Share This Episode
Our American Stories Lee Habeeb Logo

The Story of Mario Andretti: A Refugee from Communism to the Heights of Auto Racing

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb
The Truth Network Radio
January 24, 2025 3:00 am

The Story of Mario Andretti: A Refugee from Communism to the Heights of Auto Racing

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb

On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 2943 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


January 24, 2025 3:00 am

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!

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVERED TOPICS / TAGS (Click to Search)
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Wasn't that delicious? So good.

Your bill, ladies? I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Oh, don't be silly.

You don't be silly. People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. Okay, rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! No! The Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card.

Visit wellsfargo.com slash active cash. Terms apply. Where'd you get those shoes?

Easy. They're from DSW because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between. Because you do it all in really great shoes.

Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com. Pros trust the Home Depot for heavy duty storage solutions for any job site or garage. Right now, get up to 25% off select online storage and organization impact and water resistant totes and shelving built to hold up to 2500 pounds. Storage systems have space for all your tools and protect them in the garage, on the job site and everywhere in between. Save time and maximize efficiency with adjustable shelving customized to your business needs.

Shop and save on pro grade storage at the Home Depot. How pros get more done. Odoo is business management made so simple, a kid could explain it. Sometimes business software can't talk to other programs, but Odoo, funny word, has every program from CRM to HR to accounting in one platform.

It should cost a lot, but it doesn't. So you should use Odoo because they save you money. Odoo makes a lot of sense, but doesn't cost a lot of sense. Sign up now at Odoo.com. That's O D O O dot com. Good job.

Thanks. 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 and charisma, he was one of the most successful drivers in motorsports history. Only 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 500, the Daytona 500 and the Formula One World Championship. Even more remarkably, he's the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades.

But it is his story and his unlikely rise in a sport generally accessible only to the rich and the privileged that is most remarkable of all. Here is Mario Andretti to tell his story. Well, I was born in Italy and the region is East India. And however, now it's Croatia. And as the story, obviously, it's one of the reasons why the family immigrated to the States, because I was born in 1940 at the beginning of World War Two and that region was under Italy as it had been. But after the war, Italy lost the war, so they lost territory and that's the territory they lost.

And Yugoslavia occupied the region under hardline communism, under Marshall Tito. And there was a choice for all of the inhabitants of the area to succumb to communism or to maintain the Italian citizenship, to leave home and become refugees, basically, back in mainland Italy. And my family chose the latter part to maintain the 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 it was suggested that why don't you come here? We would guarantee that you have a home, you know, and that's what they had to do to in order to obtain visas. Nothing normal about what happened to us, obviously, but credit to my father. First of all, the dad was 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 2,000 acres of land, about 2,100 acres and seven tenants. And my dad was the administrator 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 while we were in the camp, conditions were very, very basic. But my dad always provided for us. We were always dressed properly and went to school and never cold and never hungry. You know, he always took care of the family, a 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 way. And he never quit, Mario.

It sounds like he never quit on you, his family, despite the tougher 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. Who is that man? What was that race in Italy? Well, the race was the Italian Grand Prix in 1954, and the man was my idol. He became my idol was Alberto Ascari, who was at the time current world champion for Ferrari. And as you can imagine, as an Italian driving Ferrari and being so strong, you know, I was very impressed by that and taken in all the way.

And as an idol, he just actually helped shape my future, to be honest with you, in my own mind. Because between my twin brother Aldo and myself, from their own, we did not have a plan B. I always say that, and that's a fact. You know, this is something that we wanted to pursue no matter what, had no idea how or when, you know, things were going to happen because, you know, a lot of uncertainties in our lives.

And even as kids, you could obviously understand that. But the dream never faded, you know, the dream stayed strong and at first opportunity, you know, we pursued it. You know, when we came to the States two years later, Aldo and I started building a car to race locally. First of all, the car that we built was a 1948 Hudson Hornet, which was actually, Brandon was very successful in NASCAR racing. And it 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 you always have the scientist somewhere that does the thinking. And we followed that advice and we built that car, but we didn't dare tell my dad. 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 2100 acres was seized by Yugoslavia. And Marshall Tito offered up two options for the Italians living in that part of what used to be Italy.

