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Mario Andretti - Racing Legend & Collector of 111 Wins
868 Plays9 months ago
Today’s guest is none other than the racing legend Mario Andretti, widely regarded as the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport.
Mario Andretti was born in Italy and didn't emigrate to the United States until age fifteen. At 19, he began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania and that was the start of an illustrious career that saw him compete and win in every discipline he entered. He won races in sports cars, sprint cars and stock cars – on ovals, road courses, drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. He won at virtually every level of racing since he arrived in America from his native Italy.
His achievements became legendary: The world watched as he won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and ultimately the Formula One World Championship, taking home an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles and Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades and across six continents.
Today, in his retirement from racing, Mr. Andretti is still one of the most respected voices in motorsports and has received hundreds of awards and recognitions, like being named Driver of the Century, he was knighted by his native Italy, and the Library of Congress in Washington DC added him to its Living Legends list. And on the lighter side, but undoubtedly affirmation of his charisma and popularity, he was in the first Pixar Cars movie voicing himself and GQ Magazine named him one of "The 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time".
So with great honor, this is Mario Andretti, the greatest race car driver of all time, for Collectors Gene Radio.
Mario Andretti - https://marioandretti.com/
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Transcript
Mario Andretti's Early Life and Career Beginnings
00:00:02
Speaker
and the crowd beginning to pay its tribute to Andrei, the young man who came to this country at the age of 14 as an immigrant from Italy. He had driven racing cars even before he came over here.
Introduction to Collector's Gene Radio
00:00:15
Speaker
What's going on everybody and welcome to Collector's Gene Radio. This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene.
00:00:29
Speaker
If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review. It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening, and please enjoy today's guest on Collector's Dream Radio.
Andretti's Legendary Racing Achievements
00:00:40
Speaker
This was the one he wanted more than anything else in the world. And here it comes, Mario. The checkered flag of victory. He's done it. And look at this scene in the pit.
00:00:52
Speaker
Today's guest is none other than the racing legend, Mario Andretti, widely regarded as the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport.
00:01:01
Speaker
Andretti was born in Italy and didn't immigrate to the United States until age 15. At 19, he began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania, and that was the start of an illustrious career that saw him compete and win in every discipline he entered. He won races in sports cars, sprint cars, stock cars. He won on ovals and road courses and drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. He won at virtually every level of racing since he arrived in America from his native Italy at age 15.
00:01:29
Speaker
His achievements became legendary, the world watched as he won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, and ultimately the Formula One World Championship taking home an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles and Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career, a career that stretched five decades and across six continents.
Andretti's Retirement and Legacy
00:01:52
Speaker
Today in his retirement from racing, Andretti is still one of the most respected voices in motorsports and has received hundreds of awards and recognitions, like being named driver of the century. He was also knighted by his native Italy, and the Library of Congress in Washington DC added him to its living legends list.
00:02:10
Speaker
And of course on the lighter side, but undoubtedly affirmation of his charisma and popularity. He was in the first Pixar cars movie voicing himself and GQ magazine named him one of the 25 coolest athletes of all time. So with great honor, this is Mario Andretti, the greatest race car driver of all time for collector's gene radio.
The Collector's Mentality and Racing
00:02:31
Speaker
Mario Andretti, what an honor to host you on collector's gene radio today. Thank you, Cam. Thank you for having me.
00:02:38
Speaker
My pleasure. So today's conversation is going to be a bit different as you're not necessarily a collector per se, but I want to twist the narrative just a bit as you've collected an incredible amount of wins and trophies over your career. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's 111 is the number. Have you ever looked back at your career and thought of it as a collection of wins?
00:03:01
Speaker
Well, of course, when I look at my trophy case, I would say I could consider that a collection because it's what we have, not just race wins, we have other awards that come along, you know, the halls of fame and all the things that are incredible that you never even expect to
00:03:27
Speaker
you know, to be able to be part of or to win. And, you know, when you look at the magnitude of trophies, because some of the races you're given trophies also if you're on podium. So I have a lot more than 111 trophies in my cake. I've seen the photo. It definitely looks like pretty museum worthy. Like I said, we could call it a collection, if you will.
