before the start of the race, [58] as an official discovered an oil cooler that was mounted behind the gearbox, which was against the rules. The car had passed initial inspection four days before the race. [58] Despite protests and complaints, Andretti's entry was removed altogether, replaced by a Porsche 924 Carrera GTR. Their return in the following year was more successful as they finished third. The father/son team returned in 1988 with Mario's nephew John. They finished sixth in a factory Porsche 962. Following Mario's retirement from full-time racing, he decided on a return to the circuit to add a Le Mans victory to his achievements. He returned in 1995 with a second-place finish. He said in a 2006 interview that he feels that the Courage Compétition team "lost [the 1995] race five times over" through poor organization. He had unsuccessful efforts in the following years with a thirteenth place in 1996, and then a DNF (Did Not Finish) for 1997. Andretti's final appearance at Le Mans was at the 2000 race, six years after his retirement from full-time racing, when he drove the Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S at the age of 60, finishing 15th. [59]

Awards and honors

Named the "Driver of the Century" by the Associated Press and RACER magazine, 2000
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame inductee (1986)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee
1996 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee (U.S.)
1992 Driver of the Quarter Century
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee (1990)
1978, 1979 (IROC VI) International Race of Champions series champion
1978 Formula One World Champion
1974 USAC national dirt track champion (U.S.)
1972 6 Hours of Daytona Winner
1969 Indianapolis 500 winner
1967 Daytona 500 winner
1967, 1970, 1972 12 Hours of Sebring winner
1965, 1966, 1969, 1984 IndyCar champion
1969 ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year

In 1986, he was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. In 2000, the Associated Press and RACER magazine named him Driver of the Century. [60] He was the Driver of the Year (in the United States) for three years (1967, 1978, and 1984), [61] and is the only driver to be Driver of the Year in three decades. [19] Andretti was named the U.S. Driver of the Quarter Century in 1992. [6] He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001, [6] the United States National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996, [10] the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America [62] in 1990, the Hoosier Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1970, [10] the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2005, [63] and the Diecast Hall of Fame in 2012. [64]

On October 23, 2006, Andretti was awarded the highest civilian honor given by the Italian government, the Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (known as the Commendatore), in honor of his racing career, public service, and enduring commitment to his Italian heritage. [60] In 2007, Andretti was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation for making "a "Hall of Fame" contribution to a sport, profession, or business in a manner that exemplifies appreciation of God, country, society, family and self." [64] That same year, he was also named the "Mayor" (Sindaco) of the "Free Commune of Motovun in Exile" (Libero Comune di Montona in esilio), an association of Italian exiles from Motovun. [65] [66] In 2008, Andretti was awarded with the Simeone Foundation Spirit of Competition Award. [67]

In 2016, Andretti was made an honorary citizen of Lucca. [68] In 2019, the city of Indianapolis renamed a street "Mario Andretti Drive", as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of his first Indianapolis 500 win. [69]

Mario Andretti Grand Prix of Road America

Mario was instrumental in keeping championship car racing at Road America. CART severed its ties with the track as a legal resolution of payment issues from the 2002 and 2003 series events at the track. Andretti was the middle man between CART President Chris Pook and Road America President George Bruggenthies. After six weeks both sides came to terms and signed a two-year contract. The event was renamed the "Mario Andretti Grand Prix of Road America". [13]

Elder of Andretti racing family

Mario (left) with nephew John (right) at the 2007 Indianapolis 500 MarioAndrettiAndJohnAndrettiMay2007.jpg
Mario (left) with nephew John (right) at the 2007 Indianapolis 500

Both of Mario Andretti's sons, Michael and Jeff, were auto racers. Michael followed in his father's footsteps by winning the IndyCar title, with Mario's nephew John Andretti joining the series in 1988. This meant that the Andrettis became the first family to have four relatives compete in the same series. [19] With Mario sharing driving duties with sons Michael and Jeff at the 1991 Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving a Porsche 962, the Andretti clan finished 5th. [70]

Mario's grandson Marco completed his first full season in the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2006, driving for his father Michael's Andretti Green Racing team. Marco finished second in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 and so became the first third-generation recipient of the race's Rookie of the Year Award.

