The Andrettis have quite the prominent name in the professional racing scene. It all started when Mario Andretti went pro with his love of racing, starting small and never giving up, even when races ended in embarrassment and disaster for him. This level of dedication, devotion, and determination paid off, not just for the amount of trophies and victories he's had over the years, but also for the intricate, well-known, renowned legacy he has left behind. He has inspired several of his relatives to join the racing scene following his retirement.

Andretti has victories in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR. Further, his victories include the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles, and IROC VI. Andretti also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 and the Daytona 500 in 1967. On top of all that, he was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades: 1967, 1978, 1984. While all these awards and achievements cement his legacy, they don't quite tell the whole story.

Read on to find out how Mario Andretti installed a solid legacy and made a long-lasting name for his family in the professional racing scene.

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It Was Passed Down In The Family

Mario Andretti standing next to guy in blue suit
via Morning Call

These days, the Andrettis may be a prominent family in the racing community, but it all started with Mario. When he and his family arrived in America from Italy in 1955, he had already been interested in racing for a year, thanks to watching Formula One World Champion Alberto Ascari at the famous Autodromo Monza.

Andretti even went with his twin brother Aldo to a local racing track once their family got settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. There, they began racing at the local racing track, and Mario's interest, energy, and passion only grew from there. Over time, he accumulated 12 wins, 19 podiums and 18 poles in 128 starts, and that's just in the F1 series. Mario personally considers the 1978 Formula One title his most memorable racing achievement.

Further, several Andrettis throughout many generations have competed in racing. Ninety-six of the wins in IndyCar racing belong to an Andretti- Mario, Michael, or Marco, representing three generations. Also, enough Andrettis are present in racing that they were able to have four relatives compete at the same time, with Mario, Michael, his younger brother Jeff and Aldo’s son John.

In a few races, such as 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona, those four have also raced sports cars together. In eight races, Mario took the start three times with his son Michael (1983, 1988 and 1997) and once with his late nephew John (1988). Also, his grandson Marco once competed at the race in 2010.

He Always Had A Passion For Racing

Mario Andretti & His STP-McNamara
via Mobil 1 The Grid

As noted before, Mario began his interest in racing while he still lived in Italy. He once posted on Facebook that "I've always loved the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When you think of sports prototypes, you think of endurance racing, you think of Le Mans. [...]I remember learning about the catastrophe at the 1955 edition when I was on a boat to the U.S. And I made my first return trip to Europe in 1966 for the 24 Hours. I reunited with friends, family and we were all very proud."

Mario was later very excited to take the start in the Indianapolis 500, and even more excited to finally appear at 24 Hours of Le Mans a year later, noting he was happy and grateful to be a part of the event. He's competed alongside several relatives, and he would have liked to compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans sooner. "My kids knew that I would try to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans whenever possible,” Mario said. “There has always been a problem of coincidence of schedules so I could not compete there until the 1980s. By then, my son Michael was an accomplished racing driver already so I felt it would be very interesting to try to do it together.”

Related: 15 Interesting Things We Just Found Out About Mario Andretti

A Few Faulty Races Weren't Discouraging

Mario Andretti in indoor library
via Automobile Magazine

As with any professional racer, Mario hasn't always had successes. A few races have been faulty, embarrassing, unsuccessful, or just not really notable. Mario even confessed once that "The Indy 500 was never my first love. Growing up in Italy, I lived and breathed Formula 1. I went to Monza in 1954 for that year's Italian Grand Prix and I was just hooked on it. That was the year before we left to the United States, and so it was F1 where the passion first burned strongest.” By 1965, Mario entered his first Indy 500 and was successful enough to qualify on the second row of the grid, but subsequent visits to the tack provided difficulty in replicating that success. The 1966 Indianapolis 500 gave him a faulty valve that resulted in Mario stopping just 27 laps into the 200-lap event. And in 1967, he had to retire after 59 laps when he lost a wheel. Things got worse that year when his piston broke only two circuits into the race.

Many Wins Came From Constant Effort

Mario Andretti in mostly white motorsuit looking happy
via Grand Magazine

It took a lot of dedication and determination, but Mario was able to rack up several wins in his long racing career. He competed in 29 Indianapolis 500s, winning the 1969 event. He also won the 1967 NASCAR Daytona 500, the 12 Hours of Sebring three different times, the 1972 24 Hours of Daytona, and four Indy Car championships between 1965-1994. As mentioned before, Mario won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, which he considers his favorite accomplishment. On top of that, Mario won his last Indy car race at 53 and raced professionally in Indy cars until he was 54. Even then, Mario continued to race sporadically until he was 60, when he completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. In doing so, he both attracted the attention and won the admiration and respect of his fellow drivers at each of those races, who speak of him fondly to this day.

Sources: lemans.org, roadandtrack.com, mobil1thegrid.com, thenational.ae,

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