He is a racing icon, considered by many to be the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport.
Mario Andretti was born in Italy and didn't emigrate to the United States until age fifteen. At 19, he began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania and that was the start of an illustrious career that saw the versatile driver compete and win in every discipline he entered – midgets, sprint cars, dirt track cars, stock cars, IndyCars, Formula One, Formula 5000 and sports cars.
His achievements became legendary: The world watched as he won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and ultimately the Formula One World Championship, an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles. Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades and across six continents.
Today he is a successful businessman off the track, serving as spokesman, associate and friend to top executives around the world. He has worked with top brands like Firestone, Bridgestone, Honda, Chevron, Texaco, Mutual of Omaha, Mattel Hot Wheels, AAA, Magnaflow, IZOD, Infineon Technologies and GoDaddy. He has his name on the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley and a petroleum business in California.
He has received hundreds of awards and recognitions. Among the most prestigious, he was named Driver of the Century, he was knighted by his native Italy, and the Library of Congress in Washington DC added him to its Living Legends list. And on the lighter side, but undoubtedly affirmation of his charisma and popularity, he was in the first Pixar Cars movie voicing himself and GQ Magazine named him one of "The 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time".
Mario remains the most popular interview in racing and the most respected voice in motorsports; he is a much sought-after source by journalists from all over the world.
Extremely healthy and fit, Mario looks as though he could slip right back into the cockpit of a race car - and he does. He's still tearing up the track in the two-seat Indy car with Lady Gaga, Donald Trump and other super stars, VIPs and journalists as his passengers.
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