Later life

Andretti in 2009 Mario Andretti 2009 Indy 500 Pole Day.JPG
Andretti in 2009
Andretti (second from right) in October 2011, at a promotional event announcing the return of Pocono Raceway to the IndyCar Series schedule for the 2013 season Pocono Raceway IndyCar returns announcment.JPG
Andretti (second from right) in October 2011, at a promotional event announcing the return of Pocono Raceway to the IndyCar Series schedule for the 2013 season

Andretti lives near his grandson Marco in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania. His late wife Dee Ann (née Hoch) [71] was a native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, who taught Andretti English in 1961. [18] [72] They were married on November 25, 1961. [73] She died on July 2, 2018, following a heart attack. [74]

Andretti has remained active after his retirement from full-time racing, making numerous speaking engagements to audiences and serving as a spokesman for Texaco/Havoline, Firestone, and Magnaflow performance exhaust. He was occasionally a spokesman for the now defunct Champ Car World Series, though he frequently attended IRL races to watch Marco compete. Andretti is vice chairman of a winery named Andretti Winery in Napa Valley, California. He owns a chain of gasoline stations, a Toyota dealership in Moon Township, Pennsylvania (just outside Pittsburgh), car washes, car-care products, go-kart tracks, a clothing line, video games and replica cars. He also test drives cars for Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines. [9]

In 2006, he was named by Carnegie Corporation to the inaugural class of winners of the Great Immigrants Award. [75]

In July 2006, Andretti took part in the Bullrun race across America. [9] The first pitstop was at the Pocono Raceway in Andretti's home state of Pennsylvania with Gate No. 5 aptly named Andretti Road. [76]

Since 2012, Andretti has been the official ambassador for the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and the United States Grand Prix promoting awareness of Formula 1 in the United States and all forms of motorsports at COTA. [77]

He received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2015. [78]

Film and television appearances

Andretti played himself on three episodes of the United States television show Home Improvement . [79] Along with his son Michael, he appeared in the 1996 IMAX film Super Speedway , which details the process of rebuilding one of his past cars. [79] He is a major character and sometime narrator of the 1972 film The Speed Merchants. [80] In the 2006 Pixar Animation Studios film Cars , Andretti makes a cameo appearance as himself, but because all of the characters in the film are sentient cars, his appearance is that of the Ford Fairlane in which he won the 1967 Daytona 500. [81] He later had another voice role in the 2013 DreamWorks Animation film Turbo , as the traffic director at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [82]

Andretti appeared in the Sylvester Stallone film Driven in a cameo. He served as the grand marshal of the 2004 Baja 1000 off-road race, as seen in the documentary film Dust to Glory . [83] Andretti was featured in the 2007 documentary A State of Vine , where he commented on his winemaking activities. In November 2015, he guest starred on an episode of Jay Leno's Garage , driving Leno in multiple fast cars and talking about his racing career. [84]

Andretti wrote a column for the Indianapolis Star , where he wrote about other drivers, equipment and cars. [73]

