January 24, 2025 • 38 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Mario Andretti shares how his family lost everything in WWII, came to America, and how he then launched his career as the greatest auto racer in history!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
If you're an auto racing fan, and even if you're not,
Mario Andretti is a name you know, and for good reason.
Aside from his dashing, good looks in charisma, he was
one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history, only
(00:33):
one of three drivers to have won races in Formula one,
IndyCar and the World's Sports Car Championship. Andretti remains the
only driver who have won the Indianapolis five hundred, the
Daytona five hundred, and the Formula One World Championship. Even
more remarkably, he's the only person to be named United
(00:53):
States Driver of the Year in three decades. But it
is his story, and he's unlikely run in a sport
generally accessible only to the rich and the privilege. It
is most remarkable of all, here is Mario Andretti to
tell his story.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I was born in Italy and the region is Eastria,
and however now it's Croatia, and there's the story. Obviously,
it's one of the reasons why the family immigrated.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
To the States, because I.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Was born in nineteen forty at the beginning of World
War two, and that region was under.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Italy as it had been, but after the war, Italy
lost the war, so they lost territory.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
And that's the territory they lost, and Yugoslavia occupied the
region under hardline communism under Marshall Tito. And there was a.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Choice for all of.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
The inhabitants of the air here to uh succumb to
communism or to maintain the Italian citizenship, to leave home
and become refugees basically back in mainland Italy, and my
family chose, you know, the latter part to maintain the
(02:20):
Italian citizenship, and we were refugees in the city of
Lucca in Tuscany for seven and a half years before
my dad had the opportunity to come to America. We
had relatives on my mother's side living in America here,
in fact in Nazareth, where I live now, and I
(02:45):
was suggested that why don't you come here. We would
guarantee that to have a home, you know, And that's
what they had to do too, in order to obtain vices.
There's nothing normal about what happened to us, But credit
to my father, first of all, the dad was an
(03:06):
administrator of land holdings from the family on his mother's side,
because he lost his parents at age two and four, respectively,
and he was raised by a priest, the uncle priest.
But the family on that side owned two thousand acres
of land about twenty one hundred acres and seven tenants,
(03:29):
and my dad was the administrator of that of those holdings.
Then basically he was a farmer, so he had no
other skills when he moved on, and that was a
difficult part obviously to be able to obtain a professional
job of some kind. And when we were while we
(03:49):
were in the camp, conditions were very, very basic, but
my dad always provided for us.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
We were always dressed properly.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And went to school and never cold and never hungry.
You know. He always took care of the family. Very
proud man, and that's something that I've always looked up
to him because of that. He had maintained that responsibility
in the best possible.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Way, and he never quit. In Mario, it sounds like
he never quit on you his family, despite the toughest circumstances.
So you're living in Italy and you see an auto
race and there's one particular man that moves you to
think about or at least dream about automobiles and car racing.
(04:38):
Who is that man? What was that race in Italy?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Well, the race was the Italian Grand Prix in nineteen
fifty four, and the man was my idol. He became
my idol was Alberto Scatti, who was at the time
current world champion for Ferrati. And as you can imagine,
as an Italian driver in Ferrari and being so strong,
(05:04):
you know, I was very impressed by that and taking
in all the way and as an idol, he just
actually helped shape my future, to be honest with him,
my own mind, because between my twin brother Alder myself
from their own we did not have a plan b
I always say that, and that's a fact. You know,
(05:26):
this is something that we wanted to pursue no matter what.
Had no idea how when you know things were going
to happen, because there was you know, a lot of
uncertainties in our lives, and even as kids you could
obviously understand that. But the dream I never faded, you know,
(05:47):
the dream stayed strong and at first opportunity, you know,
we pursued it. You know, when we came to the
States two years later, although and I started building a
car to race locally. First of all, the car that
we built was in nineteen forty eight Hudson Hornet, which
was actually Brandon, was very successful in NASCAR racing, and
(06:11):
there was not popular that car here at this local level.
But we chose that, you know, with the help of
some other you know, a couple other friends which he
always have the scientists somewhere that does the thinking. Then
we followed that advice and we built that car, but
(06:34):
we didn't dare tell my dad.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And you've been listening to Mario Andretti share his story
and his father's story. And after World War Two, the
part of Italy he lived in, the part where his
father administered to twenty one hundred acres, was seized by
Yugoslavia and Marshal Tito offered up two options for the
Italians living in that part of what used to be Italy.
(06:59):
Joined the Commonists and renounce your Italian roots or become
a refugee, and Mariondrette's father chose the latter. But it
was that Italian Grand Prix race in nineteen fifty four
that planted the seeds in Mario and his twin brother
Aldo's mind and when they would come to America. Well,
(07:19):
as they say, the rest is history when we come back.
More of Marionrette's story here on our American Stories. Leehabibe
here the host of our American Stories. Every day on
this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country,
(07:40):
stories from our big cities and small towns. But we
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If you love what you hear, go to Ouramerican Stories
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give and we continue with our American Stories and the
(08:13):
story of Mario Andretti. In his own words, we had
last heard about the trip Mario took with his brother
to see Alberto or Scari, the great Italian racer and
the Italian Grand Prix in nineteen fifty four, and Mario
had last left off with he and his brother doing
what they were going to do the rest of their
(08:33):
lives and not wanting to tell their dad. Let's pick
up where Mario last left off.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
We didn't dare tell my dad because there were so
many things here. You know, he knew that we were
following motor racing and we were all in and this kid, however, okay,
all right, the kids are impressed by something, and then
Albertoscarti is killed. And the following year, nineteen fifty five
(09:01):
on a way over on the ship conte bian Camano,
during the time that the twenty four Hours of Laman
was running, that's the time when Mercedes went into the
crowd and killed eighty five people. So so many negatives
about the sport always, you know, the fatalities here and there. Well,
you know, my dad was certainly not a race fan
(09:23):
of any kind.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
He never pursued.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
But the only newsday he was ever, you know, it
was ever coming his.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Way was negative.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So for us kids, you know, to even when we
would hint about racing, he said, oh, kids are crazy,
they don't even think about it type of thing. So
he certainly did not in any way understand how strong
we believed in it and how strong, you know, how
the passion that we already had developed. So anyway, we
(09:52):
started building this car and it didn't there tell him,
you know, anything about it. This was a nine fifty
seven two years after we arrived here in nineteen fifty nine,
we figure, we'll take us four years to build this car,
you know, to get all the money together and everything,
because you had to be twenty one to race legally
(10:15):
in those days, race professionally, and so we figured we
got time. But the car was finished two years later
in nineteen fifty nine. We were only nineteen. We figured,
you know what, we're not going to look at this
car for two years before we race him. So we
had we fudged the birth date on the licenses and
(10:36):
keep saying, you know, which is a fact in those days.