00:03:57
Speaker
What I find interesting is that the mentality and the sentiment of a collector shares a lot of the traits with those who are really successful in a career like yours, where you have the drive and the tenacity to continue to win and add new races under your belts. I think that that is often a comparison that's not usually made.
00:04:20
Speaker
being a successful driver in your cases holds a lot of the same, I guess, elements as someone who's a collector who's constantly going after something and hunting for something and working towards something.
00:04:31
Speaker
Yes, indeed, because actually, as I said, there I'm looking at a lifetime, my professional lifetime of work. And no matter what shelf I'm on, it's bringing back some fond memories for sure, things to reflect on.
Andretti's Racing Inspiration and Determination
00:04:52
Speaker
in different eras, if you will. I've been so fortunate to have been around long enough. There are so many bullets along the way. So, yeah, it's again, it's amazing, you know, when I walk by, it's just
00:05:08
Speaker
quickly, you know, just to see something, you know, and it comes right back, comes, oh yeah, that's what it was, and so forth. That sort of collection is about, I suppose, so you collect things, obviously, that are important for a reason.
00:05:23
Speaker
And you collect cars, you collect watches, as you say, you know, and that's because you're passionate about something. And my situation is that I didn't really go, okay, I got to have this special one. It just, it happened. And it's a different category. But believe me, it's satisfaction wise, right up there.
00:05:51
Speaker
Spoken like a true champion. I love it. So your love for driving starts. I'm sure before this, but it really starts to kick in. You're working at a garage back in Italy with your brother. Tell me about the first time you got behind the wheel of a car and the feeling you got, which has propelled you to be one of the greatest racers of our time.
00:06:11
Speaker
Well what's interesting is we were in the refugee camp and it was inside the city of Lucca and across the square there was this garage where they were doing not only parking as well.
00:06:26
Speaker
So, my brother, Aldo and I used to, you know, hang out and we befriended the owners, which, you know, we're very gracious. And, you know, talking about racing and things, and we couldn't even reach the pedals that put us in customers' topolino and taught us how to drive in. And then this thing progressed to the owner, sometimes even getting a customer car into burnouts.
00:06:56
Speaker
And that's how I learned to do standing stars. That's why whenever I go and have my car delayed, I'm thinking of my days. I said, I wonder if they're going to do to that car what I used to do. And again, one thing led to another. Actually, we were talking about fashion, how it all just
00:07:21
Speaker
came to us in such a way that it was the impossible dream. But then it became a dream that had no plan B. It was only plan A to go after, no matter how impossible. But they took Aldo and I, age 14, to Monza to see the Italian Grand Prix. And at that moment, my idol, Alberto Scott, Ian Ferrari, was running.
00:07:48
Speaker
Fonjo, Mars and, you know, playing and all of the heroes of the moment and oh my God, I was like in heaven. And again, from there on, I said, okay.
00:08:01
Speaker
Dear God, you know, that's the only thing I ask. But one thing led to another, you know, as we know, but again, that the idea, the pursuit never changed, never changed, no matter what the obstacles seem to be along the way, but there was always that shining hope
00:08:21
Speaker
and drive. And along the way, when I reflect on that too, I said, Oh my God, what if this would have happened? What if that would have happened? What if that individual would have been there? And so many events, you know, that they go on and it's almost you look back, what a miracle this was.
00:08:39
Speaker
So you eventually moved to Pennsylvania around the mid 50s and you and your brother stumble upon a racetrack in your town. In this small little town in Pennsylvania, I would have to imagine it made moving to the US just a little better when you found that.
00:08:54
Speaker
Oh, Cam, you can't believe it. We arrived here on a Thursday in June, and on a Sunday, the following Sunday, no Thursday in June, so the racing season was in full-fledged. And we were at my uncle's house, which was right at the edge of south edge of town, and within like a mile away from the racetrack there was, which was part of the fairgrounds.