Racing record

Racing career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
1964 USAC Championship Car Dean Van Lines Racing Division8000153011th
Lee S Glessner10000
Doug Stearly10000
1965 USAC Championship Car Dean Van Lines Racing Division1613?1031101st
1966 USAC Championship Car Dean Van Lines Racing Division1489?930701st
Jim Robbins10000
NASCAR Grand National Series Owens Racing40000N/ANC
24 Hours of Le Mans Holman & Moody 10000N/ADNF
1967 USAC Championship Car Dean Van Lines Racing Division1984?1333602nd
NASCAR Grand National Series Holman & Moody 610?1N/A51st
World Sportscar Championship Ford Motor Co. 21?11N/ANC
1968 USAC Championship Car Andretti Racing Enterprises2748?1643192nd
NASCAR Grand National Series Holman & Moody 300?0N/A51st
Formula One Gold Leaf Team Lotus 101000NC
World Sportscar Championship Autodelta SpA 1000006th
1969 USAC Championship Car STP Corporation 2495?1350551st
Can-Am Holman & Moody 400012211th
Formula One Gold Leaf Team Lotus 30000NC0
NASCAR Grand National Series Holman & Moody 10000NC0
1970 USAC Championship Car STP Corporation 1814?418905th
Formula One STP Corporation 50001415th
Can-Am SpA Ferrari SEFAC 10000823rd
1971 USAC Championship Car STP Corporation 1000?113709th
Formula One Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 51011128th
Can-Am SpA Ferrari SEFAC 100001019th
1972 USAC Championship Car Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing 1001?2113511th
Formula One Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 50000412th
1973 USAC Championship Car Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing 1511?324005th
1974 USAC Championship Car Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing 1101?165515th
SCCA Continental Championship 73625972nd
Formula One 200000NC
World Sportscar Championship Autodelta 100000NC
1975 Formula One Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing 120010514th
SCCA Continental Championship 948251652nd
USAC Championship Car 3000021023rd
Sugaripe Prune Racing Team10001
1976 Formula One John Player Team Lotus 151113226th
USAC Championship Car Penske Racing 400?112009th
1977 Formula One John Player Team Lotus 174745473rd
USAC Championship Car Penske Racing 600?115807th
1978 Formula One John Player Team Lotus 166837641st
USAC Championship Car Penske Racing 810?168117th
1979 Formula One Martini Racing Team Lotus 1400011412th
BMW M1 Procar Championship BMW Motorsport 30000227th
PPG Indy Car World Series Penske Racing 100?170011th
1980 Formula One Team Essex Lotus 140000120th
PPG Indy Car World Series Penske Racing 412?258016th
USAC Championship Car Penske Racing 200?04037th
BMW M1 Procar Championship BMW Motorsport 100?00NC
1981 Formula One Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 150000317th
PPG Indy Car World Series Patrick Racing 701?48111th
1981-82 USAC Championship Car Patrick Racing 200?18056th
1982 PPG Indy Car World Series Patrick Racing 1100?61883rd
Formula One Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 20101419th
TAG Williams Team 10000
24 Hours of Le Mans Grand Touring Cars Inc.10000N/ADNS
1982-83 USAC Championship Car Newman/Haas Racing 100?01532nd
1983 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1322261333rd
24 Hours of Le Mans Porsche Kremer Racing 10001N/A3rd
1983-84 USAC Championship Car Newman/Haas Racing 100?02020th
1984 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1668681761st
IMSA GT Championship Porsche AG10100N/ANC
1985 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1433351145th
1986 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1723241365th
1987 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1527231006th
1988 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1520271265th
24 Hours of Le Mans Porsche AG10000N/A6th
1989 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1500041106th
IMSA GT Championship Busby Racing10000N/ANC
1990 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1600041367th
1991 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1700041327th
IMSA GT Championship Jochen Dauer Racing 100001829th
1992 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1501011056th
1993 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1611131176th
1994 PPG Indy Car World Series Newman/Haas Racing 1600014514th
1995 24 Hours of Le Mans Courage Compétition 10001N/A2nd
1996 24 Hours of Le Mans Courage Compétition 10000N/A13th
1997 24 Hours of Le Mans Courage Compétition 10000N/ADNF
2000 24 Hours of Le Mans Panoz Motorsports 10000N/A15th