Obviously there was no computer. So we started racing at
age nineteen without my dad knowing. And the only defense
that we had on that, or the buffer that we
had there was the language barrier, you know, because my
dad obviously did not learn the language as quickly as
(10:57):
we did. So because we were winning. Has been at work,
you know, his boss said, you know, tried to tell
him all your kids are redoing. Well, he just wanted
he didn't understand. He thought that the boss was telling
him how good he was at his job. So again
it wasn't until the end of the season at the
very last race and invitational race that although you know
(11:21):
it was almost killed in that race. He had a
bad accident, which you know, he had a actually fractious
call and all that. So he was in a coma
for you know, for a long time. And he was
even given his last rites that time. And my dad
didn't even know it, but that's how he found out.
(11:42):
He almost felt vindicated.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
See I told you guys, you know type of thing.
When all the funny came around two weeks later, he uh,
you know, took him a while after he open his
eyes and so forth, you know, it took him a
while to actually speak. The first sentence that he said.
He says to me, he says, I'm sure, I'm sure,
glad you had to be the one to face the
old man. Okay, all right, we got him back.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Who were key people in your life, Mario, who allowed
you to think you could do what you did?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Your team, there were several people that believed could see
the burning passion that I had and uh.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Uh you know, after this, uh stock, I didn't want
to make a career out of you know, local stock cars.
I wanted to get into single seaters and uh, one
of the first ones that actually helped was my now
my wife, my wife's father, UH and UH and his partner.
They you know, I needed to buy a midget, a
(12:45):
midget car, a single seater to to run a three
quarter madget to run indoor races in the winter, and
that's where a lot of the owners will scout drivers,
you know, for the full size majors for the regular season.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
And I was.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I bought a famous car and I made a deal
with Earl Hoak. It was you know, my Hok is
my uh, my wife's maiden name, and they invested in
that car. And that's what got me going, was another
Plateau launching pad, if you will. Because I won some races.
(13:23):
I was competitive and I got noticed and.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I got a really a good ride with the.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Matika brothers in the midget which were running the Air
d C Club American Race Drivers Club, which was a
very prominent midget series with all the icons of major racing,
you know that Lenn Duncan's Tony Bonadier, some of the
icons of major racings of the era and uh and
(13:50):
that you know. Then I started winning there. And this
is a team that I never won any races, but
I started winning for them, and then uh the team
out of Indianapolis, Rufus Gray Team, but Rufus Grady individual
actually he owned the sprint car and he had a
sprint car where he had some of the top names
(14:11):
like Judd Larson driving for him and usect sprint cars.
He took notice and they obviously they all knew that
I was interested in progressing. He gave me a rye
and he became sort of the mentor at the time,
which brought me into I would say mainstream of Indica
racing because even though it was not the top category,
(14:34):
sprint cars is a step below the championship cars. But
I was driving against.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
The top drivers because they were.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Migrated into sprint cars like aj Floyd, Roger McClusky.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
All the top.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Drivers would be driving his Parnelli Jones driving in these
sprint cars and I would be driving against them, and
all of a sudden I started winning there and so
but it was always, you know, like I said, certain
individuals that just made the difference, and I seized the
opportunity at the time. And quite honestly, sometimes you get
(15:12):
a ride because the main driver is hurt, and that's
how it was really happening. A lot of it was
happening with me, but once I took over, you know,
it seemed like I held my own and earned my way,
you know, into a solid ride. So again it was
just everything was by chance. You know, there was no
(15:34):
guarantees anywhere he had. You could have all the plans
in the world, but he had no way of trying
to predict what was going to happen anywhere. He just
had to be there and seize the opportunity. And that's
really the way it worked.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Out for me.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I want to talk about your wife. How does a
guy do this without a strong family.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you what. You have no
idea the important role that she played, you know, in
my career and indirectly encouraging me and backing me up
because you know, the you know we got I got
married young, and then the career was going, I had kids,
(16:16):
and I didn't have a steady job. I was relying
on just what I could earn racing, which you know,
it can be pretty scheduled sometimes, but it work, and
she worked.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
And you're listening to Mario and Trettie telling the story
of his life, and in this part we learned that
his father really didn't approve of what they were doing.
He only knew the bad news, the bad stories. But
he and his twin brother Aldo persisted. They had a dream,
they had a vision, and they finished completing the building
of their car early by the age of nineteen. They
(16:49):
weren't allowed to compete until they were twenty one. That
didn't stop them. It was a terrible accident. Although almost died,
he was in a coma. Last rites were read and veiled,
and so did Mario and in the end, well, the rest,
as I said earlier, is history. Mario to this day
is one of only three drivers who have won races
(17:10):
in Formula one, Indie Car and the World Sportscar Championship,
and the only driver of one the Indianapolis five hundred,
the Daytona five hundred, and the Formula one World Championship.
When we come back more of this remarkable life story,
one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history. Marionretti's
(17:31):
story continues here on our American stories. And we continue
(18:09):
with our American stories and Mary and Andretti's life story.
Let's pick up where we last left off. Here's Mary.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I got very young and then the career was going.
I had kids, and I didn't have a steady job.
I was relying on, uh you know, just what I
could earn racing, which you know it can be it
can be pretty sketchy sometimes, but but I work and
she worked, you know, like even give you an idea
when when I was driving, you know, when I was
(18:39):
maintaining the three quarter midget that her dad had financed.
She was working and she was pregnant and on her
way to one of the races. Uh, she's she's just
like sobbing a little bit, you know, So what's what's matter? End?
Speaker 3 (18:56):
She said, I just quit my job. I said, you did?
What are you?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
She was seven months pregnant, so you did what?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
How dare you?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Said? How am I going to pay for the engine?
I said, you know, to keep forgetting freshen it up?
She said, So you could see she was paying for
me freshening up the engines from week to week, you know,
at Bob's motorcycle shop and things like that. But uh,
you know, we laugh about it obviously, you know, but
(19:27):
she was a rock behind me throughout, you know. And
and again you know, she she was never a race fan.
She's not a race fan today, but what the heck?
I mean, she she had no choice, I guess, you know.