00:09:21
Speaker
And as the evening comes on, all of a sudden we see bright lights in the background and a big explosion of engines firing up. Oh my goodness. I looked at each other and we didn't say anything. We just followed the sound. We just ran, ran, ran in that direction. And we're just peeking through the fence there. And we see this brute looking modified stock cars.
00:09:51
Speaker
And that's the first time we saw what U.S. local race school was about because the last cars we had seen was Formula One cars and the Mille Miglia. We actually, a month before we came to the States, we went to the near-flung Abetona Pass and watched the Mille Miglia. And I remember Moss coming through with his Mercedes with Dennis Jenkins the next day. You know, and all that.
00:10:21
Speaker
But again, Aldo and I looked at each other and we said, you know what, this looks like it's doable. Well, you actually enter your first race and you don't tell your parents about it, is that right? No, actually, we drove the entire first season without, I think my mother, and we never told her explicitly, but you know, moms always know.
00:10:47
Speaker
And we had only been in the States for four years, basically when we started racing. So my mother was quicker in picking up the English, but my dad took a lot longer for him.
00:11:02
Speaker
the buffer that we had, the language barrier, if you will. And we didn't dare tell them because I know that the issue actually would have been a natural reaction of any parent that wants their kids to be safe because
00:11:19
Speaker
He was not a race fan, but all he knew was about the fatalities. Like my idol, Alberto Scott, he was killed just a month before we left. We come to the States, you know, testing, you know, for Sebring and Monza. And there were fatalities upon fatalities in those days and on a ship.
00:11:39
Speaker
on the ship, going to be on command on the way over. They had a bulletin board every day of news coming on around the world. And that was the weekend of the 24 hours of Le Mans. And wouldn't you know, that's the one where Pierre Laveg won up in the grandstands and killed 85 people, 85 spectators.
00:12:01
Speaker
So, news like that, that was, and then, you know, again, we arrived here in 1954, Bill Vukovic, you know, who somehow rang a bell for even my dad was killed in Indianapolis. And that's all he knew. That's all he knew of the downside of the sport.
00:12:25
Speaker
There's no way as long as, as far as he had the ability to stop us, they wouldn't let us go. My dad, even at work, you know, because we won races locally, right away. Matter of fact, Aldo and I, both, we won the first race that we competed in. And I couldn't, and that's a matter of record, by the way. You know, we have newspapers in the back of the
00:12:49
Speaker
Well, I don't think anyone's second guessing you. Yeah, but my dad at work, his boss will say, oh, Gigi, oh, your boys are really doing well. He had no idea what he was talking about. So he thought that he was being, you know,
00:13:07
Speaker
Amazing. He started to say about his work or something, complimented about that. Anyway, he didn't know until the very last race of that season, it was an invitation although he actually had
00:13:23
Speaker
big accident where he was given his last rights that night in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. It was our car, but I was driving because we had an invitational. We had a good season because the invitational, you had to be top three in the points in racetracks within 150 mile radius. We raced everywhere there and we qualified for this invitational.
00:13:52
Speaker
And as you know, we used to alternate. He would drive one weekend, I would drive the other weekend, so we still earn enough points. And I got a ride with somebody else, with another...
00:14:05
Speaker
Got a gentleman from Allentown and Aldo drove our car. And the last lap of a qualifying heat when he was running, he was qualified for the future in second place. And he was trying to pass to overtake the track champion there, which he didn't need to do because the top four qualified for the event at that point. And he just hit the guard rail and went end over end over end over end.
00:14:32
Speaker
They came away with the fracture skull and he was in a hospital for over a month. Scary moment. Yeah. That's how my dad found out. Well, you guys kept it a good secret for a good amount of time. It unfortunately took a situation like that, but that's pretty impressive. The standings, Mario Andretti, far out in front.
