American race car driver
Mario Andretti was named Driver of the Century
for his distinguished racing career that spanned five decades. Andretti
earned his reputation with Championship cars. He won a total of 52
Championship car races, including the prestigious Indianapolis
500 in 1969. He is also the all time leader of Championship car pole
position wins with 67 and the all time lap leader with 7,587 laps.
Andretti is the all time record holder for Champion car starts with 407
and he is the only driver to ever win Championship car races in four
decades. In addition to a remarkable career with Championship cars,
Andretti had distinguished himself as a driver who can win on any kind
of track and in any kind of car. Andretti has also won races on the
sprint, midget, and Formula One circuits. This kind of versatility has
put Andretti into a class by himself.
Began Racing in Italy
Mario Gabriele Andretti was born on February 28, 1940 in Montona, Italy (currently Montovun, Croatia).
His father, Alvise Luigi (known as "Gigi") was a farm administrator,
while his mother, Rina, raised Mario, his twin brother Aldo, and his
older sister Anna Maria. They were a well off family in this small town
on the Istrian Peninsula until World War II broke out in Europe. Italy had joined the Axis nations of Germany and Japan and was defeated by the Allied forces. As part of the surrender agreement, the Istrian Peninsula was given to Yugoslavia.
In 1948 the Andrettis and many other Italian families left their homes
on the Istrian Peninsula and moved to other parts of Italy.
The Andrettis relocated to a refugee camp in Lucca, Italy. It was
there that Mario and Aldo began driving their uncle's motorcycle and
wooden derby car. At age 13 the boys got their first jobs parking cars
for a garage. "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,"
explained Andretti in
What's It Like Out There. The Andretti
brothers idolized Italian race legend Alberto Ascari, but they had to
hide their passion from their father because he disapproved of the
sport. Without their parents' knowledge or permission, the boys began
racing for a new youth racing league in Italy called Formula Junior.
Due to the difficult economic conditions in post-war Italy, the Andretti family immigrated to the United States in 1955 and they settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
The 15-year-old Andretti twins did not speak English so they were
placed in the seventh grade in school, much to their embarrassment. In
order to catch up with their classmates, they enrolled in correspondence
courses. Through these courses Mario met Dee Ann Hoch, who would
eventually become his wife.
Became a Professional Racecar Driver in America
Racing in America was quite different than that in Europe. In
particular, Americans favored stock cars, while Europeans raced sports
cars. In addition, Americans raced on oval tracks, while Europeans raced
on winding roads. The Andretti boys learned everything they could about
American racing and saved money to build a car. They eventually managed
to rebuild a 1948 Hudson Hornet, which they debuted on the Nazareth
Speedway in 1959. The brothers took turns racing their Hornet and
borrowed other cars to race. They quickly established themselves as
winners at the speedway. However, during the final race of 1959 Aldo
crashed the Hornet and was seriously injured. He was in a coma for two
weeks. Gigi Andretti discovered his sons' racing escapades because of
this accident and he was extremely upset with the twins.
Neither Aldo's accident nor Gigi's disapproval stopped Mario from
racing. During the next two years he won 21 of 46 stock car races. He
also began racing in the United Racing Club sprint car circuit and the
indoor midget car winter circuit to gain driving experience. In 1963
Andretti entered his first United States Auto Club (USAC) race, a sprint
car race, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This race allowed him to compete
against some of the champions of racing, including
A.J. Foyt
. Although Andretti was a fairly successful driver, he was not yet
able to support his young family on racing alone so he also worked as a
foreman for Motorvator, a company that manufactured golf carts.