And she knew that this was our path, and even
with the kids, and she just always made the best
(19:47):
of it, you know. But she carried the burden, you know,
the family, make sure everything is running smoothly in and
h and at the same time supporting me by well
what I'll like.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
There was the ability that she created because.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
She always very in check with her emotions, you know.
And and it was never like uh, you know, ticker
tape parade if I brought home a trophy or you know,
like a black stripe on her arm if I didn't,
you know, the hug when I came home with trophy
now was always the same. So that was really what
I needed. The danger aspect, you know, was looming was
(20:27):
always there because uh, obviously the sport you know, in
the sixties and seventies, you know, it was certainly not
as especially in the sixties, Uh, not as safe as
it is today. And uh, and yes, we we lost
a lot of friends. I mean, obviously she made Uh
she was friendly with many of the wives of my buddies.
(20:50):
And and then uh, you know, my best friend, and
Billy Foster when he when he was killed, and jud
Larson and on and on. I mean we lost so many.
Ronnie Peters, I mean she was obviously always the one
that thinking, you know, when is he going to come home?
You know this.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
After this race.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
So the spectrum of that was always there, and it
was real, uh there was we were losing way too many,
you know, and unfortunately, and and then I'm sure that
that there was always you know, anxious moments for her
as well. Me as a driver, I never well on
(21:33):
that side obviously. Uh so I was pretty serene. But
her I could see that side of of of her
just dealing with this uncertainty you know, all the time.
Every week had to be you know, tough moments. And
I only began to understand really was she was going
(21:54):
through when I came.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Out of the cockpit officially because.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
You know, now watching you know, my kids run and
my grandson and so forth, all of a sudden, I
have you know, different anxieties you know, I ever experienced
by being acting myself.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yep. I think most coaches know this when or most
athletes when they're playing, it's one thing. Then they watch
their kids play and it's like, oh, that's what my
father was going through. Now I get it.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Oh, there you go, Now.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
I get it. You were obviously your name, Driver the
Year in three different decades, Driver of the quarter century,
and of course Driver of the Century in January of
two thousand and Mara. You did this across every style
of racing that there is talk about what if you
could the three most important victories in your life, the
ones that meant the most to you and to your family.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, I mean to me, probably the victory that stands
out the most on the personal level is winning the
Italian Ground.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Prix because that's where my very first.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
You know, international, big group, big time race, and that's
where my dream.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Really began solidified.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
And and here we go, you know, I win in
that place, and then I also clinched the World Championship
there a Monza, you know, so uh that has you
know personally that nothing comes close to that. The others
are obviously there are many.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Races, there are very every race.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Has got its own shining star, if you know what
I mean. It's just uh, but when you look at
the classics, those are the ones that you're judged by,
like winning Indianapolis, or or or winning daytona type of thing,
you know, because again those are the crown jewels.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Of the different series.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Uh, so you know everybody would focus on that. I mean, there.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Were there were others for me. Uh from a personal level.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
However, you know, here I go I go forth is
winning over my son Michael on Father's Day in Portland
nineteen eighty six, you know, and beaten them by seven
one thousands of a second. You know that type of thing,
you know, I mean, can you imagine and when I
look back and how many times Michael and I started
(24:23):
on pole or how many times we wore on podium
together while we were even teammates, those are incredible moments
in my life, you know, when bright moments. When I
look back, I said, we could have never designed that,
you know, but it did happen. You know how fortunate
there are we have b let we are.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
This becomes a father's son affair, and you know, as
we learn, you can't force Mario your sons to do anything.
You know that from personal experience with your own dad,
you must have been really heartened when your own sons
chose to follow you in this really risky but really
exhilarating profession.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Oh indeed, yes, because that was their choosing. You know
something that I feel I made a bundanty clear that
you know, if you're going to pursue this, I said,
don't do it just because you think that I may
like you to do it, if that's really what you
want to do us, but do it for yourself, for
your own satisfaction. And then you know when they make
(25:25):
their choice, just like what no bigger satisfaction in having
your own kids pursue on their business. You know something
you know in your own business. You know, like if
you own a business, you know they're pursuing and they
cultivated and make a career of it themselves.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And you've been listening to Mario Andretti share his story,
and we learn about the importance of his wife, who
he called a rock in his life. And he really
didn't understand all of the uncertainty and anxieties she dealt
with until, as he confessed, he watched his own kids race,
and then everything changed and he came to appreciate what
(26:05):
a constant source of encouragement and constancy he was in
his life. He reflects on the biggest victor in his
life being the Italian Grand Prix where the dream commenced
when he was a boy, And imagine that kind of
dream occurring in your life, that the fulfillment of that
kind of dream. And then of course another big race
(26:26):
that he recalls is beating his own son, Michael by
a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a
second in nineteen eighty six, and so happy that his
boys chose to follow at his footsteps, but never through
force or coercion. I guess his boys just watched what
they watched or inspired and wanted to do what Dad did.
(26:49):
When we continue more of Mari Andretti's story, his life
story and all American story if ever we've told one
here on our American stories, and we continue with our
(27:38):
American stories and Mario Andretti, and of course there's Andretti racing,
and there's the business of racing. Because it's not just Mario,
mister Hansom and mister Charisma jumping into a car. There
are jobs on the line. There are cars to design,
crews to support those cars, sponsors, fans, TV contracts, so
(27:59):
much more. And here is Mary to talk about the
business of the business of motorsports. And this is a business.
I mean a lot of people don't know the amount
of money that goes into the preparation of the car,
the amount of people that are employed by the crew,
the sponsors. This is a lot of jobs on the line. Mario,
(28:20):
talk about the business of this business, because it's not
just like you're some celebrity jumping into a car looking
as handsome as you always looked and that's that. I mean,
this is work, Mario.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Well, I mean, yeah, it's a complex business, no question.
I mean, it's truly a team sport. Actually, I mean as.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
A driver, you have to have the sort.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Of equipment worthy of bringing results and who can make
it that. I mean, then there's got to be a
lot of people involve engineers, mechanics and so on and
so forth. Again, there's a lot that goes behind there's
strategies that go behind it. I only owned the team
and drove for myself in one year in nineteen sixty eight.
(29:04):
I didn't want to do that because I wanted to
move around to different disciplines. I just wanted to drive.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
But the driver, as a driver, however.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Always had input in the team. I wasn't just a
contracted driver.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Okay, drive and shut up.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
You know. I always was very integrated within the team
because I wanted to have a say as to who
my engineers was and suggestions blah blah blah, and to
have that type of harmony you know, within the team.