American open-wheel racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car

USAC Championship Car results
YearTeamChassisEngine12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728Pos.Pts
1964 Doug StearlyElder 61 FE Offenhauser PHX TRE
11
INDY MIL 11th530
Lee S GlessnerMeskowski 58 D LAN
9
Dean Van Lines Racing DivisionBlum 64 FE TRE
11
MIL
3
TRE
22
PHX
18
Kuzma 60 D ISF
6
DSF
15
INF
10
SAC
8
1965 Dean Van Lines Racing DivisionBlum 64 FE Offenhauser PHX
6
TRE
2
ATL
2
LAN
4
1st3110
Hawk I Ford 255 ci V8 INDY
3
MIL
4
LAN
2
PPR TRE
Wth
IRP
1
MIL
2
MIL
16
TRE
13
PHX
2
Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser ISF
3
DSF
15
INF
2
SAC
3
1966 Dean Van Lines Racing DivisionHawk I Ford 255 ci V8 PHX
15
TRE
4
INDY
18
MIL
1
LAN
1
ATL
1
PPR IRP
1
MIL
1
TRE
1
PHX
1
1st3070
Jim RobbinsVollstedt 65 LAN
21
Dean Van Lines Racing Division Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser ISF
2
DSF
15
INF
1
SAC
10
1967 Dean Van Lines Racing DivisionHawk I Ford 255 ci V8 PHX
DNS
2nd3360
Hawk II TRE
1
INDY
30
MIL
Wth
LAN
3
IRP
1
LAN
1
MTR
1
MTR
1
MIL
1
TRE
25
HAN
24
PHX
1
RSD
3
Bobby Unser Lotus 18/21 Chevrolet V8 PPR
14
Dean Van Lines Racing DivisionHawk II MOS
21
MOS
11
Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser ISF
2
DSF
2
INF
1
SAC
2
1968 Andretti Racing EnterprisesHawk II Ford 255 ci V8 HAN
23
LVS
2
PHX
15
TRE
2
PPR
4
MIL
2
2nd4319
Hawk III Ford 159ci V8 t INDY
33
Ford 255 ci V8 MIL
2
MOS
2
MOS
2
LAN
17
CDR
15
IRP
2
IRP
2
MTR
1
MTR
1
RSD
18
Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser NAZ
2
ISF
18
DSF
1
INF
2
SAC
4
Leader Card Racers Watson 68 Offy 159 ci t LAN
23
LAN
Andretti Racing EnterprisesHawk II TRE
1
MCH
2
HAN
3
PHX
24
1969 STP Corporation Hawk III Ford 159ci V8 t PHX
16
HAN
1
INDY
1
MIL
7
TRE
1
MIL
4
DOV
11
TRE
1
PHX
21
1st5055
Ford 255 ci V8 LAN
5
CDR
10
IRP
9
IRP
2
BRN
4
BRN
3
SIR
1
SIR
2
RSD
1
Kingfish D Chevrolet V8 PPR
1
Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser NAZ
1
ISF
1
DSF
2
INF
6
SAC
15
1970 STP Corporation Hawk III Ford 159ci V8 t PHX
13
TRE
2
LAN
8
MCH
21
MIL
24
PHX
8
5th1890
Ford 255 ci V8 SON
2
McNamara T-500 Ford 159ci V8 t INDY
6
MIL
5
ONT
10
TRE
21
Ford 255 ci V8 CDR
1
IRP
18
Kingfish 70 D Ford Weslake Mk.IV ISF
24
DSF
17
INF
11
SED
2
SAC
14
1971 STP Corporation McNamara T-501 Ford 159ci V8 t RAF RAF PHX
9
TRE
18
INDY
30
MIL
11
POC
4
MCH
12
MIL
19
ONT
33
TRE
2
PHX
4
9th1370
1972 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Colt 70/72 Offy 159 ci t PHX
2
11th1135
Parnelli VPJ1 TRE
22
INDY
8
MIL
8
MCH
12
POC
7
MIL
11
ONT
27
TRE
28
PHX
3
1973 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ2 Offy 159 ci t TWS
25
TRE
4
TRE
1
INDY
30
MIL
8
POC
7
MCH
5
MIL
19
ONT ONT
12
ONT
2
MCH
5
MCH
2
TRE
7
TWS
17
PHX
7
5th2400
1974 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ2 Offy 159 ci t ONT ONT
9
ONT
25
15th655
Eagle 74 PHX
5
INDY
31
POC
17
MCH
18
MIL
8
MCH
10
TRE TRE PHX
3
Parnelli VPJ3 TRE
9
MIL
17
1975 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Eagle 74 Offy 159 ci t ONT ONT ONT
28
PHX TRE INDY
28
MIL POC
25
MCH MIL MCH TRE 23rd210
Sugaripe Prune Racing Team PHX
3
1976 Penske Racing McLaren M16C Offy 159 ci t PHX TRE INDY
8
MIL POC
5
MCH TWS TRE MIL ONT MCH TWS
4
PHX
3
9th1200
1977 Penske Racing McLaren M24 Cosworth DFX V8 t ONT PHX
DNS
TWS TRE
16
INDY
26
MIL POC
2
MOS MCH TWS MIL ONT
4
PHX
4
7th1580
Penske PC-5 MCH
20
1978 Penske Racing Penske PC-6 Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX ONT
15
TWS
5
TRE
13
INDY
12
MOS MIL POC
23
MCH ATL TWS MIL ONT MCH
20
TRE
1
SIL BRH PHX
7
17th681
1980 Penske Racing Penske PC-9 Cosworth DFX V8 t ONT INDY
20
MIL POC
17
MDO 37th40
1981-82 Patrick Racing Wildcat MK8 Cosworth DFX V8 t INDY
2
POC ISF DSF INF 6th805
Wildcat MK8B INDY
31
1982-83 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T700 Cosworth DFX V8 t ISF DSF NAZ INDY
23
32nd15
1983-84 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T800 Cosworth DFX V8 t DSF INDY
17
20th20
Sources: [85]

