Mario Andretti made a special appearance at Myrtle Beach Speedway on July 28, part of the Historic Racing Festival.
By Brian M. Howle
Andretti to Preside over Historic Racing Festival; Drive Pace Car
Car owner Andy Granatelli gives the kiss to Mario seen ‘round the world after their win in the ‘69 Indy 500.
There are but few names that, when mentioned, bring a nod of recognition from virtually everyone in the general population. Today, that may be due to the instant fame via Reality TV or viral videos on the net. But true legends are made of substance, of achievement, and of greatness.
Like, say, Mario Andretti.
In the genre of automobile racing, there are some famous names that come to mind. But in the final analysis, one will be hard pressed to find one more beloved and known than Andretti.
And locals had a visit of a lifetime on July 28 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, when the man voted “Driver of the Century” came to the track to officiate over an area racing commemoration with his presence.
Mario Andretti waits for a push in the Wynn's sprinter that he drove to victory in a USAC race at Oswego Speedway in 1966.
Despite the threatening weather conditions the persisted throughout the day, Mario drove the pace car prior to the race exhibition that is part of the Historic Racing Festival, which featured race cars and drivers who formerly competed here and in other areas of the Carolinas, in remembrance of their racing past.
The Race Exhibition featured Bell & Bell Modifieds and historic race cars , following a Vintage Car Show that will took place just prior to the events.
The evening’s regular schedule of Late Model, Charger Series and Mini Series racing took place after this special event.
Born in Montona, Italy, Andretti’s family moved to the United States when he was 15 years old. They made Nazareth, Pennsylvania their home, and soon after they discovered a dirt track, virtually in their back yard. Mario’s love of cars and the sport began at an early age in his native Italy, when he saw the great Alberto Ascari race at Monza. Influenced by this legendary driver, Andretti began his own racing career with his twin brother Aldo, at the age of 19, in 1959 in Nazareth.
Known for open-wheel prowess and Indy cars in particular, Mario was first drawn into the precursor of NASCAR and stock car racing.
Mario removing his Rookie stripes in 1965. The 3-stripes that let other drivers know that car was being driven by a rookie
The first of Mario’s victories came in the very first race he entered in Nazareth, at the wheel of a 1948 Hudson Hornet Sportsman Stock Car. In the next three years, Andretti won 20 events in the Sportsman class.
Andretti’s “first victory of consequence” came on March 3, 1962, a 100-lap feature TQ Midget race at Teaneck, NJ. On Labor Day in 1963, he won three midget features on the same day – one at Flemington, NJ and two at Hatfield, PA.
After joining the United States Auto Club in 1964, Andretti finished third in the sprint car point standings, capped by a dramatic victory in a 100-lap race at Salem, IN. He also drove in his first Champ Car event at Trenton, NJ on April 19, 1964 – four days after he became a Naturalized U.S. citizen – starting 16th and finishing 11th in the 100-mile race, and earned $526.90 in his professional debut.
Mario won his first Champ Car race in 1965, the Hoosier Grand Prix, and finished third in the Indianapolis 500, earning him Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He went on to win his first Champ Car Championship that year – with 12 top-four finishes – and became the youngest driver (at age 25) to win that title. In 1966, he won eight Champ Car races, his first pole at the Indy 500 and a second straight national championship.
In 1967, Andretti’s passion for racing saw him compete and win in the Daytona 500 stock car race, take his second pole at the Indy 500, claim his first of three career victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race, finish as runner-up in the Champ Car national championship and be named Driver of the Year for the first time.
Mario (11) duels Curtis Turner (13) as he drives his ‘67 Ford Fairlane on to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500.
He even tried drag racing in 1968 – driving a Ford Mustang – and earned eight more Champ Car victories en route to second place in the Champ Car point standings. Realizing a lifelong dream, Mario qualified on the pole in his very first Formula One race at the 1968 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, but was forced out of the race with a clutch problem. But Grand Prix racing was in his blood and the decade of the Seventies would see his dream come true.
Mario’s celebrated win in the Indianapolis 500 came in 1969. He led a total of 116 laps and established 15 of 20 new records set during that event. Mario scored a total of nine wins and five pole positions that season and went on to win his third national Champ Car title. He ended the decade with a total of 30 victories and 29 poles out of 111 Champ Car starts.
Mario consults with Technical Director Mauro Forghieri about his Ferrai 312B at the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park.
The 1970s proved to be a decade of successful versatility for Andretti, beginning with his second victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970, followed by his first Formula One triumph in South Africa, driving for Ferrari in 1971. His mastery of endurance racing was at its zenith in 1972, when he co-drove a Ferrari 312P to victory with Jacky Ickx at the 6 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, BAOC 1000 km at Brands Hatch and Watkins Glen 6 Hours.