And that's the part that actually really worked for me
very well. And I drove for some of the you know,
(29:43):
the the icons in our sport over the years and
different disciplines, and I was very very obviously this is
what gave me the opportunity to bring home some results.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
You know. It wasn't always uphill for you too. I
mean there were dry spells, and by the way, athletes
experienced this too, Mario, how did you handle that? How
did you I mean, when things just aren't firing, so
to speak, on all cylinders? How do you keep it together?
How do you keep positive? Especially with all the expectations
and actually probably some people rooting for you to fail.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, no question, I mean, there's you experienced all that.
If you're in it for the long pull, blieve me,
you're gonna have the ups and downs and and that
I mean, when you're down, that's really what tests your
your will power and your mindset. All of those elements.
They're so important because again, it's not going to be
(30:36):
always a bit of roses. When you're at the top,
you know, don well, it's not gonna last, and you
fight like crazy, you know, to to try to maintain
the momentum.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Whatever it is that keeps you there.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
But when it starts going the other way, you know
you can dwell on the negative.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
You've got to start keep searching.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Keep searching, and maintain a positive attitude, you know, to
pull out of it.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
I want to talk to you about class and income.
That is, if you had tried to pursue racing in
Europe as opposed to your coming to America or a
place like Nazareth, would a Mario Andretti's career have been
less probable in a class system like Europe than a
place like America. Talk about that.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I'm glad you brought that up, actually, because quite honestly,
if we would have stayed in Europe, I don't see
how in the world I could have ever, you know,
especially within the age limit, you know, to take advantage
of a career, how I could have got started. So
I always say that the negative of what happened during
(31:44):
the war, the displacement that we experienced as a family,
and everything was a negative, but it became a huge
positive by having the opportunity to come to the United
States because I feel that I'm a true, true example
of the American dream. I don't see how anything could
have happened to me unless we came to the States,
(32:06):
even under the environment that my dad had me under,
you know, because of his uh you know this farming,
and so I didn't want to do that. I didn't.
I had no you know, even as a youngster, I
just despised that type of thing. You know, that's not
what you know set the fire in me. And you know,
we'd loved my uncle Bruno, you know who was you know,
(32:30):
my mother's brother. You know who was you know, he
was an aviator in the aviation he was had motorcycles,
he had you know, it was that type of a guy,
you know, and so there was something that, uh say,
just if we would have remained there, I probably I
don't know, I probably would have become a plumber or something.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Now, we love asking folks just a few questions, mar
just personal ones. Your biggest regret, that is the decision
you made that you wish you could have pulled back
in your life.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Well, you know, uh, I'm not sure that I have
any regrets. Quite honestly, you could always do something better
by looking at it now, Okay, I might have been
made a better decision a different time. I'll give you
an example. You know, when at the end of my
(33:26):
Formula one career with Lotus, I had a couple of opportunities,
want to go either with McLaren or Alfa Romeo, and
I went with my heart. You know, I went with
Alfa Romeo because you know, I had a friend engineer
there and so forth, and I thought Alfa ro Mayo
was was ready to spring, you know, into the to
the top in Formula one, and instead I and I
(33:50):
could have gone with McLaren. I could have probably won
another World championship with McLaren. So you know, those are
some things. You call it a mistake, call it miscalculation.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
Yeah, you could.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
You know now that I have a chance to revisit.
But overall I have no regrets. I have no regrets whatsoever.
You know that the positive way way overcome the negatives,
and so I again no regrets.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
That's great. What gives you Mario at this stage of
your life. Your deepest sense of fulfillment, The deepest.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Sense of fulfillment is to be able to with everything
that's going on in my career and the distractions and everything,
to have been able to keep the family together throughout yep.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
And and faith does that play a role in your life, Mario?
I mean, we know your Catholic, but talk about that
that part of your life.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Faith does.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
And again not just the fact that we had a
priest in our family. There was clergy h and that
was never anything that was really pushed on us. As
a matter of fact, my uncle priests. I love that
memoir than anyone. He was so such a modern thinker
and everything even then. But there was another chaplain in
(35:06):
our camp, Donso TAMBERLINI who really, uh, somehow without forcing
things like instill certain values you know that you maintain
and keeping always knowing that you can't do things alone.
You know you need some help. You know you have
to invoke something, believe in something, and I do and
(35:29):
many times if you know I need some helpier please
you know, and and somehow it works for you. It
always did and always will.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
And last but not least, Mario, tell us about a hobby,
a pastime a secret passion that the audience might not
expect Mario Andretti to.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Have, well hobbies.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
I mean that's what we do.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I just love recreation.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
And as you can imagine, I'm fortunate that we have
a place. I've been in Pocono's here, I have a
lake and I have every toy imaginable you know ATVs Boats.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
I have an ultra light.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
We played tennis, we water ski. I just love all
the things that you know. They're energetic, and you ought
to come up there.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
I'll get you tired really fast.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You have a deal, Mario. You know, one thing I
think never leaves some men is the thrill of speed
and the thrill of competition, and it doesn't ever leave
you as you get older. If that's who you are
and it's baked into your dna. Mario, I so appreciate
you taking the time, and I will most definitely take
you up on the offer. By the way, your first
(36:41):
victory was in a place called Taneck, New Jersey, and
that's where I was born. I was born in the
Holy named hospital in Teenck, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
So yeah, it was a big victory.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
I had a hundred lappar there with my three quarter midget.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
Yeah, well, thank you so much for joining us, Mario,
Mario Andretti for the hour. Thank you so much, sir,
My pleasure, you bet. And that was a live interview
I conducted with Mario Andretti some time ago, and though
not exactly the format of what we do every day now,
we just couldn't help ourselves and play that one forward
(37:14):
because what a story. Indeed that was. I was beaming
the entire time because this is a hero of mine.
And when you get to talk to your own heroes, Oh,
that's my own dream, talking to guys who had dreams
too and fulfill them. And that happens every day in
American life. So many of us are living our own
versions of the American dream. That doesn't matter what someone
(37:34):
else's is. All that matters is your own. And by
the way, what he said about America is so true.
He said, I am the true, true example of the
American dream. I don't know how what happened would have
happened without my family moving to the United States. If
we had remained in Yugoslavia, I would have become a plumber.
(37:55):
And by the way, it's no disservice to people who
become plumbers. It just wouldn't have been what Mario Andretti
was born to do, how God had created him. The
story of Mario Andretti, the story of the American dream,
as it has always been spoken of. Here on our
American Stories
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
If you're an auto racing fan, and even if you're not,
Mario Andretti is a name you know, and for good reason.