Join the communists and renounce your Italian roots or become a refugee. And Mario Andretti's father chose the latter. But it was that Italian Grand Prix race in 1954 that planted the seeds in Mario and his twin brother Aldo's mind. And when they would come to America, well, as they say, the rest is history. When we come back, more of Mario Andretti's story here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, 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 our American stories dot com and click the donate button. Give a little give a lot.

Go to our American stories dot com and give. Wasn't that delicious? So good. Your bill, ladies. I got it.

No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insist it first. Don't be silly.

You don't be silly. People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited two percent cash back on purchases. OK, rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! No! The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.

Visit Wells Fargo dot com slash active cash. Terms apply. Oh, it's such a clutch off season pick up, Dave. I know, right?

I was worried we'd bring back the same team. Oh, no, I meant those blackout motorized shades. MVP of the room.

Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install? No, it's easy.

Even you could do it. Nice. I installed these and then got some for my mom, too. You fly across the country to do the install?

Nope. Blinds.com can do it all. All she had to do was pick what she wanted. She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install. Look at you, a Hall of Fame son.

Oh, I just picked the winning team. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Oh, Blinds.com is the GOAT.

The GOAT! Shop Blinds.com right now and get up to 45 percent off select styles, plus a professional measure and a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. Save up to 45 percent at Blinds.com. Blinds.com.

Rules and restrictions may apply. Go to selectquote.com for your free quote. That's selectquote.com. Selectquote.com.

Details on example rate at selectquote.com. If fashion is your thing, eBay is it. eBay is where I find all my favorites from handbags to iconic streetwear, all authenticated for real.

This time a little Supreme, some Gucci. I even have that vintage Prada on my watch list. That's why eBay is my go-to for all my go-tos. Yeah, eBay. The place for new, preloved, vintage and rare fashion.

eBay. Things people love. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Mario Andretti. In his own words, we had last heard about the trip Mario took with his brother to see Alberto Escari, the great Italian racer in the Italian Grand Prix in 1954. And Mario had last left off with he and his brother doing what they were going to do the rest of their lives and not wanting to tell their dad.

Let's pick up where Mario last left off. 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, OK, the kids are impressed by something. And then Alberto Escari is killed in the following year, 1955, on a way over on a ship called the Bianca Mano. During the time that 24 Hours of Le Mans was running, that's the time when Mercedes went into the crowd and killed 85 people. So, so many negatives about the sport.

Always, you know, just fatalities here and there. Well, you know, my dad was certainly not a race fan of any kind. He never pursued. But the only news that he was ever, you know, that was ever coming his way was negative. So for us kids, you know, even when we would hint about racing, he says, oh, these kids are crazy.

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, the passion that we already had developed. So anyway, we started building this car and didn't dare tell him, you know, anything about it. This was in 1957, two years after we arrived here in 1959. We figure it will take us four years to build this car, you know, to get all the money together and everything, because you had to be 21 to race legally in those days, to race professionally. And so we figured we got time. But the car was finished two years later in 1959. We were only 19. We figured, you know what, we're not going to look at this car for two years before we race it. So we had we fudged the birth date on the licenses and keep saying, you know, which is a fact in those days.

Obviously, there was no computer. So we started racing at age 19 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 we did. So because we were winning races at work, you know, his boss, you know, tried to tell him, oh, your kids are really doing well. 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, an invitational race, that Aldo, you know, was almost killed in that race. He had a bad accident, which, you know, we had a actually a fractious call and all that. So he was in a coma for a long time.

And he was even given his last rights at that time. And my dad didn't even know it. But that's how he found out. He almost felt vindicated. You know, see, I told you guys, you know, that thing.

When Aldo finally came around weeks later, he, you know, took him a while after he opened his eyes and so forth, you know, 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. Who are key people in your life, Mario, who allowed you to think you could do what you did?

Your team? There were several people that believed could see the burning passion that I had. And, you know, after this stock, I didn't want to make a career out of, you know, local stock cars. I wanted to get into single seeders.

