Driving a Ferrari 512S (#28) for the factory in 1970, Mario dueled with eventual 24 Hours winner Pedro Rodriguez in Porsche’s 917 on the high banks of Daytona before finishing 3rd. Photo: Pete Luongo
Heroes

Mario Andretti

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Just about everything there is to write has been written about American racing  legend Mario Andretti, but we would be remiss here not to spotlight this charismatic man and his remarkable achievements.

We are talking about a motor racing galaxy, not just a star, someone so talented and versatile that he’s won more in the sport than anyone else on the planet. He won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, the 1965, 1966, 1969, and 1984 American National Championships, and the 1979 International Race of Champions aka IROC. He also claimed 12 F1 victories between 1971 and 1978, the 1969 Indianapolis 500, seven World Sports Car Championship races—including the 12 Hours of Sebring three times—52 Indycar race wins, and a NASCAR victory in the 1967 Daytona 500. He even went drag racing and won the 1969 Pikes Peak Hillclimb. In all, Mario entered 879 races, won 111 of them and took 109 pole positions.

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