Aside from his dashing, good looks in charisma, he was
one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history, only
(00:33):
one of three drivers to have won races in Formula one,
IndyCar and the World's Sports Car Championship. Andretti remains the
only driver who have won the Indianapolis five hundred, the
Daytona five hundred, and the Formula One World Championship. Even
more remarkably, he's the only person to be named United
(00:53):
States Driver of the Year in three decades. But it
is his story, and he's unlikely run in a sport
generally accessible only to the rich and the privilege. It
is most remarkable of all, here is Mario Andretti to
tell his story.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I was born in Italy and the region is Eastria,
and however now it's Croatia, and there's the story. Obviously,
it's one of the reasons why the family immigrated.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
To the States, because I.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Was born in nineteen forty at the beginning of World
War two, and that region was under.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Italy as it had been, but after the war, Italy
lost the war, so they lost territory.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
And that's the territory they lost, and Yugoslavia occupied the
region under hardline communism under Marshall Tito. And there was a.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Choice for all of.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
The inhabitants of the air here to uh succumb to
communism or to maintain the Italian citizenship, to leave home
and become refugees basically back in mainland Italy, and my
family chose, you know, the latter part to maintain the
(02:20):
Italian citizenship, and we were refugees in the city of
Lucca in Tuscany for seven and a half years before
my dad had the opportunity to come to America. We
had relatives on my mother's side living in America here,
in fact in Nazareth, where I live now, and I
(02:45):
was suggested that why don't you come here. We would
guarantee that to have a home, you know, And that's
what they had to do too, in order to obtain vices.
There's nothing normal about what happened to us, But credit
to my father, first of all, the dad was an
(03:06):
administrator of land holdings from the family on his mother's side,
because he lost his parents at age two and four, respectively,
and he was raised by a priest, the uncle priest.
But the family on that side owned two thousand acres
of land about twenty one hundred acres and seven tenants,
(03:29):
and my dad was the administrator of that of those holdings.
Then basically he was a farmer, so he had no
other skills when he moved on, and that was a
difficult part obviously to be able to obtain a professional
job of some kind. And when we were while we
(03:49):
were in the camp, conditions were very, very basic, but
my dad always provided for us.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
We were always dressed properly.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And went to school and never cold and never hungry.
You know. He always took care of the family. Very
proud man, and that's something that I've always looked up
to him because of that. He had maintained that responsibility
in the best possible.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Way, and he never quit. In Mario, it sounds like
he never quit on you his family, despite the toughest circumstances.
So you're living in Italy and you see an auto
race and there's one particular man that moves you to
think about or at least dream about automobiles and car racing.
(04:38):
Who is that man? What was that race in Italy?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Well, the race was the Italian Grand Prix in nineteen
fifty four, and the man was my idol. He became
my idol was Alberto Scatti, who was at the time
current world champion for Ferrati. And as you can imagine,
as an Italian driver in Ferrari and being so strong,
(05:04):
you know, I was very impressed by that and taking
in all the way and as an idol, he just
actually helped shape my future, to be honest with him,
my own mind, because between my twin brother Alder myself
from their own we did not have a plan b
I always say that, and that's a fact. You know,
(05:26):
this is something that we wanted to pursue no matter what.
Had no idea how when you know things were going
to happen, because there was you know, a lot of
uncertainties in our lives, and even as kids you could
obviously understand that. But the dream I never faded, you know,
(05:47):
the dream stayed strong and at first opportunity, you know,
we pursued it. You know, when we came to the
States two years later, although and I started building a
car to race locally. First of all, the car that
we built was in nineteen forty eight Hudson Hornet, which
was actually Brandon, was very successful in NASCAR racing, and
(06:11):
there was not popular that car here at this local level.
But we chose that, you know, with the help of
some other you know, a couple other friends which he
always have the scientists somewhere that does the thinking. Then
we followed that advice and we built that car, but
(06:34):
we didn't dare tell my dad.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And you've been listening to Mario Andretti share his story
and his father's story. And after World War Two, the
part of Italy he lived in, the part where his
father administered to twenty one hundred acres, was seized by
Yugoslavia and Marshal Tito offered up two options for the
Italians living in that part of what used to be Italy.
(06:59):
Joined the Commonists and renounce your Italian roots or become
a refugee, and Mariondrette's father chose the latter. But it
was that Italian Grand Prix race in nineteen fifty four
that planted the seeds in Mario and his twin brother
Aldo's mind and when they would come to America. Well,
(07:19):
as they say, the rest is history when we come back.
More of Marionrette's story here on our American Stories. Leehabibe
here the host of our American Stories. Every day on
this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country,
(07:40):
stories from our big cities and small towns. But we
truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are
free to listen to, but they're not free to make.
If you love what you hear, go to Ouramerican Stories
dot com and click the donate button. Give a little,
give a lot. Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com and
give and we continue with our American Stories and the
(08:13):
story of Mario Andretti. In his own words, we had
last heard about the trip Mario took with his brother
to see Alberto or Scari, the great Italian racer and
the Italian Grand Prix in nineteen fifty four, and Mario
had last left off with he and his brother doing
what they were going to do the rest of their
(08:33):
lives and not wanting to tell their dad. Let's pick
up where Mario last left off.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
We didn't dare tell my dad because there were so
many things here. You know, he knew that we were
following motor racing and we were all in and this kid, however, okay,
all right, the kids are impressed by something, and then
Albertoscarti is killed. And the following year, nineteen fifty five
(09:01):
on a way over on the ship conte bian Camano,
during the time that the twenty four Hours of Laman
was running, that's the time when Mercedes went into the
crowd and killed eighty five people. So so many negatives
about the sport always, you know, the fatalities here and there. Well,
you know, my dad was certainly not a race fan
(09:23):
of any kind.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
He never pursued.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
But the only newsday he was ever, you know, it
was ever coming his.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Way was negative.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So for us kids, you know, to even when we
would hint about racing, he said, oh, kids are crazy,
they don't even think about it type of thing. So
he certainly did not in any way understand how strong
we believed in it and how strong, you know, how
the passion that we already had developed. So anyway, we
(09:52):
started building this car and it didn't there tell him,
you know, anything about it. This was a nine fifty
seven two years after we arrived here in nineteen fifty nine,
we figure, we'll take us four years to build this car,
you know, to get all the money together and everything,
because you had to be twenty one to race legally
(10:15):
in those days, race professionally, and so we figured we
got time. But the car was finished two years later
in nineteen fifty nine. We were only nineteen. We figured,
you know what, we're not going to look at this
car for two years before we race him. So we
had we fudged the birth date on the licenses and
(10:36):
keep saying, you know, which is a fact in those days.
