Mario Andretti

Mario Gabriele Andretti is arguably the most accomplished racing driver in history with a list of accomplishments few can match in the sport. Andretti was born at the advent of World War II in what is now Motovun, Croatia, formerly Montona d’Istria Italy, before being occupied and annexed by Yugoslavia after the war. The Andretti family fled their native land in 1948, finally resettling in Nazareth, Penn., in 1955. Andretti would become a naturalized US citizen in 1964.

Andretti’s love for racing began as a fan of the legendary world driving champ Alberto Ascari in his native Italy. In 1945, Andretti and his twin brother Aldo began racing wooden cars through their hometown. That would lead to Andretti racing Formula Junior at the age of 13. Life in America would see Mario and Aldo on the American racing scene in 1959 in a Hudson Hornet Sportsman stock car. That car would take Mario to 20 wins in his first two seasons, and propel him to opportunities in USAC sprints and ARDC midgets in the early sixties.

Andretti made his debut in USAC’s Indy car division in 1964 and won his first championship car race in 1965. His rookie year at Indy saw him finish third, earning him Rookie of the Year honors. His rookie year would also be his first as a series champion, a feat he repeated in 1966. In 1967 Andretti competed in several different series including NASCAR Grand National where in only his second try he won stock car racing’s biggest prize – the Daytona 500 driving for Ford’s Holman-Moody.

Andretti’s string of accomplishments in the world of racing are without rival, including wins in the Indianapolis 500 (1969), the Rolex 24 At Daytona (1972), the 12 Hours of Sebring, (1967, 1970, 1972), the International Race of Champions (series champ 1978 and 1979), the 1974 USAC National Dirt Track Championship, four Indy car championships (1965, 1966, 1969, 1972) and the 1978 World Formula One Drivers Championship. Andretti was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000 and voted “co-Driver of the Century” by the Associated Press and Racer Magazine in that same year.