Chronology
| 1940 |
Born on February 28, 1940 in Montona, Italy |
| 1948 |
Family relocates to a refugee camp in Lucca, Italy following World War II |
| 1955 |
Andretti family immigrates to the United States |
| 1959 |
Mario and Aldo Andretti begin driving at the Nazareth Speedway |
| 1959 |
Aldo Andretti is seriously injured in a racing accident |
| 1961 |
Marries Dee Ann Hoch |
| 1962 |
Son Michael is born |
| 1963 |
Enters first United States Auto Club race in Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| 1964 |
Wins first United States Auto Club Championship race in Salem, Indiana |
| 1964 |
Becomes United States citizen |
| 1964 |
Son Jeff is born |
| 1965 |
Begins driving for Dean Van Lines |
| 1965 |
Finishes third in Indianapolis 500 and wins Rookie of the Year award |
| 1965 |
Wins United States Auto Club National Championship |
| 1966 |
Wins United States Auto Club National Championship |
| 1969 |
Wins Indianapolis 500 |
| 1969 |
Wins United States Auto Club National Championship |
| 1969 |
Daughter Barbara Dee is born |
| 1971 |
Wins first Formula One race |
| 1978 |
Wins Formula One World Championship |
| 1981 |
Comes in second in controversial Indianapolis 500 |
| 1984 |
Wins United States Auto Club National Championship |
| 1985 |
Finishes second in Indianapolis 500 |
| 1992 |
Four Andrettis (Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John) compete in Indianapolis 500 |
| 1993 |
Wins final Indy car race |
| 1993 |
Sets fastest qualifying speed at Michigan International Speedway |
| 1994 |
Retires from open-wheel racing |
| 2002 |
Joins board of directors for Championship Auto Racing Teams | |
In April of 1964 Andretti entered his first USAC Championship race
and in October of the same year he won his first USAC victory in Salem,
Indiana. In 1965 Andretti became the lead driver for the Dean Van Lines
team, which was owned by Al Dean. In this position, Andretti earned
$5,000 a year plus 40 percent of his winnings. Andretti was now a
full-time professional driver. With the support of Al Dean and chief
mechanic Clint Brawner, Andretti was now in a position to win big races.
In particular, 1965 was the first year that Andretti entered the
Indianapolis 500. "The start of the 500 Mile Race is something else,"
Andretti explained in his autobiography
What's It Like Out There?
"The pace car pulls off the track, the green flag is dropped, and 33
drivers push their accelerators to the floor. It looks as if all 33 are
trying to hit the first turn at once. Dust comes from all over. The
sound alone is enough to drive the timid to the edge of panic."
Andretti, however, was not timid and he finished the race in third place
and won the Indianapolis Rookie of the Year Award. Although Andretti
only won one USAC race that year, he finished well in several other
races and earned enough points in the season to win the USAC National
Championship, which was unusual for a rookie.
The Family Business
Andretti's racing career has always been a family business. Although
his twin brother, Aldo, was not able to continue racing after two
serious crashes in 1959 and 1969, he still remained involved in the
sport and in his brother's career. During the peak of his racing career,
Andretti became a family man. He married his English tutor, Dee Ann
Hoch, on November 25, 1961. Their first child, Michael, was born in
1962, followed by Jeff in 1964, and Barbara Dee in 1969. The Andretti
children were exposed to racing from an early age and were subjected to
the lifestyle imposed by such a career. For example, the family spent
every May living in Indianapolis, Indiana because of the Indianapolis
500, even though Nazareth, Pennsylvania was their home-town. The
Andretti children also occupied themselves with their own racing
vehicles and motorized toys, including dirt bikes, go-karts,
motorcycles, snowmobiles, and jet skis.
The love for speed was shared by all of the children, even Barbara
Dee. The only Andretti daughter loved to race dirt bikes as a child,
although she would later pursue a career in singing and songwriting.
Both Andretti sons, however, became racecar drivers, as did Aldo's
oldest son, John. Andretti claims that he did not plan for his sons to
follow in his footsteps. "These kids didn't grow up with me mapping
their careers," Andretti told Ed Hinton of
Sports Illustrated
in 1992. "I think it was just a matter of being exposed to it." Andretti
did not push his children into the sport, because he recognized that
not everyone was capable of racing. "You have to be a dedicated person,"
Andretti explained to Lyle Kenyon Engel in
Mario Andretti: The Man Who Can Win Any Kind of Race.
"You have to want to do it more than anything else. You have to want to
be Number One. Then you have to have the ability. You must be brave,
but also have common sense." In 1992 the Andretti family made history
when all four racers Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John, drove in the
Indianapolis 500. While Jeff's career was cut short because of a serious
accident that damaged his legs, Michael and John continue the Andretti
racing legacy.