Obviously there was no computer. So we started racing at
age nineteen without my dad knowing. And the only defense
that we had on that, or the buffer that we
had there was the language barrier, you know, because my
dad obviously did not learn the language as quickly as
(10:57):
we did. So because we were winning. Has been at work,
you know, his boss said, you know, tried to tell
him all your kids are redoing. Well, he just wanted
he didn't understand. He thought that the boss was telling
him how good he was at his job. So again
it wasn't until the end of the season at the
very last race and invitational race that although you know
(11:21):
it was almost killed in that race. He had a
bad accident, which you know, he had a actually fractious
call and all that. So he was in a coma
for you know, for a long time. And he was
even given his last rites that time. And my dad
didn't even know it, but that's how he found out.
(11:42):
He almost felt vindicated.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
See I told you guys, you know type of thing.
When all the funny came around two weeks later, he uh,
you know, took him a while after he open his
eyes and so forth, you know, it took him a
while to actually speak. The first sentence that he said.
He says to me, he says, I'm sure, I'm sure,
glad you had to be the one to face the
old man. Okay, all right, we got him back.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Who were key people in your life, Mario, who allowed
you to think you could do what you did?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Your team, there were several people that believed could see
the burning passion that I had and uh.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Uh you know, after this, uh stock, I didn't want
to make a career out of you know, local stock cars.
I wanted to get into single seaters and uh, one
of the first ones that actually helped was my now
my wife, my wife's father, UH and UH and his partner.
They you know, I needed to buy a midget, a
(12:45):
midget car, a single seater to to run a three
quarter madget to run indoor races in the winter, and
that's where a lot of the owners will scout drivers,
you know, for the full size majors for the regular season.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
And I was.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I bought a famous car and I made a deal
with Earl Hoak. It was you know, my Hok is
my uh, my wife's maiden name, and they invested in
that car. And that's what got me going, was another
Plateau launching pad, if you will. Because I won some races.
(13:23):
I was competitive and I got noticed and.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I got a really a good ride with the.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Matika brothers in the midget which were running the Air
d C Club American Race Drivers Club, which was a
very prominent midget series with all the icons of major racing,
you know that Lenn Duncan's Tony Bonadier, some of the
icons of major racings of the era and uh and
(13:50):
that you know. Then I started winning there. And this
is a team that I never won any races, but
I started winning for them, and then uh the team
out of Indianapolis, Rufus Gray Team, but Rufus Grady individual
actually he owned the sprint car and he had a
sprint car where he had some of the top names
(14:11):
like Judd Larson driving for him and usect sprint cars.
He took notice and they obviously they all knew that
I was interested in progressing. He gave me a rye
and he became sort of the mentor at the time,
which brought me into I would say mainstream of Indica
racing because even though it was not the top category,
(14:34):
sprint cars is a step below the championship cars. But
I was driving against.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
The top drivers because they were.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Migrated into sprint cars like aj Floyd, Roger McClusky.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
All the top.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Drivers would be driving his Parnelli Jones driving in these
sprint cars and I would be driving against them, and
all of a sudden I started winning there and so
but it was always, you know, like I said, certain
individuals that just made the difference, and I seized the
opportunity at the time. And quite honestly, sometimes you get
(15:12):
a ride because the main driver is hurt, and that's
how it was really happening. A lot of it was
happening with me, but once I took over, you know,
it seemed like I held my own and earned my way,
you know, into a solid ride. So again it was
just everything was by chance. You know, there was no
(15:34):
guarantees anywhere he had. You could have all the plans
in the world, but he had no way of trying
to predict what was going to happen anywhere. He just
had to be there and seize the opportunity. And that's
really the way it worked.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Out for me.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I want to talk about your wife. How does a
guy do this without a strong family.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you what. You have no
idea the important role that she played, you know, in
my career and indirectly encouraging me and backing me up
because you know, the you know we got I got
married young, and then the career was going, I had kids,
(16:16):
and I didn't have a steady job. I was relying
on just what I could earn racing, which you know,
it can be pretty scheduled sometimes, but it work, and
she worked.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
And you're listening to Mario and Trettie telling the story
of his life, and in this part we learned that
his father really didn't approve of what they were doing.
He only knew the bad news, the bad stories. But
he and his twin brother Aldo persisted. They had a dream,
they had a vision, and they finished completing the building
of their car early by the age of nineteen. They
(16:49):
weren't allowed to compete until they were twenty one. That
didn't stop them. It was a terrible accident. Although almost died,
he was in a coma. Last rites were read and veiled,
and so did Mario and in the end, well, the rest,
as I said earlier, is history. Mario to this day
is one of only three drivers who have won races
(17:10):
in Formula one, Indie Car and the World Sportscar Championship,
and the only driver of one the Indianapolis five hundred,
the Daytona five hundred, and the Formula one World Championship.
When we come back more of this remarkable life story,
one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history. Marionretti's
(17:31):
story continues here on our American stories. And we continue
(18:09):
with our American stories and Mary and Andretti's life story.
Let's pick up where we last left off. Here's Mary.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I got very young and then the career was going.
I had kids, and I didn't have a steady job.
I was relying on, uh you know, just what I
could earn racing, which you know it can be it
can be pretty sketchy sometimes, but but I work and
she worked, you know, like even give you an idea
when when I was driving, you know, when I was
(18:39):
maintaining the three quarter midget that her dad had financed.
She was working and she was pregnant and on her
way to one of the races. Uh, she's she's just
like sobbing a little bit, you know, So what's what's matter? End?
Speaker 3 (18:56):
She said, I just quit my job. I said, you did?
What are you?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
She was seven months pregnant, so you did what?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
How dare you?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Said? How am I going to pay for the engine?
I said, you know, to keep forgetting freshen it up?
She said, So you could see she was paying for
me freshening up the engines from week to week, you know,
at Bob's motorcycle shop and things like that. But uh,
you know, we laugh about it obviously, you know, but
(19:27):
she was a rock behind me throughout, you know. And
and again you know, she she was never a race fan.
She's not a race fan today, but what the heck?
I mean, she she had no choice, I guess, you know.