00:14:56
Speaker
So racing really starts to take off for you and I'm curious to know at what point did you really see it as a career?
Andretti's Racing Progression and Success
00:15:03
Speaker
Well, I was thinking of his career immediately, you know, but again, you have to be realistic. And also, you know, I had a young family, a young family meeting. I married young, you know, two years later, 21. I married and I figured, well, now I have another responsibility. And I never had really a totally, totally 100% job. I had like, what?
00:15:34
Speaker
But somehow I put bread on a table, you know, just from the beginning. It was a bit stretched and so forth, but things were just happening. You know, I had bumps on the road, if you will, but somehow it just came out on the other side. As I said, when I reflect certain events, what if this would have happened? What if that would have happened?
00:15:56
Speaker
And my wife's dad and his partner, I talked him into buying a midget, which was a very famous three-quarter midget, so I could drive in the wintertime on the indoor. And that's where some of the owners of the full-size midget used to scout for talent. And the first year that I won the biggest race, the Hunter Lapper in T-neck, New Jersey,
00:16:21
Speaker
and the driver to finish second there was Len Duncan who was one of the top he was one of the top midget drivers in east at the time and he was actually a legend in midgets and that and so it's a long story but
00:16:35
Speaker
about that and how he didn't spin me anyway. But that event gave me a ride full-size midget with one of the top teams and started winning. So basically the process was I was going through the ranks
00:16:52
Speaker
And as soon as I would win in one category, I would not make a career that I wanted to move to the next level, next level, next level. And it was until I started in 1959, and by 1964,
00:17:10
Speaker
And then 64, later in the season, I was invited to test a champ car, which was the top level, it was the Indy cars. And then with one of the top three teams, there was at the time the D-Man line,
00:17:28
Speaker
team that, you know, actually, that's the team that gave Foyt the first test that he did. But their driver Chuck Halls, I was killed in one of the sprint car races, which actually I was in at that time was driving sprint cars.
00:17:44
Speaker
And I had won some race, in fact, I won the Sailor 100, you know, with Foyt and all the top guys were in there and I won that. And so I was invited to test for a drive on that car, but believe it or not, there were a couple of us and the other gentleman, the other driver that was invited was Roger Penske.
00:18:09
Speaker
He was a driver, and he was a favorite to go. So I said, okay, if something happens, and sure enough, he had a business commitment somewhere so he couldn't do it. So I was invited. In Trenton, New Jersey, there was a Firestone tire test, and there was
00:18:34
Speaker
My car was us with the Dean Van Lines and there was Parnelli Jones and Roger Ward were the two other drivers who were actually doing the proper testing. And so I'm driving along and so forth and I'm doing my job. And they put some test tires on my car after a while, you know.
00:18:54
Speaker
And the engineers liked the immediate feedback that I was giving because they said it was, you know, it was so, they called it, it was an honest feedback. Sometimes the veterans tell the engineers what they want to hear. You know, I learned later on, you know, they said I was brutally honest.
00:19:18
Speaker
But really honestly, you're offending some engineers because they think they have the latest and greatest. And the situation went from there. So then I entered a couple of races. I had one podium in Milwaukee. And the following year, the full season in Indy cars was 1965.
00:19:41
Speaker
And there, you know, I was rookie at India. I finished third behind Jim Clark and Parnell Jones. And then I won the national championship that year. My very first year full-time in Indy cars, I won the national championship. So things couldn't have been any better from, you know, as far as how do we go forward, you know? So
00:20:07
Speaker
Following that 65, 66, 66, I won another national championship. And that's without getting a single point at Indianapolis, 67, 68, I finished the closest second in points ever. And I lost that championship on the very last race on both years and 69. I won India won a championship, but in between like in 67, you know, one Sebring with
00:20:33
Speaker
Bruce McLaren, you know, with the four to 12 hours, uh, I had already done, you know, 24 hour Daytona and 66. And, uh, and then in 68, uh, it was my first opportunity in formula one with Colin Chapman. And, uh, I asked to do the last couple of races. See that's a long story about this. We'll fast forward. It was, uh,
00:20:56
Speaker
The last race was the Watkins Glen, and I had never seen that place. I had only tested a couple of weeks before it moans up, so I was somewhat familiar with the car. I loved it, and I put the car on pole. My very first Formula One race, and what put a caveat to it was that
00:21:20
Speaker
Jackie Stewart was next to me, world champion. And my teammate Graham Hill was fourth. So these are things, again, that you can only dream about.