Andretti Racing Enterprises IndyCar wins

These are the wins of Andretti Racing Enterprises, the team headed by legendary mechanic Clint Brawner. Andretti Racing Enterprises (the former Dean Van Lines team) was formed after Al Dean's death in 1967 and was financed during the 1968 season by Firestone. [86]

#SeasonDateSanctionTrack / RaceNo.Winning DriverChassisEngineTireGridLaps Led
1 1968 August 4 USAC Circuit Mont-Tremblant Heat 1 (R)2 Flag of the United States.svg Mario AndrettiHawk III Ford Indy DOHC V8 Firestone Pole26
2August 4USACCircuit Mont-Tremblant Heat 2 (R)2 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti (2)Hawk IIIFord Indy DOHC V8FirestonePole38
3September 2USAC DuQuoin (DO)2 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti (3) Kuzma 60 D Offenhauser L4 252 cuFirestone694
4September 22USAC Trenton International Speedway (O)2 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti (4)Hawk II Offenhauser L4 TC 168 cuFirestone2172

PPG Indy Car World Series

PPG Indy Car World Series results
YearTeamChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617Pos.PtsRef
1979 Penske Racing Penske PC-7 Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX ATL ATL INDY TRE TRE MCH MCH WGL TRE ONT
3
MCH
DNS
ATL PHX 11th700 [87]
1980 Penske Racing Penske PC-8 Cosworth DFX V8 t ONT INDY
20
MIL POC
17
MDO MCH WGL MIL ONT MCH
1
MEX PHX
2
16th580 [88]
1981 Patrick Racing Wildcat MK8 Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX
11
MIL
3
ATL
3
ATL
2
MCH RIV MIL MCH
2
WGL
16
MEX PHX
4
11th81 [89]
1982 Patrick Racing Wildcat MK8B Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX
2
ATL
11
MIL
9
CLE
2
MCH
2
MIL
3
POC
14
RIV
23
ROA
14
MCH
2
PHX
3
3rd188 [90]
1983 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T700 Cosworth DFX V8 t ATL
5
INDY
23
MIL
18
CLE
14
MCH
3
ROA
1
POC
7
RIV
16
MDO
2
MCH
4
CPL
1
LAG
2
PHX
2
3rd133 [91]
1984 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T800 Cosworth DFX V8 t LBH
1
PHX
20
INDY
17
MIL
8
POR
26
MEA
1
CLE
21
MCH
1
ROA
1
POC
19
MDO
1
SAN
7
MCH
1
PHX
12
LAG
2
CPL
2
1st176 [92]
1985 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX V8 t LBH
1
INDY
2
MIL
1
POR
1
MEA
26
CLE
14
MCH
10
ROA POC
7
MDO
7
SAN
15
MCH
21
LAG
11
PHX
3
MIA
27
5th114 [93]
1986 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX
7
LBH
5
INDY
32
MIL
5
POR
1
MEA
24
CLE
3
TOR
3
MCH
21
POC
1
MDO
24
SAN
8
MCH
10
ROA
9
LAG
4
PHX
4
MIA
11
5th136 [94]
1987 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T87/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t LBH
1
PHX
5
INDY
9
MIL
17
POR
10
MEA
2
CLE
10
TOR
15
MCH
19
POC
19
ROA
1
MDO
17
NAZ
19
LAG
17
MIA
4
6th100 [95]
1988 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T88/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t PHX
1
LBH
15
MIL
17
POR
5
CLE
1
TOR
25
MEA
2
MCH
12