And she knew that this was our path, and even
with the kids, and she just always made the best
(19:47):
of it, you know. But she carried the burden, you know,
the family, make sure everything is running smoothly in and
h and at the same time supporting me by well
what I'll like.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
There was the ability that she created because.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
She always very in check with her emotions, you know.
And and it was never like uh, you know, ticker
tape parade if I brought home a trophy or you know,
like a black stripe on her arm if I didn't,
you know, the hug when I came home with trophy
now was always the same. So that was really what
I needed. The danger aspect, you know, was looming was
(20:27):
always there because uh, obviously the sport you know, in
the sixties and seventies, you know, it was certainly not
as especially in the sixties, Uh, not as safe as
it is today. And uh, and yes, we we lost
a lot of friends. I mean, obviously she made Uh
she was friendly with many of the wives of my buddies.
(20:50):
And and then uh, you know, my best friend, and
Billy Foster when he when he was killed, and jud
Larson and on and on. I mean we lost so many.
Ronnie Peters, I mean she was obviously always the one
that thinking, you know, when is he going to come home?
You know this.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
After this race.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
So the spectrum of that was always there, and it
was real, uh there was we were losing way too many,
you know, and unfortunately, and and then I'm sure that
that there was always you know, anxious moments for her
as well. Me as a driver, I never well on
(21:33):
that side obviously. Uh so I was pretty serene. But
her I could see that side of of of her
just dealing with this uncertainty you know, all the time.
Every week had to be you know, tough moments. And
I only began to understand really was she was going
(21:54):
through when I came.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Out of the cockpit officially because.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
You know, now watching you know, my kids run and
my grandson and so forth, all of a sudden, I
have you know, different anxieties you know, I ever experienced
by being acting myself.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yep. I think most coaches know this when or most
athletes when they're playing, it's one thing. Then they watch
their kids play and it's like, oh, that's what my
father was going through. Now I get it.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Oh, there you go, Now.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
I get it. You were obviously your name, Driver the
Year in three different decades, Driver of the quarter century,
and of course Driver of the Century in January of
two thousand and Mara. You did this across every style
of racing that there is talk about what if you
could the three most important victories in your life, the
ones that meant the most to you and to your family.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, I mean to me, probably the victory that stands
out the most on the personal level is winning the
Italian Ground.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Prix because that's where my very first.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
You know, international, big group, big time race, and that's
where my dream.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Really began solidified.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
And and here we go, you know, I win in
that place, and then I also clinched the World Championship
there a Monza, you know, so uh that has you
know personally that nothing comes close to that. The others
are obviously there are many.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Races, there are very every race.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Has got its own shining star, if you know what
I mean. It's just uh, but when you look at
the classics, those are the ones that you're judged by,
like winning Indianapolis, or or or winning daytona type of thing,
you know, because again those are the crown jewels.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Of the different series.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Uh, so you know everybody would focus on that. I mean, there.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
Were there were others for me. Uh from a personal level.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
However, you know, here I go I go forth is
winning over my son Michael on Father's Day in Portland
nineteen eighty six, you know, and beaten them by seven
one thousands of a second. You know that type of thing,
you know, I mean, can you imagine and when I
look back and how many times Michael and I started
(24:23):
on pole or how many times we wore on podium
together while we were even teammates, those are incredible moments
in my life, you know, when bright moments. When I
look back, I said, we could have never designed that,
you know, but it did happen. You know how fortunate
there are we have b let we are.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
This becomes a father's son affair, and you know, as
we learn, you can't force Mario your sons to do anything.
You know that from personal experience with your own dad,
you must have been really heartened when your own sons
chose to follow you in this really risky but really
exhilarating profession.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Oh indeed, yes, because that was their choosing. You know
something that I feel I made a bundanty clear that
you know, if you're going to pursue this, I said,
don't do it just because you think that I may
like you to do it, if that's really what you
want to do us, but do it for yourself, for
your own satisfaction. And then you know when they make
(25:25):
their choice, just like what no bigger satisfaction in having
your own kids pursue on their business. You know something
you know in your own business. You know, like if
you own a business, you know they're pursuing and they
cultivated and make a career of it themselves.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
And you've been listening to Mario Andretti share his story,
and we learn about the importance of his wife, who
he called a rock in his life. And he really
didn't understand all of the uncertainty and anxieties she dealt
with until, as he confessed, he watched his own kids race,
and then everything changed and he came to appreciate what
(26:05):
a constant source of encouragement and constancy he was in
his life. He reflects on the biggest victor in his
life being the Italian Grand Prix where the dream commenced
when he was a boy, And imagine that kind of
dream occurring in your life, that the fulfillment of that
kind of dream. And then of course another big race
(26:26):
that he recalls is beating his own son, Michael by
a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a
second in nineteen eighty six, and so happy that his
boys chose to follow at his footsteps, but never through
force or coercion. I guess his boys just watched what
they watched or inspired and wanted to do what Dad did.
(26:49):
When we continue more of Mari Andretti's story, his life
story and all American story if ever we've told one
here on our American stories, and we continue with our
(27:38):
American stories and Mario Andretti, and of course there's Andretti racing,
and there's the business of racing. Because it's not just Mario,
mister Hansom and mister Charisma jumping into a car. There
are jobs on the line. There are cars to design,
crews to support those cars, sponsors, fans, TV contracts, so
(27:59):
much more. And here is Mary to talk about the
business of the business of motorsports. And this is a business.
I mean a lot of people don't know the amount
of money that goes into the preparation of the car,
the amount of people that are employed by the crew,
the sponsors. This is a lot of jobs on the line. Mario,
(28:20):
talk about the business of this business, because it's not
just like you're some celebrity jumping into a car looking
as handsome as you always looked and that's that. I mean,
this is work, Mario.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Well, I mean, yeah, it's a complex business, no question.
I mean, it's truly a team sport. Actually, I mean as.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
A driver, you have to have the sort.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Of equipment worthy of bringing results and who can make
it that. I mean, then there's got to be a
lot of people involve engineers, mechanics and so on and
so forth. Again, there's a lot that goes behind there's
strategies that go behind it. I only owned the team
and drove for myself in one year in nineteen sixty eight.
(29:04):
I didn't want to do that because I wanted to
move around to different disciplines. I just wanted to drive.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
But the driver, as a driver, however.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Always had input in the team. I wasn't just a
contracted driver.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Okay, drive and shut up.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
You know. I always was very integrated within the team
because I wanted to have a say as to who
my engineers was and suggestions blah blah blah, and to
have that type of harmony you know, within the team.