00:21:42
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, each year as your career progressed, I mean, things just got better and better and better and more races won. And that's why you are recognized the way that you are today. You've had so many wins and accomplishments in your career that we could easily spend all day talking about them probably three days. You're considered one of the most versatile, if not the most versatile drivers of all time. I mean, everything from Indy 500, Daytona 500, more than I can count on
00:22:11
Speaker
two hands in F1 and so many more. Many athletes talk about the importance of visualizing success before achieving it. Did you have any rituals or mental strategies for collecting all these victories on the track?
00:22:26
Speaker
No, not really. I approached one thing that I know and it worked
Andretti's Racing Philosophy and Mindset
00:22:32
Speaker
for me. I approached every single race the same way. It's not that, you know, because you're going Lamont, you're going to Indianapolis, one of the, you know, races that are obviously non-fans, you know, the rest of the world is focuses on
00:22:49
Speaker
You think, you know, you have more pressure. If you think you have more pressure on that one, then you're not doing your job on the others. For instance, I remember just, you know, the first one of the years at Indy, I'm at the hotel and I come back from dinner. It's around 10 o'clock or so. And they said, Mario, should you be in bed?
00:23:15
Speaker
In the 500 tomorrow, I said, yeah, I know. I said, usually I don't go to bed until 11 or so for any of the races. I prepared exactly the same for everything, whether it was a major race in a sense, physically and everything else, but the mental preparation was the same.
00:23:38
Speaker
And even if you go back and the way I look, if you analyze the situation too deeply, going in like I said, oh man, sometimes realistically, you don't have a chance in hell, you think, to win that race that day.
00:24:02
Speaker
But you can't say that to yourself. You cannot accept it. You know why? Because so many other things can happen. And by hook or crook, you might pull that off. And I've done that. It's happened. So always keep your mind, you know what? This can be a good day today. It's going to be a good day. And you got to go in, I think, with that mindset.
00:24:30
Speaker
I think it's imperative you do that. Sometimes you can over-engineer yourself. And I've seen even some drivers sometimes, you know, I won't give you any names and so forth, but it's been close to me. And they analyze the situation too deep and they're defeated before they start. You have to be a dreamer. You know what I mean? You have to say, no, I'm going to, something's going to happen. You know, just the hook or crook, as long as you're there, you know, you have a chance.
00:25:00
Speaker
Was there a favorite car or team that you were on that you share your fondest memories with? Yes, of course. Of course, when it comes to cars or the ones that bring, brought you a win, you fall in love with those cars because everything was right.
00:25:21
Speaker
The teams have been so fortunate again to have just a fantastic relationship, you know, let it be with a team by nine, with a group that when I started, I mean, we won a lot of races and we won three championships, two second place before we, you know,
00:25:41
Speaker
split up and then I go back and I go back to my relationship with Valus Pernelli Jones, my regular relationship with Paul Newman and Carl Haas. 12 years after I came out of Formula One, we won a national championship, we won 18 IndyCar races.
00:25:59
Speaker
team that, you know, you love everyone around you. The experiences, you know, depend on the era, the period, you know, it's a figure, this is the best. Oh, yeah, next one. Oh, yeah, this is the best. Sure. They're all the best. All the best. When you win. You have a family legacy full of racers and drivers
Andretti's Family Racing Legacy
00:26:24
Speaker
now. And I say this for all intents and purposes.