POC
17
MDO
2
ROA
3
NAZ
3
LAG
3
MIA
15
5th126 [96]
Lola T87/00 INDY
20
1989 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T89/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t PHX
8
LBH
18
INDY
4
MIL
7
DET
3
POR
25
CLE
2
MEA
20
TOR
26
MCH
3
POC
5
MDO
7
ROA
7
NAZ
8
LAG
2
6th110 [97]
1990 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T90/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t PHX
4
LBH
5
INDY
27
MIL
21
DET
25
POR
2
CLE
4
MEA
24
TOR
6
MCH
3
DEN
4
VAN
3
MDO
2
ROA
5
NAZ
4
LAG
26
7th136 [98]
1991 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T91/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t SRF
17
LBH
19
PHX
9
INDY
7
MIL
3
DET
7
POR
5
CLE
6
MEA
15
TOR
2
MCH
4
DEN
15
VAN
4
MDO
7
ROA
3
NAZ
5
LAG
3
7th132 [99]
1992 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T91/00 Ford XB V8 t SRF
7
6th105 [100]
Lola T92/00 PHX
17
LBH
23
INDY
23
DET POR
6
MIL
6
NHA
7
TOR
4
MCH
15
CLE
5
ROA
5
VAN
6
MDO
5
NAZ
5
LAG
2
1993 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T93/00 Ford XB V8 t SRF
4
PHX
1
LBH
18
INDY
5
MIL
18
DET
3
POR
6
CLE
5
TOR
8
MCH
2
NHA
20
ROA
15
VAN
5
MDO
7
NAZ
13
LAG
9
6th117 [101]
1994 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8 t SRF
3
PHX
21
LBH
5
INDY
32
MIL
14
DET
18
POR
9
CLE
27
TOR
4
MCH
18
MDO
10
NHA
19
VAN
11
ROA
16
NAZ
25
LAG
19
14th45 [102]
Sources: [85]
Indianapolis 500
YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
1965 Hawk Ford 43Dean Van Lines Racing Division
1966 Hawk Ford 118Dean Van Lines Racing Division
1967 Hawk Ford 130Dean Van Lines Racing Division
1968 Hawk Ford 433Andretti Racing Enterprises
1969 Hawk Ford 21 STP Corporation
1970 McNamara Ford 86 STP Corporation
1971 McNamara Ford 930 STP Corporation
1972 Parnelli Offenhauser 58 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1973 Parnelli Offenhauser 630 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1974 Eagle Offenhauser 531 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1975 Eagle Offenhauser 2728 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1976 McLaren Offenhauser 198 Penske Racing
1977 McLaren Cosworth 626 Penske Racing
1978 Penske Cosworth 3312 Penske Racing
1980 Penske Cosworth 220 Penske Racing
1981 Wildcat Cosworth 322 Patrick Racing
1982 Wildcat Cosworth 431 Patrick Racing
1983 Lola Cosworth 1123 Newman/Haas Racing
1984 Lola Cosworth 617 Newman/Haas Racing
1985 Lola Cosworth 42 Newman/Haas Racing
1986 Lola Cosworth 3032 Newman/Haas Racing
1987 Lola Chevrolet 19 Newman/Haas Racing
1988 Lola Chevrolet 420 Newman/Haas Racing
1989 Lola Chevrolet 54 Newman/Haas Racing
1990 Lola Chevrolet 627 Newman/Haas Racing
1991 Lola Chevrolet 37 Newman/Haas Racing
1992 Lola Ford-Cosworth 323 Newman/Haas Racing
1993 Lola Ford-Cosworth 25 Newman/Haas Racing
1994 Lola Ford-Cosworth 932 Newman/Haas Racing
Sources: [85]

