Page 20 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – May 2020

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No one and no setback would ever put the brakes on Mario’s dream.
“I was so driven by such a burning passion,” he exclaimed. “I put 110% into it. When you have that will, you somehow find a way to make things happen. I just loved, loved, loved what I was doing.”
Mario’s confidence grew as he began winning races against some of the biggest names in motorsports. Len Duncan finished behind him in Three-Quarter Midgets. He took the checkered flag from Jackie Stewart in Formula One. And triumphed over A.J. Foyt at Indy.
“Those are the moments that strengthen your belief and confidence,” said Mario. “I belong here. I’m OK.”
What did Mario find so alluring about motorsports? Was it the money? The girls? The thrill of cheating death? “I think it’s all of it,” he said. “It’s not something everyone is able to do. There are so many factors there that attract you to it.”
The question on most people’s minds is: What’s it like to drive that fast? “The speed itself is something that becomes relative, mainly with practice, practice, practice,” he said. “The more you do that, the more things slow down. But it’s a lure. You always want to go faster, faster, faster. That’s what you train for. You don’t just wake up one day and drive 250 miles an hour.
You don’t go from the third grade to the university.” And while race cars and tracks have been getting
safer and safer, there’s still great danger in driving those kinds of speeds.
“Let’s face it, it’s the elephant in the room. If you dwell on that, you’re going to be more dangerous to yourself,” said Mario. “The risks are there. No question. If you dwell on the negative, you don’t belong there. A lot of people say, ‘You’re just totally crazy.’ Well, maybe so.”
In the Andretti family, apples don’t fall far from the tree. Mario’s two sons, Michael and Jeff, along with his nephew, John, all became competitive race car drivers. He calls the family’s racing statistics “precious.”
Andretti with the Borg-Warner Trophy, presented to the winner of the Indianapolis 500
In the early ‘90s, all four of them drove in the field of cars at the Indianapolis 500. That’s the first and only stat of its kind to date.
And then consider these Andretti family statistics: Michael and Mario finished first and second 10 times together. They were on the front row together five times. They’ve been on the podium together 15 times. In 1986, at the Pocono 500, Jeff took the pole and won the Indy Lights race, while Michael sat on the pole for the 500 race, which was won by Mario. In 1992, in Milwaukee, Mario, Michael and John all stood on the podium.
Mario holds a special place in his heart for the city
of Indianapolis. It is, after all, home to the greatest spectacle in racing. The Brickyard has been a backbreaker and dream maker for so many drivers good enough and brave enough to dare take it on. More importantly, the
18 | AAA MAGAZINE
Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Fellow racing legend Bobby Unser and Andretti
Photo courtesy of Mario Andretti
Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Actor Matt Damon and Andretti