00:26:27
Speaker
As a collector of all these races and trophies, how special is it for you to pass down your legacy to a family of successful and talented drivers as well?
00:26:36
Speaker
There's so much pride in that. You have no idea, I mean, how much I have the appreciation for that. And the experiences that we have had as a family, like, I mean, I go back to just, you know, Michael and I, for instance, just that in an IndyCar, we were on podium, fathers have 15 times in an IndyCar race.
00:27:02
Speaker
It's unheard of. We started first and second on front row 10 times. It was five, 10, and first and second five times. As a family with Michael, Jeff, my younger son, and nephew John, we were the only time before or since 91 and 92 of four members of the same family to qualify for the Indy 500.
00:27:31
Speaker
Michael and I were on podium at Le Mans, 83. I drove with Michael, Jeff, and myself in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Michael, nephew John, and myself drove for Porsche 1988 Le Mans.
00:27:48
Speaker
In 1986, the Pocono 500 had a supporting event like the Indie Lights now. And my younger son Jeff was driving the supporting event and he was on pole for that race and he won that race. Michael was on pole for the 500 and I won the 500.
00:28:12
Speaker
I mean, did the family celebrate that evening? Yeah. You know what I mean? Moments like that, no one could appreciate that but us. And that's what, you know, the motorsport gave us, you know, and there's some others, you know, and, you know, it was a full and ready podium in 1992 in Milwaukee.
00:28:38
Speaker
You know, Michael won, nephew John was second, I was third. You know, things like that. How could you ever have dreamed of something that would happen as a family? So you can see on both sides, not everybody has had the success that, you know, some of us did, but we're all in it. We're all with the same passion. And there's four on each side. We're third generation going.
00:29:05
Speaker
on both sides, my brother's side and mine. Amazing. Beyond the physical trophies themselves, what do you consider to be the most valuable collectibles, if you will, from your race and career? Is it the memories, the lessons, the personal growth within the family?
00:29:23
Speaker
Yes. I mean, like I said, you look at the trophies, how you put value. I mean, it's special events like of course Indianapolis, those are the most celebrated world championships.
00:29:38
Speaker
there's a trophy, national championship trophies. I have four of them. I have an IROC championship trophy. I have a dirt track championship trophy. Those are the ones that's the culmination of a successful season, if you will. Then there are the races, the certain races that
00:30:01
Speaker
bring just a special moment, a special memory, you know, winning Long Beach, you know, winning, for me, it was something very special in 1977 that, you know, it's a feather in any Formula One driver's cap to win your country's
00:30:22
Speaker
Formula One race, obviously, is something special. And then, in 1977, I won the U.S. Grand Prix at Long Beach. And later that year, I won my native Grand Prix in Italy, Monza, Italian Grand Prix, and that same year. Now, can you imagine? I'm the only one that can appreciate that. But, you see, I look at those trophies and say, oh, man, you know, you feel like a
00:30:48
Speaker
and just hugging them and kissing them. That's the value that I see in my trophy case. This huge crowd getting ready to welcome Mario as a champion.
00:31:03
Speaker
Sometimes your trophies are actual trophies. Sometimes their watches and other ephemera. You've been inducted into multiple Hall of Fames named United States Driver of the Year in three different decades. I'm going to strap you right there. I'm in the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame.
00:31:20
Speaker
Well, how do you beat that? That's tough to beat. You're a driver of the century. You were awarded the highest civilian honor from the Italian government. I mean, the list goes on and it's no doubt this has shaped your career as one of the most successful.
00:31:39
Speaker
Behind the legendary racing career in public persona, there's a personal journey that many fans might not be familiar with. Can you share a moment or experience from your life outside of racing that had a profound impact on you shaping the person that you are today? Well, I think when I look back in my life on the professional side, I look at how
00:32:08
Speaker
how much help I've had along the way from my family. In this moment, take my wife, for instance. I look back and so many things along the way you take for granted.