And that's the part that actually really worked for me
very well. And I drove for some of the you know,
(29:43):
the the icons in our sport over the years and
different disciplines, and I was very very obviously this is
what gave me the opportunity to bring home some results.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
You know. It wasn't always uphill for you too. I
mean there were dry spells, and by the way, athletes
experienced this too, Mario, how did you handle that? How
did you I mean, when things just aren't firing, so
to speak, on all cylinders? How do you keep it together?
How do you keep positive? Especially with all the expectations
and actually probably some people rooting for you to fail.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, no question, I mean, there's you experienced all that.
If you're in it for the long pull, blieve me,
you're gonna have the ups and downs and and that
I mean, when you're down, that's really what tests your
your will power and your mindset. All of those elements.
They're so important because again, it's not going to be
(30:36):
always a bit of roses. When you're at the top,
you know, don well, it's not gonna last, and you
fight like crazy, you know, to to try to maintain
the momentum.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Whatever it is that keeps you there.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
But when it starts going the other way, you know
you can dwell on the negative.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
You've got to start keep searching.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Keep searching, and maintain a positive attitude, you know, to
pull out of it.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
I want to talk to you about class and income.
That is, if you had tried to pursue racing in
Europe as opposed to your coming to America or a
place like Nazareth, would a Mario Andretti's career have been
less probable in a class system like Europe than a
place like America. Talk about that.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I'm glad you brought that up, actually, because quite honestly,
if we would have stayed in Europe, I don't see
how in the world I could have ever, you know,
especially within the age limit, you know, to take advantage
of a career, how I could have got started. So
I always say that the negative of what happened during
(31:44):
the war, the displacement that we experienced as a family,
and everything was a negative, but it became a huge
positive by having the opportunity to come to the United
States because I feel that I'm a true, true example
of the American dream. I don't see how anything could
have happened to me unless we came to the States,
(32:06):
even under the environment that my dad had me under,
you know, because of his uh you know this farming,
and so I didn't want to do that. I didn't.
I had no you know, even as a youngster, I
just despised that type of thing. You know, that's not
what you know set the fire in me. And you know,
we'd loved my uncle Bruno, you know who was you know,
(32:30):
my mother's brother. You know who was you know, he
was an aviator in the aviation he was had motorcycles,
he had you know, it was that type of a guy,
you know, and so there was something that, uh say,
just if we would have remained there, I probably I
don't know, I probably would have become a plumber or something.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Now, we love asking folks just a few questions, mar
just personal ones. Your biggest regret, that is the decision
you made that you wish you could have pulled back
in your life.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Well, you know, uh, I'm not sure that I have
any regrets. Quite honestly, you could always do something better
by looking at it now, Okay, I might have been
made a better decision a different time. I'll give you
an example. You know, when at the end of my
(33:26):
Formula one career with Lotus, I had a couple of opportunities,
want to go either with McLaren or Alfa Romeo, and
I went with my heart. You know, I went with
Alfa Romeo because you know, I had a friend engineer
there and so forth, and I thought Alfa ro Mayo
was was ready to spring, you know, into the to
the top in Formula one, and instead I and I
(33:50):
could have gone with McLaren. I could have probably won
another World championship with McLaren. So you know, those are
some things. You call it a mistake, call it miscalculation.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
Yeah, you could.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
You know now that I have a chance to revisit.
But overall I have no regrets. I have no regrets whatsoever.
You know that the positive way way overcome the negatives,
and so I again no regrets.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
That's great. What gives you Mario at this stage of
your life. Your deepest sense of fulfillment, The deepest.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Sense of fulfillment is to be able to with everything
that's going on in my career and the distractions and everything,
to have been able to keep the family together throughout yep.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
And and faith does that play a role in your life, Mario?
I mean, we know your Catholic, but talk about that
that part of your life.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Faith does.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
And again not just the fact that we had a
priest in our family. There was clergy h and that
was never anything that was really pushed on us. As
a matter of fact, my uncle priests. I love that
memoir than anyone. He was so such a modern thinker
and everything even then. But there was another chaplain in
(35:06):
our camp, Donso TAMBERLINI who really, uh, somehow without forcing
things like instill certain values you know that you maintain
and keeping always knowing that you can't do things alone.
You know you need some help. You know you have
to invoke something, believe in something, and I do and
(35:29):
many times if you know I need some helpier please
you know, and and somehow it works for you. It
always did and always will.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
And last but not least, Mario, tell us about a hobby,
a pastime a secret passion that the audience might not
expect Mario Andretti to.
Speaker 3 (35:49):
Have, well hobbies.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
I mean that's what we do.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I just love recreation.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
And as you can imagine, I'm fortunate that we have
a place. I've been in Pocono's here, I have a
lake and I have every toy imaginable you know ATVs Boats.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
I have an ultra light.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
We played tennis, we water ski. I just love all
the things that you know. They're energetic, and you ought
to come up there.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
I'll get you tired really fast.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You have a deal, Mario. You know, one thing I
think never leaves some men is the thrill of speed
and the thrill of competition, and it doesn't ever leave
you as you get older. If that's who you are
and it's baked into your dna. Mario, I so appreciate
you taking the time, and I will most definitely take
you up on the offer. By the way, your first
(36:41):
victory was in a place called Taneck, New Jersey, and
that's where I was born. I was born in the
Holy named hospital in Teenck, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
So yeah, it was a big victory.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
I had a hundred lappar there with my three quarter midget.
Speaker 1 (36:53):
Yeah, well, thank you so much for joining us, Mario,
Mario Andretti for the hour. Thank you so much, sir,
My pleasure, you bet. And that was a live interview
I conducted with Mario Andretti some time ago, and though
not exactly the format of what we do every day now,
we just couldn't help ourselves and play that one forward
(37:14):
because what a story. Indeed that was. I was beaming
the entire time because this is a hero of mine.
And when you get to talk to your own heroes, Oh,
that's my own dream, talking to guys who had dreams
too and fulfill them. And that happens every day in
American life. So many of us are living our own
versions of the American dream. That doesn't matter what someone
(37:34):
else's is. All that matters is your own. And by
the way, what he said about America is so true.
He said, I am the true, true example of the
American dream. I don't know how what happened would have
happened without my family moving to the United States. If
we had remained in Yugoslavia, I would have become a plumber.
(37:55):
And by the way, it's no disservice to people who
become plumbers. It just wouldn't have been what Mario Andretti
was born to do, how God had created him. The
story of Mario Andretti, the story of the American dream,
as it has always been spoken of. Here on our
American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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