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a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR (the other being Dan Gurney). He also won races in midget cars, sprint cars, and drag racing. During his career, Andretti won four Indy Car titles (three under USAC-sanctioning, one under CART), the 1978 Formula One World Championship, and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever 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 Sprint Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). Andretti competed in fourteen 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. Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500 for Holman Moody. Andretti was invited to race in six International Race of Champions (IROC) series in his career. He won the IROC VI (1978–1979) points championship with finishes of third, first, and second. He won three races in twenty events. 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 (Indy) cars. In 1965 he won once at Ascot Park and in 1966 he won five times, and his second win at the Joe James-Pat O'Connor Memorial. Andretti made his Champ Car (Indy car) debut on April 19, 1964 at the New Jersey State fairgrounds in Trenton, New Jersey. He would start 16th and finish in 11th place. Andretti won his first championship car race at the Hoosier

Grand Prix on a road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1965. He would out run Bobby Unser to get the win. His third place finish at the 1965 Indianapolis 500 in the Brawner Hawk earned him the race's Rookie of the Year award. Andretti won the points Championship in 1965 even though he only claimed the one win. He was the youngest national champion in series history at age 25. He repeated as series Champion in 1966; this time winning eight times. He again posted eight wins in 1967; but only finished second in the points; He was second again in

points in 1968. Andretti won nine races in 1969, the 1969 Indianapolis 500, and the season championship. STP was the Sponsor and Andy Granatelli was the owner. Granatelli was always a showman; and for this race his teams wore white uniforms with STP logos scattered throughout (see pic). He even had suit made up of the same design. 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". Formula One is the highest form of open wheel racing sanctioned by the (FIA), motorsport's international governing body. 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. At the 1971 South African Grand Prix, on his debut for Ferrari, he won his first Grand Prix. In 1977, at Long Beach, he became the only American to win the United States Grand Prix West, and the last American as of 2017 to win any US Grand Prix. The following year, Andretti took the Formula 1 title with six wins. He clinched the championship at the Italian Grand Prix. There was no championship celebration because his teammate and close friend Ronnie Peterson crashed heavily at the start of the race; he was hospitalized and died that night from complications resulting from his injuries. Andretti won three 12 Hours of Sebring endurance races (1967, 1970, 1972), and the 24 Hours of Daytona (Rolex 24) in 1972 (car below). The legendary Mario Andretti achieved it all in his storied career, except for a win in the famed 24

Hours of Le Mans. As far as Mario's Cup career, he competed in 14 Cup events with his lone win being the Daytona 500 in 1967. He drove for such legendary car owners as Smokey Yunick, Cotton Owens and Holman-Moody. The Daytona 500 was a race Mario could of easily not of won. It seems Holman-Moody was hoping their other driver (Fred Lorenzen) would be able to win; so they with-held the best motors from Andretti. After practice Andretti knew his team mates had better equipment than he; so he approached the owners. He was told all the motors were the same. He asked to see the dyno spec sheet and they refused. So he then suggested since "all the motors were the same" he'd take someone else's motor and they could have his. This was also refused. Seems Holman-Moody didn't want this interloper

from the Indy car ranks to come and run well. Andretti went to Ford Motor Company; who had went to considerable time and effort to get Mario into a competitive ride; both Ford and he discovered his suspicions were correct and he was supplied with a power plant equal to Lorenzens; and soon turning laps in practice faster that the pole winning speed. During the race Andretti still contends the team tried to sabotage him. Andretti and Lorenzen were running 1-2 when they came in together to pit late in the race. "I came in first," Andretti said sometime afterward. "He was behind me. And they kept my car jacked up until he went by. He was way out of pit lane

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MARIO GABRIELE ANDRETTI - 2/28/1940