00:32:27
Speaker
how helpful it was for her to just make me feel like she's supporting me no matter what. And we went through some moments and times where, you know, she could have been in the way, said, Mario, how about us? You know, and
00:32:46
Speaker
I know that I was very selfish in many ways because I was trying to satisfy my ambitions in the worst possible way. She always, always had support.
00:33:03
Speaker
Whether I came back with a trophy or not, I had the same embrace and so forth that I see how important. That's the one thing that the most probably important part overall in my life, if you will.
00:33:18
Speaker
And I look back and what if it would have been the person that said, Mario, think about your kids and so forth. Maybe you should spend more time with them and think about that as well.
00:33:35
Speaker
And and no and and and and i look back at that i am for not give me i give you a quick story to show my goals about this is kindergarten by five or six i think was
Andretti's Personal Life and Interests
00:33:51
Speaker
fine.
00:33:51
Speaker
And the teacher was asking all the kids, what does your dad do for a living? And the kids said, you know, this and that. And comes to Michael says, my dad goes to the airport and makes bread.
00:34:07
Speaker
And so the teacher was a friend of mine and said, put that one together for me. And that's what it was, that I was always with a suitcase in my hand and going somewhere. And Michael, one point, he says, dad, where are you going now? I said, I've got to go to the airport and make the bread.
00:34:35
Speaker
I was going to the airport making bread. Mario Andretti, the airport bakery worker. That's too funny. I keep doing that, by the way, even now. Yeah, exactly. Someone has to write. I'm doing that next week. I love it.
00:35:02
Speaker
Before we wrap it up with the collector's dream rundown, everybody wants to know what is the car that Mario Andretti racing legend takes to the grocery store every week? Well, it depends. It could be my Lamborghini Aventador or my Z06 Corvette. It could be my Ferrari Quattroporte. I mean, no, my Maserati Quattroporte. I'm sorry. Or my
00:35:32
Speaker
Mini Cooper, John Cooper, works car, which could be my favorite. That's fun to drive around. That is awesome, awesome little car. Yeah. The way it's equipped and so forth is fun, fun, fun. This is the scene in the closing moments. The white flag, one lap for Mario Andretti. All right, Mario, we can answer these questions based on mainly your race and career and
00:36:02
Speaker
We'll try and relate it to collecting where we can. All right, sound good? Very good, yes. All right, what's the one that got away? So this could be a race or a trophy that got away from you. Well, if it's racist, there's so many that said the ones that get away is what?
00:36:22
Speaker
could have won, you know, it was a shoe-in to win Indy again, you know, in 87. I led every single race, I mean, every single lap and so forth. I was lapping a half in the lead, I already made my last stop, and Val Spring broke, and then she let go, and that. I mean,
00:36:45
Speaker
That's why in 1977 there were three races that could have meant the World Championship by just finishing where I was. And I was in the lead, two I ran out of fuel. And the other one, there was a lap in the lead at Mossport. And on the last lap on Australia, the engine blew up.
00:37:06
Speaker
And I almost got to the finish line and then I pushed and I finished sixth instead. If I had won that, it would have been a world championship. So like I said, you ask for one, I give you three of them. It's hard to imagine someone with over a hundred wins, but I get it. All right, the on deck circle. So what are the upcoming events or racing related initiatives that has you excited?
Andretti's Reflections and Aspirations
00:37:33
Speaker
Well, we have obviously what is already on the schedule with Michael. I mean, I'm looking at Michael's involvement in all the categories, all the disciplines, you know, Indy cars, of course, and he's delving into sports prototypes now, you know, with Wayne Taylor, he's delving into stock cars, you know, NASCAR, and what's exciting also,
00:38:02
Speaker
is that my grandson, Marco, he's going to be getting into NASCAR. He's going to be driving some truck races. And he's going to be next week. He's going to be in the Daytona driving an ARCA car for the ARCA race on Saturday. And that's going to be a new experience for him. And from my standpoint, where I am, talk about looking forward to things.
