Mario Andretti, Unplugged: ‘We Were Willing To Pay The Price’

It's hard to introduce Mario Andretti, "The Driver Of The 20th Century." He has done so much. No other racer has won the crown jewel in each of the biggest motorsports niches: The Daytona 500 in 1967 (NASCAR), the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 (IndyCar) and the World Driving Championship in 1978 (Formula 1). Mario's son, Michael, and grandson, Marco, have also made significant contributions to motorsports history.

Let's stop there, and let the great Mario speak for himself. Following are edited excerpts from a much longer conversation earlier this month.

Jim Clash: You've been crowned, "Driver Of The 20th Century." Did you ever envision, in your wildest dreams as a kid, that this could happen?

Mario Andretti: Something like that - I don't really know how to react. Life is beautiful. Let's face it, it's not because you won one race. The fact that some people think of your [entire body of] work in such a way is the ultimate compliment. Humans love to hear that - that people paid attention. There is nothing more satisfying.

: Okay, got it. So, if you're No. 1, who is No. 2?

: There were so many No. 2's. To me, it was [Sir] Jackie Stewart in Formula 1. When I was on pole for my first time in F1, who was second next to me, but Jackie. He was the current World Driving Champion. When I broke into the top level of Indy cars, A.J. Foyt was my yardstick. When I won my first race against him, those are the things you never forget.

It's the drivers who are consistent, the ones you have to race week in, and week out. There are several others. Take Niki Lauda. I've been blessed to be on the track with so many great drivers from different decades. Actually, if you think about it, there were many No. 1's.

: I've never seen you turn down a fan autograph or photo. But you have your own real work to do, focus, whether it be to qualify and compete in a race, give a ride in a two-seater or handle a big corporate speech. When you are so famous, how do you balance the two competing forces tugging at you?

: You can look at all of the attention as work, or the other way, as a compliment. A long time ago, back in 1957 at the high-banked oval track in Monza, they ran a 500-mile race achieving speeds in the 170-mph range. I'd never seen anything like that at the time. The American Eddie Sachs, a great driver, was there.

During practice, I wanted to say something to him, to meet him. I'm Italian, and he was in Monza. I was shaking like a leaf. But he was so nice to me. I will never forget that. I see that same thing today when young individuals come up to me. So I will never, ever refuse an autograph.

: Back when you started racing, it was really dangerous. But here you are, seven decades later, talking to me. How did you get through all of that? Clearly, you are a survivor.

: I take nothing for granted. Believe me, I know how fortunate I've been. So much of it happened right around me, and to my closest friends, the ones I lost. The sport was very cruel in those decades, the sixties, the seventies and part of the eighties. Back then, we had to accept great risks - there was no other way. We were willing to pay the price for the passion of doing what we love. What kept me going as an individual - I had a young family at the time - was not dwelling on the negative.

But we were progressing as a sport, thank goodness. We became smarter, learned things [from the accidents]. We were making the cars faster, but could we make them safer, make the circuits safer, too? It was a slow process, but drivers today have the best chance of not getting hurt. And that's a great thing.

: Give me a funny anecdote from your storied racing career.

: I was in Santa Monica on the Long Beach race weekend. I was visiting with Andy Granatelli's son [Vince] and he took me out in a super-charged Camaro, showing me how fast the thing could go. We blew a couple of lights, and finally got pulled over. The officer says to Granatelli, "Who do you think you are, Mario Andretti?" But then he looked over at me, and was so surprised. I showed him my license, and he didn't know what to say. We all started laughing. And no, we didn't get a ticket.

: For a while, you were giving rides to fans at Indy in a two-seater at 200 mph. You've done it all in racing. Why do that?

: It's the best way to showcase the sport, and you know that. How many individuals get to sit in an Indy car at those speeds? All of the people with the company [Indy Racing Experience] that offered the rides are in the motorsports business, so they know what they're doing.

We came up with idea that on the day after the Indy 500, we would sell 33 spots to fans, guaranteeing that in three laps with me driving, we'd hit 200 mph. Of course, it took special preparations with the two-seater because it was so heavy. The rider passengers could fluctuate by 100 lbs. Not everybody is the same weight. For example, I took my daughter, who is very trim and light, and averaged 207 mph.

But it was really satisfying to give those rides. You've been there, Jim, you've experienced it. People would get out of the car with a huge smile, and then ask a lot of questions [about our sport]. It's a shame they're not allowed to do those rides anymore.

: Is there a question you want to ask yourself - and answer - that I left out?

: I don't know. I'll have to sleep on it [laughs]. I'll ask YOU this, Jim, "When are you going to go 300 mph?"You did what, 250 in a Bugatti?

: Actually, 253.2 mph [laughs]. I don't know. But you could help me. You've got the right connections.