Awards and Accomplishments
| 1964 |
First United States Auto Club Championship in Salem, Indiana |
| 1965 |
Won two United States Auto Club races |
| 1965 |
Voted Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 |
| 1965 |
Championship Auto Racing Teams National Champion |
| 1966 |
Championship Auto Racing Teams National Champion |
| 1966 |
Won 14 United States Auto Club races |
| 1967 |
Won nine United States Auto Club races |
| 1967 |
Won the 12 Hours of Sebring race |
| 1967 |
Daytona 500 Champion |
| 1967 |
Driver of the Year |
| 1968 |
Won three United States Auto Club races |
| 1969 |
Indianapolis 500 Champion |
| 1969 |
Won eight United States Auto Club races |
| 1969 |
Championship Auto Racing Teams National Champion |
| 1970 |
Won the 12 Hours of Sebring race |
| 1971 |
First Formula One victory in South Africa |
| 1972 |
Won the 12 Hours of Sebring race |
| 1974 |
United States Auto Club National Dirt Track Champion |
| 1978 |
Driver of the Year |
| 1978 |
Formula One World Champion |
| 1979 |
International Race of Champions titlist |
| 1984 |
Championship Auto Racing Teams National Champion |
| 1984 |
Driver of the Year |
| 1985 |
Electrolux Clean Sweep Award for having won pole and race on five different occasions |
| 1985 |
Driver of the Year |
| 1987 |
Won 50th Championship car race at Phoenix |
| 1991 |
One of four Andrettis to race in the Indianapolis 500 |
| 1992 |
Driver of the Quarter Century |
| 1993 |
Oldest winner in Championship car history at age 53 at the Phoenix Indy |
| 1999 |
Named Driver of the Century by the Associated Press (tied with A.J. Foyt) |
| 2000 |
Named Driver of the Century by RACER magazine |
Related Biography: Race Car Driver Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti, the oldest child of Mario and Dee Ann Andretti, is a
racing champion in his own right. He was born on October 5, 1962 in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania. When he was only four years old he saw the Indianapolis
Speedway for the first time. When he was seven years old his father won
the coveted Indianapolis 500 race. Just 15 years later Michael Andretti
competed in his first Indianapolis 500 along with his father. He was the
fastest rookie in that race and earned the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of
the Year Award.
Like his father, Michael Andretti became a successful driver early in
his career. When he was 19 years old he won his first professional
championship in the Northeast Formula Ford Division. Two years later, in
1983, he debuted in the Indy Car World Series and the International
Motor Sports Association. In addition to his first Indianapolis 500
start in 1984, Michael Andretti also had his first Sports Car Club of
America Trans-am event. He has been a versatile driver like his father.
Michael Andretti has been racing on the CART circuit for 18 seasons
and he has finished in the top ten of the championship in 17 of those
years. He has won 42 Champ car races, which is the most of any active
driver. He is also the Champ car leader in pole positions with 32, and
laps led with 6,564. The one title that is noticeably missing from
Michael Andretti's collection is the Indianapolis 500. Although he has
competed in the race 13 times, he has not yet won there.
In addition to racing, Michael Andretti, like his father, has a
number of other business interests. He is the owner of Michael Andretti
Power-sports, and vice president of Andretti Enterprises and Andretti
Global Development Corporation. His 15-year-old son, Marco, has already
been racing karts and he seems poised to continue the Andretti family
legacy.
Won the Indianapolis 500
Andretti's success continued throughout the rest of the 1960s. In particular, he repeated the USAC National
Championship in 1966 and he won the prestigious Daytona 500 in 1967,
as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. In 1967 Andretti won
eight races but he came in second place in the USAC championship behind
A.J. Foyt, another legend in racing who often challenged Andretti on the
track. "He and I always respected one another because neither one
wanted to settle for second," Foyt told Dave Caldwell of
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service in 1994. In 1968 Andretti again came in second place in the USAC championship to another racing rival,
Bobby Unser
. Andretti solidified his power as a racing champion by clinching the
1969 Indianapolis 500. He also won the Pike's Peak Hill Climb in Colorado,
a race that had been dominated by Bobby Unser and his family. Andretti
topped off 1969 with his third USAC National Championship.