00:38:30
Speaker
How great is that? Yeah, great is that exactly and he's very excited by the way for this Different page in this career new page. And so I'll be riding with him on his shoulder pulling on his ear. I Love it. How about the unobtainable? So maybe this is a trophy to a race that maybe doesn't exist anymore or a piece of Racing memorabilia that that you'd love to own that's just unobtainable
00:38:58
Speaker
Well, it's the trophies that, I'm going to tell you, I loan eight Formula One trophies that I will never get back. Can you imagine that? Eight Formula One trophies, I loan them, and I'm not going to tell you to whom, but somehow I will not get them back.
00:39:23
Speaker
That's unfortunate. Well, if we could put into the ether out there to help help get them back anyway And there I know where they are too, but We got to find a way We'll get we'll get a squad together The page one rewrite so if if you weren't a race car driver What would you have liked to have done and what would you have liked your career to be?
00:39:50
Speaker
No question. I would have pursued the career of a fighter pilot. I could see it. Yes. I said that one time. We were in Cleveland and ESPN had a question of the weekend.
00:40:08
Speaker
And that was that. I said, well, it might have been your alternate career. I said, they're a fighter pilot. And following Monday, I got a call from the General Creech, who was TAP commander in Washington. And he said, Mario, you have no idea.
00:40:27
Speaker
What that meant for our pilots and he invited me on to the right on an f-16 and I was testing in phoenix to florida we did mid air refueling and everything and I flew the airplane just an amazing experience.
00:40:45
Speaker
You didn't probably make your dad too happy when you gave him the two choices of careers that you wanted, either racing or fighter pilot. Yeah, that's right. That's funny. How about the GOAT? What other racing legends did you look up to when you were getting your career started? Absolutely. I looked up at the likes of, as you can see, that I've never met, however, at the time, but I met the family.
00:41:12
Speaker
Alberto Scari, Moss, Moss and I became actually good friends. I had the opportunity when I was in Argentina to spend time
00:41:25
Speaker
with Sterling Moss and Juan Fonjo. They were fascinated as to how much I knew about their careers. He said, these young lads out there don't even know who we are. They were going to say, I knew everything.
00:41:45
Speaker
We befriended from then and Sterling and I, you know, we just do it every time. It was a very warm friendship that we had because of that. So yeah, I go way back and, you know, not only in the past, but as you can imagine, just present individuals, AJ Foy, Jackie Stewart, you know, where, you know, they were,
00:42:12
Speaker
To me, the guide or the ultimate level of performance to be able to achieve when I broke into, say, Indy cars or later Formula 1, and we developed a friendship that's there forever. It's very precious.
00:42:42
Speaker
Hard to beat the importance of that, of making relationships with the people that you're also competing against or look up to, especially as someone who joined pretty young in their career and started kind of reaping the benefits pretty early on.
00:43:01
Speaker
Those are the ones that make you work hard and make you a better person, a better driver, because again, if you feel you're going to go anywhere, that's the level that you have to achieve in. And because of that factor, I know I'm the one that appreciates our good. Those individuals were at their trade, at their profession.
00:43:30
Speaker
And yeah, the ultimate utmost respect for that. The hunt or the ownership. So did you like winning the race more or driving in the race more? And I think I know the answer. Winning. Easy. Easy answer. Most importantly, and let's answer this based on all of the wins that you've collected throughout your career. Do you feel that you were born with the collector's gene?
00:43:56
Speaker
Probably, why not? If you're ambitious, that's where you go for.
00:44:06
Speaker
Again, I always, for some reason, I always felt that you have to go for the clouds, you know, and you have to have that mindset, and that's the only chance that you have in achieving, you know, some of what seems to be impossible, what is your ultimate dream.
00:44:29
Speaker
Amazing. Mario Andretti, thank you so much for joining me on Collectors Gene Radio today. It is truly such an honor and a pleasure for me to have had you on. Oh, my pleasure. My pleasure, Cam. Thank you very much for having me. All right, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collectors Gene Radio.