He continued his attack on the open-wheel series, winning a total of seven Formula 5000 events in 1974 and 1975, while finishing second in points in both seasons. He also took the USAC National Dirt Track Championship title in 1974, with three wins.
Andretti returned full-time to the Grand Prix circuit in the mid-seventies. His quest for the world title began in earnest in 1976, racing for the legendary Colin Chapman at Team Lotus. Their first taste of success came in the year’s final Grand Prix in Japan, a race Andretti won in a monumental downpour. Conditions, in fact, were so bad that Niki Lauda pulled into the pits and forfeited his chance to attain the championship.
Mario followed by Ronnie Peterson in their JPS Lotus-Ford 79s, winding thru the final turns on way to a 1-2 Formula One Championship finish in 1978. Andretti is the only living American Formula One champion.
In 1977, Mario was third in the world standings with seven poles and four wins, including Grand Prix victories in his native Italy (Monza) and again in the United States (Long Beach).
The culmination of his international career came in 1978, when he won the World Championship driving for Lotus, making him the first driver in motor racing history to win the Formula One and Champ Car titles. Mario dominated the scene with nine poles and six wins in the revolutionary “ground effects” Lotus, which he had worked so hard to develop, and joined Phil Hill (1961) as the only American ever to capture the world title. He was again honored by being selected Driver of the Year, in recognition of his accomplishments.
Andretti topped the sport’s best again in 1979, taking the International Race of Champions (IROC) series. As the decade came to an end, his full-time return to Champ Cars was imminent.
In 1980, Mario competed for one last season with Team Lotus but was plagued by mechanical problems. He switched to the Alfa Romeo team in 1981, in what was to be his last full-time stint as a Formula One driver.
Mario in his Ferrari 126C2, at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix, Monza, Italy.
When the call came from his old friends at Ferrari to replace the injured Didier Pironi in 1982, Andretti put the car on pole at Monza and finished third, much to the delight of his Italian fans. The final Grand Prix start of his career was in the last race of the season at Las Vegas; however, a mechanical failure caused his day to end early. All told, Mario earned 12 victories and won 18 poles in a total of 128 Grand Prix starts.
As he returned to the States in the early 1980s to concentrate on Champ Car competition, Andretti teamed with his son Michael and Philippe Alliot to compete at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1983, where they qualified and finished third, the highest finish for a non-factory team. It was also Mario’s first season with the newly-formed Newman/ Haas Racing team.
The 1984 Champ Car season proved to be a memorable one for Andretti, who at age 44, won his fourth national championship by winning six events, eight pole positions and setting ten track records. The season was capped with his third Driver of the Year selection, bestowed for the first time by unanimous vote, making Mario the only man to ever win the trophy in three different decades (1969, 1978, 1984).
As the 80s progressed, Andretti continued to make racing history with some personal milestones. With Michael, they established the first-ever, father-son front row in qualifying for the 1986 Phoenix Champ Car event, a feat they accomplished a total of ten times before the close of the decade. Two months later, he edged Michael by .07 second at Portland on Father’s Day, marking the closest road course finish in modern Champ Car history. He also won the Pocono 500, with Michael on pole, the same weekend as son Jeff started and won his ARS (Indy Lights) race from the pole.
Car owner Paul Newman pauses a moment in the pit area of Mario Andretti, driver of Newman''s Lola-Cosworth, before the start of the Indianapolis 500, May 27, 1984.
In 1987, in the debut of the Chevrolet-powered engine, Mario sat on the pole eight times, including his third pole at the Indy 500. He went on to lead 170 of the first 177 laps before engine failure cut his day disappointedly short.
Mario won his 50th Champ Car race at Phoenix and his 51st at Cleveland in 1988. As the decade came to a close in 1989, Andretti took on what would be the ultimate teammate – his son, Michael. It marked the first father-son team in Champ Car history.
With his two sons (Michael and Jeff) and his nephew (John Andretti), Mario made another “first” as the four family members competed in the same Champ Car race at Milwaukee, June 3, 1990.
The following year, the four Andrettis raced against one another for the first time in the Indianapolis 500. Jeff was voted Rookie of the Year, joining Mario (1965) and Michael (1984) as the only three members of the same family to win the award. That year – 1991 – would also prove to be Michael’s dream season, as he won his first Champ Car championship and was voted Driver of the Year.
In 1992, Mario achieved two new milestones. He became the oldest Champ Car pole winner when he earned his record-setting 66th pole at the Michigan 500 and, at Cleveland, he set an all-time record for most Champ Car race starts with 370 (Mario finished his career with 407 starts). He was also named Driver of the Quarter Century by a vote of all former Driver of the Year winners and a panel of 12 journalists.