And one of the first ones that actually helped was my now my wife, my wife's father and his partner. They, you know, I needed to buy a midget, a midget car, a single seater to run a three quarter midget, to run indoor races in the winter. And that's where a lot of the owners will scout drivers, you know, for the full sized midgets for the regular season. And I was I bought a famous car and I made a deal with Earl Hoke, who was, you know, my Hoke is my wife's maiden name, and they invested in that car. And that's what got me going was another plateau, a launching pad, if you will, because I won some races. I was competitive and I got noticed and I got a really good ride with the Matejka brothers in midget, which were running the ARDC Club, American Race Drivers Club, which was a very prominent midget series with all the icons of midget racing, you know, Len Duncan's, Tony Bonadilla, some of the icons of midget racing is of the era.

And that, you know, then I started winning there. And this is a team that had never won any races, but I started winning for them. And then the team out of Indianapolis, the Rufus Gray team, Rufus Gray the individual actually owned a sprint car. And he had a sprint car where he had some of the top names like Judd Larson driving for him and the USEC sprint cars.

He took notice and they obviously they all knew that I was interested in progressing. And he gave me a ride and he became sort of the mentor at the time, which brought me into, I would say, mainstream of IndyCar racing, because even though it was not the top category, sprint cars is a step below the championship cars. But I was driving against the top drivers because they were migrating to sprint cars like A.J.

Foyt, Roger McCloskey. All the top drivers would be driving this, Barnelli 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 a difference and seized the opportunity at the time. And quite honestly, sometimes you get 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 guarantees anywhere.

You had you could have all the plans in the world, but they had no way of trying to predict what was going to happen anywhere. You just had to be there and seize the opportunity. And that's really the way it worked out for me. I want to talk about your wife. How does a guy do this without a strong family? 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, we got married, I got married young and the career was going. I had kids 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 sketchy sometimes. But it worked and she worked. And you're listening to Mario Andretti 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 19. They weren't allowed to compete until they were 21.

That didn't stop them. It was a terrible accident. Aldo almost died. He was in a coma. Last rights were read and he prevailed. 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 in Formula One, IndyCar, and the World Sportscar Championship, and the only driver of one, the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, 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.

Mario Andretti's story continues here on Our American Stories. Wasn't that delicious? So good. Your bill, ladies. I got it.

No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Oh, don't be silly. You don't be silly.

People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

No! The Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card. Visit wellsfargo.com slash active cash.

Terms apply this new year. I want to spend more time with my family, get healthier and make sure my finances are in order. That includes finally securing life insurance.

My friend recommended select quote. They've helped more than 2 million people find coverage in the last 40 years. In 15 minutes, a licensed insurance agent found me a $500,000 policy for only $16 a month. And my husband got a $500,000 policy for only $18 a month. Plus we qualified for same day life insurance.

No medical exam required and we recovered by the time we hung up. With select quote, even if you have a health concern, be it high blood pressure, diabetes, even heart disease, their experienced agents can find you the right life insurance policy at the lowest price. Make life insurance the first resolution you check off your list this year. Go to selectquote.com for your free quote. That's selectquote.com. Selectquote.com.

Details on example rate at selectquote.com. If fashion is your thing, eBay is it. eBay is where I find all my favorites. From handbags to iconic streetwear. All authenticated.

For real. This time, a little Supreme. Some Gucci. I even have that vintage Prada on my watch list. That's why eBay is my go-to for all my go-tos. Yeah, eBay. The place for new pre-loved vintage and rare fashion. eBay.

Things people love. I was struggling for the past year and a half, two years with trying to lose weight. I just can't get rid of the stubborn weight in my legs and in my belly. While everyone is unique and will have varied results, here are extraordinary experiences from independent body affiliates and actual Belvital users. There's nothing more frustrating than knowing that you're eating well, but it's not working.

Hormone imbalances were preventing these women from losing weight. Now there's a comprehensive plan to help. With Belvital, I just noticed changes immediately. That stubborn scale finally moved. In this first week, I lost five pounds. Just after one week, I'm down six pounds and all of my bloating is gone. I just finished the Belvital program. I have lost 15 pounds and I have never felt better. I've noticed inches just shed every week that I go through. I've lost 13 pounds and 16 inches from all around my body. I feel like an entirely different person. I don't know if I've ever felt this good.

