| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
He was born in the Italian town of Montona on the Istrian Peninsula (today Motovun , Croatia). After World War II, the Istrian Peninsula passed to Yugoslavia under the Communist regime of Tito. His family, like many other Istrians, fled in 1948 and spent the next seven years in a displaced persons camp. The Andretti family was eventually resettled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Andretti began racing cars in 1959, just after his family had moved to the United States. He made his debut in the USAC series in 1964, and won the championship the very next season. Andretti took part in many different categories of racing, and by 1969, he had won the Indy 500, the Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile, NASCAR race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. In stock car racing, it is the most important race of the year. Not only is Daytona NASCAR's biggest race, it is also the ci and the 12 Hours of SebringThe 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race held at Sebring Raceway, a former Air Force base in Sebring, Florida. The track opened in 1950 and is a road racing course styled after those used in European Grand Prix motor racing. The race.
He also started taking part in Formula One, taking the pole for his first race at Watkins GlenWatkins Glen International ( nicknamed "The Glen") is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for 20 consecu in 1968, and winning his first race in 1971 for FerrariFerrari is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and high-performance sports cars formed by Enzo Ferrari in 1929. At first, Scuderia Ferrari sponsored drivers and manufactured racecars; the company went into independent car production in 1946, eventually. By the mid-1970s, Andretti started to focus on Formula One, driving for Colin ChapmanAnthony Colin Bruce Chapman ( 9 May 1928 16 December 1982) was born in London and studied mechanical engineering. He founded the famous sports car company Lotus in 1952. His initials are shown in the trademark of Lotus. He died of a heart attack. Chapman's Lotus team. In 1977, at Long BeachLong Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, on the Pacific coast. It is one of the busiest sea ports in the world. Its location is 33°47' North, 118°10' West, about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. According to, he became the only American to win the United States Grand PrixThe United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event which has taken place at various times since 1959 in several locations, at first as a part of the American Grand Prize series and later as a race in the Formula One World Championship. History In the ea. With the revolutionary " ground effect" car, Andretti won 6 races in 1978, and took the title.
He returned to Champcars in the 1980s, and won his fourth title in 1984. His last victory in that class came in 1993. Andretti kept racing to try to win the only important missing award - the 24 hours of Le Mans, but failed to do so.
Many people, particularly Americans, still consider him to be the finest all-around driver ever, and in 2000, the Associated Press and RACER magazine named him "Driver of the Century." The same year, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Both of Mario Andretti's sons, Michael and Jeff , are also involved in auto racing, and Michael has won the Champcar title as well. As of 2003 he was Champcars' winningest driver. Mario's nephew John has had success in both Champcars and NASCAR, winning races in both series, and his grandson Marco has won a championship in Champcars' "Stars of Tomorrow" kart racing series.