As he began his 35th year of professional racing in 1993, Mario continued to make headlines with his 52nd Champ Car victory at the Phoenix 200, making him the first driver to win Champ Car races in four decades and the first driver to win races in five decades. This race also marked his 111th major career victory. Records continued to be made in 1993, when Mario set a world closed-course speed record (234.275 mph) in qualifying for the Michigan 500, as he earned his 67th pole. This record stood intact until 1996, a year after the track was repaved.
Mario cruising Laguna Seca course for show in 2008, in what many consider the most beautiful Formula One machine to ever grace a circuit: The John Player Special JPS Lotus-Ford.
Mario decided that 1994 would be his final year of competition as an Champ Car driver. The season-long farewell campaign, entitled Arrivederci, Mario featured special tributes, salutes and honors at every race venue. As he sped around a Champ Car track for the last time on October 9, 1994 at Laguna Seca Raceway, the legend of Mario Andretti assumed its place in the record books and in the hearts of his many fans.
Today Mario is a successful businessman off the track and serves as spokesman, associate and friend to top executives around the world. His legacy continues with the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley, car dealerships, gas stations, two books about his life, video games, car washes, a racing school, Andretti apparel and an IMAX movie.
Regular Admission to Myrtle Beach Speedway is very family-friendly: General Admission is $12 Adults (with Military ID $10), Students 13-18 and Seniors 60+ $10; and Children under 12 are FREE. Adult Pit Passes are $25 (Access to pits, General Admission seat – Closed toe shoes must be worn in the pits); Child Pit Pass (12 and Under, must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times, General Admission Seat – Closed toe shoes required); and the Season Pass is a great value at $149.99! S uite Tickets are $50 and include food, drinks and pit pass; Kids Suite Tickets $35, same amenities, must be accompanied by adult and supervised at all times. On most race days – Primarily Saturdays with some Thursday events – Pit Gates open at 4 p.m., Grand Stands at 5 p.m., Practice beginning at 6 p.m. Qualifying starts at 7 p.m.unless noted otherwise.
Wednesdays are home to the Wheels Of Destruction Thrill Show throughout the month of August! Show features car jumps, rollovers and skill driving; Freestyle Motorcycle stunts and “Drifting;” Skid Plate Racing, Reverse Racing, School Bus Racing & FIREWORKS! Gates Open 5 p.m. – Show 7 p.m. $15.00 Adults • $6.00 Ages 13 & Under.
Myrtle Beach Speedway and NASCAR Racing Experience are located at 455 Hospitality Lane, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; on Hwy. 501 adjacent to Tanger Outlet to the west and at the intersection of Hwy. 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) to the east.
For Myrtle Beach Speedway info and tickets, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., call 843-236-0500 or visit the website www.myrtlebeachspeedway.com .
Mario in 1971.
Mario Andretti Career Highlights
• Four-time Champ Car National Champion (1965, 1966, 1969, 1984)
• Formula One World Champion (1978)
• Daytona 500 winner (1967)
• Three-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner (1966, 1967, 1987)
• Indianapolis 500 winner (1969)
• Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner (1969)
• Three-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner (1967, 1970, 1972)
• USAC National Dirt Track champion (1974)
• IROC Champion/International Race of Champions (1979)
• Only driver to be named Driver of the Year in three different decades (1967, 1978, 1984)
• Named Driver of the Quarter Century (1992) by vote of past Drivers of the Year and a panel of 12 journalists
• Named Driver of the Century by The Associated Press (December 10, 1999)
• Named Driver of the Century by RACER magazine (January, 2000)
• All-time leader in Champ Car pole positions won (67)
• All-time Champ Car lap leader (7,587)
• All-time leader in Champ Car race starts (407)
• All-time leader in wire-to-wire Champ Car victories (14)
• Second all-time in Champ Car victories (52)
• Only driver ever to win Champ Car races in four decades
• Only driver ever to win races in five decades
• Oldest race winner in Champ Car history, with 1993 victory at Phoenix at age 53
• First driver to win both Champ Car and Formula One championships; others to do so since are Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Jacques Villeneuve.
• Competed in 879 races, had 111 wins and 109 poles (includes all forms of motorsports)
Mario Andretti’s 111 Career Wins
52 Champ Car victories (USAC and CART)
12 Formula One victories (FIA)
13 Sprint car victories (USAC)
9 Midget victories (ARDC, NASCAR and USAC)
7 Formula 5000 victories (SCCA/USAC)
8 World Sports Car victories (FIA)
9 Dirt track victories (USAC)
4 Three-Quarter Midget victories (ATQMRA)
3 IROC victories
4 Stock car victories (NASCAR and USAC)
1 Non-championship race