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354NGNCPtsRef
1966 Bondy Long 71 Chevy AUG RSD
16
DAY NA0 [103]
Smokey Yunick 13 Chevy DAY
20
DAY
37
CAR BRI ATL HCY CLB GPS BGS NWS MAR DAR LGY MGR MON RCH CLT DTS ASH PIF SMR AWS BLV GPS
Owens Racing 5 Dodge DAY
31
ODS BRR OXF FON ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB AWS BLV BGS DAR HCY RCH HBO MAR NWS CLT CAR
1967 Holman Moody 114 Ford AUG RSD
9
DAY NA0 [104]
11 DAY
6
DAY
1*
AWS BRI GPS BGS ATL
19
CLB HCY NWS MAR SVH RCH DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS MGY DAY
27
TRN OXF FDA ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL BGS CLB SVH DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS CLT
27
CAR AWS
1968 MGR MGY RSD
27
DAY
12
ISP OXF FDA TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB BGS AWS SBO LGY DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS AUG CLT CAR JFC NA0 [105]
Mercury DAY
29
BRI RCH ATL HCY GPS CLB NWS MAR AUG AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS
1969 97 Ford MGR MGY RSD
18
DAY DAY DAY CAR AUG BRI ATL CLB HCY GPS RCH NWS MAR AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT MGR SMR MCH KPT GPS NCF DAY DOV TPN TRN BLV BRI NSV SMR ATL MCH SBO BGS AWS DAR HCY RCH TAL CLB MAR NWS CLT SVH AUG CAR JFC MGR TWS NA0 [106]
Daytona 500
YearTeamManufacturerStartFinish
1966 Smokey Yunick Chevrolet 3937
1967 Holman Moody Ford 121*
1968 Mercury 2029