Get hormone health for women at belvital.com. This will change everything. And we continue with our American stories and Mario Andretti's life story. Let's pick up where we last left off.

Here's Mario. I got married young and the career was going, I had kids and I didn't have a steady job. I was relying on, you know, just what I could earn racing, which, you know, it can be pretty sketchy sometimes. But it worked and she worked, you know, like even to give you an idea, when I was driving, you know, when I was 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, she's just like sobbing a little bit, you know. I said, what's the matter? At the end, she said, I just quit my job. I said, you did what?

She was seven months pregnant. I said, you did what? How dare you? I said, how am I going to pay for the engine? I said, you know, to keep, to freshen it up. She said, oh, isn't that so? As you can see, she was paying for me freshening up the engine from week to week, you know, at Bob's Motorcycle Shop and things like that. But, you know, we laugh about it, obviously, you know, but she was a rock behind me throughout, you know, and again, you know, she was never a race fan. She's not a race fan today, but what the heck? I mean, 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 of it, you know, but she carried the burden, you know, the family makes sure everything is running smoothly and at the same time supporting me by what I liked, it was the stability that she created because she always very in check with her emotions, you know, and it was never like, 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 or not was always the same.

So that was really what I needed. The danger aspect, you know, was Lumi was always there because obviously the sport, you know, in the 60s, 70s, you know, was certainly not as especially in the 60s, not as safe as it is today and yes, we lost a lot of friends. I mean, obviously, she was friendly with many of the wives of my buddies and then, you know, my best friend Billy Foster when he was killed and Judd Larson and on and on.

I mean, we lost so many Ronnie Peterson. I mean, she was obviously always the one that thinking, you know, when is he going to come home, you know, after this race. So the spectrum of that was always there and it was real. We were losing way too many, you know, and unfortunately, and then I'm sure that that was always, you know, anxious moments for her as well. Me as a driver, I never dwell on that side, obviously, so I was pretty serene, but her, I could see that side 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 what she was going through when I came out of the cockpit officially, because, 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 that I ever experienced by being active myself. Yeah, I think most coaches know this one or most athletes when they're playing. It's one thing, then they watch their kids play and say, oh, that's what my father was going through. Now, now I know. There you go.

Now I get it. You obviously were named driver of the year in three different decades, driver of the quarter century and, of course, driver of the century in January of 2000. And, Mario, 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 that meant the most to you and to your family. Well, I mean, to me, probably the victory that stands out the most on a personal level is winning the Italian Grand Prix, because that's where I saw my very first, you know, international big group, big time race. And that's where my dream really began, solidified.

And here we go. You know, I win in that place. And then I also clinched a world championship there in Monza.

You know, so that has, you know, personally that nothing comes close to that. The others are obviously there are many races. They're very every race has got its own shining star, if you know what I mean. It's just that when you look at the classics, those are the ones that you're judged by, like winning Indianapolis or winning Daytona type of thing, you know, because, again, those are the crown jewels of the different series. So, you know, everybody would focus on that. I mean, there were others. For me, from a personal level, however, you know, a year ago, I go forth is winning over my son Michael on Father's Day in Portland in 1986, you know, and beating him by seven one thousands of a second. You know, that type of thing. I mean, can you imagine and when I look back and how many times Michael and I started on pole or how many times we were 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 are we?

How blessed we are. This becomes a father 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. Oh, indeed, yes, because that was their choosing, you know, something that I feel I made abundantly clear that, you know, if you're going to pursue this, 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, but do it for yourself, for your own satisfaction. And and then, you know, when they make their choice, just like what no bigger satisfaction and having your own kids pursue on a business or something, you know, in your own business, you know, like if you own a business, you know, they pursue and and they cultivate it and make a career of it themselves. 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 anxiety she dealt with until as he confessed, he watched his own kids race, and then everything changed. And he came to appreciate what a constant source of encouragement and constancy she 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 that he recalls is beating his own son Michael by a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second in 1986. And so happy that his boys chose to follow in his footsteps, but never through force or coercion.

