MARIO ANDRETTI

A TRUE LONG RIDE READER



I caught up with Mario here in Nashville,where he was doing a Texaco promotion. My opening line was something like...."Mario,remember Bruno Brackey?" He broke into a big grin with no hesitation and said "OF COURSE I DO!"

He was pretty amazed that there was a book out about the guys he ran with and learned from on the tracks of Freeport, Island Gardens, Trenton, Langhorne, Thompson and so on. He got lost for a few minutes looking through the pictures and the index. When I told him "The Aldo Pit Stop Story " is in the book, he cracked up.... but kept it off the wall. Had there not been a long line of autograph seekers and all the TV stations there, we would of spent more time reminiscing ...but he had a job to do. However as he gets to spend some time reading and listening (he has both versions, print & audio) I'm sure he too is going to have some good memories and that's why I wrote it.



June 3, 1999

You might notice I'm holding a copy of his book which I brought along for him to sign. It is fabulously well written and the photos are magnificent. The forward is by Paul Newman and there's a little piece of it I want to quote here as it ties in well to a personal story of mine in Long Ride On A Short Track which will follow Paul's. Both "incidents" happened at the same place.......

" It was 1967 and he took me around Bridgehampton in a 427 Mustang... my first ride with a professional driver. As we approached a fourth gear,blind,down hill righthander, I thought I'd have a better chance of surviving Custer' s Last Stand than this. When we stopped in the pits, I hurled myself from the infernal machine,belly down,kissed the ground,thanked my Maker,and vowed never to kick my dog or as it turned out later,his pig" / Paul Newman



Mario is looking at Jim Malone's Langhorne crash pics. I found that to be

more than a little interesting, as my Bridgehampton story involves Jim.



It was 1962 , I was fifteen and my Dad had taken me out to Bridgehampton Race Circuit to see a sports car race. They had vintage races,and Formula 1 grand prix. It was very different than the stockers,but Dad knew by now I was serious about this racing stuff. He even got us some pit passes.

While walking through the pits,a gold Avanti pullerd up and a crowd gathered round it. A guy jumped out of the passanger side and yelled,"Who Wants A Test Drive?". My Dad pushed me in and jumped in with me. One other person got in the back seat with us. The salesman did all the talking,and the driver....well , he DROVE IT!. While the salesman droned on about how this car was going to reveloutinize the industry, I was watching the speedometer climb. I felt safe because I knew of the built in roll bar, four wheel disc brakes and how the car had set records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. What I didn't know was how fast we were about to go through Bridgehampton's notorious hairpin turn. It was white knuckle time. The guy next to me was real quiet. We came back out on the straight and the speedo passed well over the 100 mph mark. But the car acted like it was on rails.

After it was over my Dad said,"You know that guy was a professional race driver don't you?' I said, "Yeah...no one else could make it handle like that". When I told the kids at school about it the next day, some didn't believe me.

I used to wonder who that driver was. Imagine my surprise meeting up with him some thirty three years later. Thanks for the ride Jim, but where's my bumper sticker? The one that says

I FLEW WITH THE FLYING FARMER

from chapter 11: Jimmy "The Flying Farmer" Malone / Fastest Tractor In Town

There are several Mario and Aldo Andretti stories in the book including one from Freddy Harbach on how Mario supplied the "Firestones" so Fred could test out the brand new Dover Downs speedway for the track owners.



Mario with his 3rd Stock Car around 1960

Although he went on to open wheel legend status, Mario never forgot where he started as there are lots of stories and photos in his book about his early days of midgets,stocks and TQ's. That's why I know he is enjoying Long Ride.... real racers are just that..... Real Racers



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