24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1966 Flag of the United States.svg Holman & Moody Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Lucien Bianchi Ford GT40 Mk.IIP
+5.0
97DNFDNF
1967 Flag of the United States.svg Holman & Moody Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Lucien Bianchi Ford GT40 Mk.IVP
+5.0
188DNFDNF
1982 Flag of the United States.svg Grand Touring Cars Inc. Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti Mirage M12-Ford Cosworth C-DNSDNS
1983 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche Kremer Racing Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti
Flag of France.svg Philippe Alliot
Porsche 956 C3643rd3rd
1988 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche AG Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti
Flag of the United States.svg John Andretti
Porsche 962C C13756th6th
1995 Flag of France.svg Courage Compétition Flag of France.svg Bob Wollek
Flag of France.svg Éric Hélary
Courage C34-Porsche WSC2972nd1st
1996 Flag of France.svg Courage Compétition Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan Lammers
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Warwick
Courage C36-Porsche LMP131513th3rd
1997 Flag of France.svg Courage Compétition Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti
Flag of France.svg Olivier Grouillard
Courage C36-Porsche LMP197DNFDNF
2000 Flag of the United States.svg Panoz Motorsports Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Brabham
Flag of Denmark.svg Jan Magnussen
Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S-Élan LMP90031515th8th
Source: [107]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617WDC Pts
1968 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Lotus 49B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA
DNS
CAN USA
Ret
MEX NC0
1969 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Lotus 49B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
Ret
ESP MON NED FRA GBR NC0
Lotus 63 GER
Ret
ITA CAN USA
Ret
MEX
1970 STP Corporation March 701 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
Ret
ESP
3
MON BEL NED FRA GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
ITA CAN USA MEX 16th4
1971 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312B Ferrari 001 3.0 F12 RSA
1
ESP
Ret
MON
DNQ
NED
Ret
FRA GBR 8th12
Ferrari 312B2 Ferrari 001/1 3.0 F12 GER
4
AUT ITA CAN
13
USA
DNS
1972 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312B2 Ferrari 001/1 3.0 F12 ARG
Ret
RSA
4
ESP
Ret
MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA
7
CAN USA
6
12th4
1974 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN
7
USA
DSQ
NC0
1975 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
7
RSA
17
ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
BEL SWE
4
NED FRA
5
GBR
12
GER
10
AUT
Ret
ITA
Ret
USA
Ret
14th5
1976 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 77 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 BRA
Ret
ESP
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON SWE
Ret
FRA
5
GBR
Ret
GER
12
AUT
5
NED
3
ITA
Ret
CAN
3
USA
Ret
JPN
1
6th22
Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ4B RSA
6
USW
Ret
1977 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 78 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
5
BRA
Ret
RSA
Ret
USW
1
ESP
1
MON
5
BEL
Ret
SWE
6
FRA
1
GBR
14
GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
1
USA
2
CAN
9
JPN
Ret
3rd47
1978 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 78 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
1
BRA
4
RSA
7
USW
2
MON
11
1st64
Lotus 79 BEL
1
ESP
1
SWE
Ret
FRA
1
GBR
Ret
GER
1
AUT
Ret
NED
1
ITA
6
USA
Ret
CAN
10
1979 Martini Racing Team Lotus Lotus 79 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
5
BRA
Ret
RSA
4
USW
4
BEL
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
AUT
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
5
CAN
10
USA
Ret
12th14
Lotus 80 ESP
3
MON
Ret
FRA
Ret
1980 Team Essex Lotus Lotus 81 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
Ret
BRA
Ret
RSA
12
USW
Ret
BEL
Ret
MON
7
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
7
AUT
Ret
NED
8
ITA
Ret
CAN
Ret
USA
6
20th1
1981 Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 179C Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 USW
4
BRA
Ret
ARG
8
SMR
Ret
BEL
10
MON
Ret
ESP
8
17th3
Alfa Romeo 179B FRA
8
GBR
Ret
GER
9
AUT
Ret
Alfa Romeo 179D NED
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAN
7
CPL
Ret
1982 TAG Williams Team Williams FW07C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA BRA USW
Ret
SMR BEL MON DET CAN NED GBR FRA GER AUT SUI 19th4
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C2 Ferrari 021 1.5 V6 t ITA
3
CPL
Ret
Sources: [108]

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678
1971 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312B Ferrari 001 3.0 F12 ARG ROC QUE
1
SPR INT RIN OUL VIC
1975 Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli VPJ4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT
3
SUI
1976 Walter Wolf Racing Wolf–Williams FW05 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC INT
7
1977 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 78 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
Ret
1978 John Player Team Lotus Lotus 79 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 INT
Ret
1979 Martini Racing Team Lotus Lotus 79 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ROC
3
GNM
3
DIN
1980 Team Essex Lotus Lotus 81 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ESP
Ret

Other race results

Autobiographies

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. The race was shortened to six hours in 1972. [1] [2]

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Further reading