I guess his boys just watched what they watched, were inspired and wanted to do what dad did. When we continue more of Mario Andretti's story, his life story and all American story, if ever we've told one, here on Our American Stories. Wasn't that delicious? So good.

Your bill, ladies. I got it. No. I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Oh, don't be silly. You don't be silly.

People with the Wells Fargo active cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

No. The Wells Fargo active cash credit card. Visit wellsfargo.com slash active cash terms apply. This new year, I want to spend more time with my family, get healthier and make sure my finances are in order. That includes finally securing life insurance.

My friend recommended select quote. They've helped more than 2 million people find coverage in the last 40 years. In 15 minutes, a licensed insurance agent found me a $500,000 policy for only $16 a month. And my husband got a $500,000 policy for only $18 a month. Plus, we qualified for same day life insurance, no medical exam required, and we recovered by the time we hung up. With select quote, even if you have a health concern, be it high blood pressure, diabetes, even heart disease, they're experienced agents can find you the right life insurance policy at the lowest price.

Make life insurance the first resolution you check off your list this year. Go to selectquote.com for your free quote. That's selectquote.com. Selectquote.com.

Details on example rate at selectquote.com. If fashion is your thing, eBay is it. eBay is where I find all my favorites, from handbags to iconic streetwear, all authenticated.

For real. This time, a little Supreme, some Gucci. I even have that vintage Prada on my watch list. That's why eBay is my go-to for all my go-tos. Yeah, eBay. The place for new, pre-loved, vintage, and rare fashion.

eBay, things people love. I was struggling for the past year and a half, two years with trying to lose weight. I just can't get rid of the stubborn weight in my legs and in my belly. While everyone is unique and will have varied results, here are extraordinary experiences from independent body affiliates and actual Belvital users. There's nothing more frustrating than knowing that you're eating well, but it's not working.

Hormone imbalances were preventing these women from losing weight. Now there's a comprehensive plan to help. With Belvital, I just noticed changes immediately. That stubborn scale finally moved. In this first week, I lost five pounds. Just after one week, I'm down six pounds and all of my bloating is gone. I just finished the Belvital program. I have lost 15 pounds and I have never felt better. I've noticed inches just shed every week that I go through. I've lost 13 pounds and 16 inches from all around my body. I feel like an entirely different person. I don't know if I've ever felt this good.

Get hormone health for women at belvital.com. This will change everything. And we continue with Our 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, Mr.

Handsome and Mr. 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 much more. And here is Mario 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 there are a lot of jobs on the line. Mario, 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. Well, I mean, yeah, it's a complex business, no question. I mean, it's truly a team sport, actually. I mean, as a driver, you have to have pieces of equipment worthy of bringing results. And who can make it that? I mean, then there's got to be a lot of people involved, engineers, mechanics, and so on and so forth.

Again, there's a lot that goes behind the strategies that go behind it. I only owned a team and drove for myself in one year in 1968. I didn't want to do that, because I wanted to move around to different disciplines. I just wanted to drive. But as a driver, however, I always had input in the team. I wasn't just a contracted driver, okay, drive and shut up, 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 within the team. And that's the part that actually really worked for me very well. And I drove for some of the icons in our sport over the years in different disciplines.

And obviously, this is what gave me the opportunity to bring home some results. 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 cope? 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? Yeah, no question.

I mean, you've experienced all that. If you're in it for the long pull, believe me, you're going to have the ups and downs. And I mean, when you're down, that's really what tests your willpower and your mindset, all of those elements. They're so important because, again, it's not going to be always a better road. When you're at the top, you know darn well that it's not going to last. And you fight like crazy, you know, to try to maintain the momentum, whatever it is that keeps you there. But when it starts going the other way, you know, you can dwell on the negative.