The Indianapolis 500 is the most popular auto race among the general
public and one of the most coveted championships among drivers. The
track is called "The Brickyard" because it was paved with bricks when it
was first built. In 1969 Andretti made his fifth appearance at the
Indianapolis 500. During a practice session before the qualifying race,
Andretti's car spun out of control and hit the concrete retaining wall.
The car flew apart and began to burn. Andretti was lucky to walk away
from the crash, although he suffered second-degree burns on his face.
During the qualifying run, Andretti placed second. A.J. Foyt, who had
already won three Indianapolis 500 titles, won the pole position.
Andretti knew that his car had mechanical problems and tended to
overheat, so he did not expect to win the race. He decided to just run
the car as hard as he could until it gave out. Although the car did
start to overheat, Andretti learned that he could control the problem if
he kept his speed at about 165 miles per hour. Several times he had
wanted to go faster because of the tense competition around him, but he
restrained himself to preserve his car. His strategy paid off. As other
drivers fell out of the race due to mechanical problems, Andretti took
the lead. In the end, he won his first and only Indianapolis 500
championship in three hours, 11 minutes, and 41 seconds.
A Versatile Driver
In the 1970s Andretti focused on Formula One racing on the
international Grand Prix circuit. This consisted of 16 races held on
four continents. Andretti's first Formula One race came in 1971 at the
South African Grand Prix. He won several other Formula One races over
the next few years. In 1978 he won the Formula One World Championship
and a year later he won the International Race of Champions title.
Andretti's ability to be a successful racer in different cars and on
different tracks is what has made him a truly exceptional driver. "Mario
has a combination of various important factors that few of his fellow
drivers in USAC share; a burning desire to prove his talents in all
fields of racing," wrote Lyle Kenyon Engel in his 1970 book
Mario Andretti: The Man Who Can Win Any Kind of Race.
"He's not satisfied in topping the list in his major racing area of
interest, championship cars, but also he wants to excel in sports cars,
stockers and Formula cars."
Andretti continued to race both Formula One and Indy cars throughout
the 1980s and half of the 1990s. "I have won on 127 different kinds of
tracks, clockwise and counterclockwise. I have experienced the passing
of the engine from the front to the back. I have raced with the greats
who have since retired, and in places that are now parking lots," G.S.
Prentzas quoted Andretti from a 1978 interview in the book
Mario Andretti.
In 1984 he won the Championship Car National Championship for the
fourth time. He was also named Driver of the Year for the third time,
becoming the first driver to receive the award in three different
decades. Unfortunately, Andretti was never able to repeat his win at the
Indianapolis 500. He came close in 1981 when he placed second to Bobby
Unser. After the race was over, Unser was penalized one lap for passing
illegally and Andretti was declared the winner. However, Unser protested
the penalty, the decision was overturned, and Unser was reinstated as
the champion.
Although Andretti continued to drive when many of his contemporaries
retired, his victories became sparser as he got older. Andretti won his
last Indy car race in Phoenix in 1993. It was the 52nd of his career.
That same year, he set the highest qualifying speed at the Michigan
International Speedway at 234.275 miles per hour, proving that age had
not slowed him down. Andretti decided to retire at the end of the 1994
season. "There's no question that I've driven past my prime, but
realistically, I'm still capable of bringing home results," Andretti
told Bruce Newman of
Sports Illustrated in 1994. Even after his
retirement, Andretti continued to race in the 24 Hours of LeMans, the
one international motor racing title that had eluded him.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Andretti Enterprises, 3310 Airport Rd, Allentown, PA 18109-9302. Phone: (610) 266-0264.
Where Is He Now?
Although Andretti no longer drives racecars, he is still involved in
the sport of racing. In 2002 he joined the board of directors for
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He has also been a spokesperson
for improving safety standards in racing. Outside of racing, Andretti
has a number of business ventures. He is vice chairman of the board of
Andretti Wines in Napa Valley, California.
He owns several Texaco and Shell gas stations in the Bay Area that
feature his "Winning Finish" and "Quick Pit" logos. He also owns
Andretti Toyota and Andretti Mitsubishi in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania and a
chain of Andretti Hanna Carwashes in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Additionally he owns Andretti Signature Line, which sells Andretti
apparel, books, and collectibles. In 1998 Andretti participated in the
creation of an IMAX film called Super Speedway.