You've got to keep searching, keep searching and maintain a positive attitude to pull out of it. I want to talk to you about class and the income that is. If you had tried to pursue racing in Europe, as opposed to your coming to America and to 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. 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, I could have got started. So I always say that the negative of what happened during 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, even under the environment that my dad had me under, you know, because of his, you know, this farming and so I didn't want to do that. I think 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 loved my Uncle Bruno, you know, who was, you know, my mother's brother, you know, who was, you know, he was an aviator in the aviation, he had motorcycles, he had, you know, was that type of a guy, you know. And so there was something that, as I say, just if we would have remained there, I probably, I don't know, I probably would have become a plumber or something.

Yeah. Now, we love asking folks just a few questions, Mario, just personal ones. Your biggest regret, that is the decision you made that you wish you could have pulled back in your life? Well, you know, 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 made a better decision a different time. I'll give you an example, you know, when at the end of my Formula One career with Lotus, I had a couple of opportunities, one 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 Romeo was ready to spring, you know, into the top in Formula One, and instead, I 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. Yeah, you could, you know, now that I have a chance to revisit, but overall, I have no regrets, I have no regrets whatsoever, you know, the positive way, way overcomes the negatives, and so I, again, no regrets. That's great. What gives you, Mario, at this stage of your life, your deepest sense of fulfillment? The deepest 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. Yeah, and Faith, does that play a role in your life, Mario? I mean, we know you're Catholic, but talk about that part of your life. Faith does, and again, not just the fact that we had a priest in our family that was clergy, and that was never anything that was really pushed on us. As a matter of fact, my uncle Priest, I love that man more than anyone.

He was such a modern thinker and everything even then, but there was another chaplain in our camp, Donenzo Tambelini, who really, somehow, without forcing things, like instill certain values that you maintain and keep, and always knowing that you can't do things alone. You need some help. You have to invoke something, believe in something, and I do. And many times, I say, I need some help here, please. And somehow, it works for you.

It always did, and it always will. 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 have. Well, hobbies, I mean, that's what we do. I just love recreation, and as you can imagine, I am fortunate that we have a place up in the Poconos here, I have a lake, and I have every toy imaginable, you know, ATVs, I have boats, I have ultralight, we play tennis, we water ski. I just love all the things that, you know, they're energetic, and you ought to come up there. I'll get you tired really fast. 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 victory was in a place called Teaneck, New Jersey, and that's where I was born. I was born in Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey. Yeah, it was a big victory.

I had a hundred laps there in my three-quarter midget, 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 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, and it doesn't matter what someone 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.

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. Now 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. Ah, and here we have travelers in their natural habitat enjoying guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout at fine hotels and resorts booked through Amex Travel, and they don't even see what's coming at them. We're in. We got the table. Yep. With Resi priority notify, they're alerted when hard to get reservations open up.

Reservation for two? Save the best for last. Thanks to Amex Platinum, the last day vacation brings yet another experience. That's a powerful backing of American Express.

Terms apply. Learn more at American Express dot com slash with Amex. Famous Smoke has been dominating the cigar game since 1939 with the best prices on the best cigars. Need a smoke for the big game or a big win? Famous has you covered. Head to famous smoke dot com with promo code nightcap to score twenty dollars off your order of ninety nine dollars or more. Million of cigars are in stock and ready to ship, all stored in the massive humidor and guaranteed fresh.

Trust the name that's been in the game for 85 years. Go to famous smoke dot com. Use code nightcap underage self prohibited website restricted to age 21 plus tobacco consumers right now. Get up to 25 percent off select online storage solutions. Put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid impact resistant design prevents cracking and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select online shelving and tote storage up to 25 percent off at the Home Depot to organize every room in your home from your garage to your attic.

Visit Home Depot dot com. How doers get more done. Hello, I heart listener.

We have a confession to make. Both I heart in this commercial you're listening to right now would probably sound a heck of a lot better on the new Roku Pro Series TV. It's got side firing speakers that fill your room with sound. Dolby Atmos audio that puts you right in the middle of the entertainment and the ability to pair seamlessly with your home theater sound systems that already have surround sound and booming bass. If all that sounds too good to be true, it'll sound even better on the new Roku Pro Series. You're hearing isn't better. Your TV is.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-24 04:24:53 / 2025-01-24 04:44:16 / 19

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime