“I just shows how close the racing family is in so many ways when somebody organizes something like that, how people respond, it was totally overwhelming. “Even at Laguna Seca when I came in after the morning warmup, all of the team crewmembers from every team, the mechanics and everyone, were wearing my T-shirts waving. “It was amazing in every way and such a compliment,” Andretti said. From “Arrivederci Mario” T-shirts that were passed out at every race to a commemorative coffee table book funded by Andretti’s sponsors, Knight got much public relations mileage out of the initiative. The “Arrivederci Mario” campaign was orchestrated by a team of individuals, but Newman Haas Racing public relations director Michael Knight was perhaps the greatest promoter of Andretti’s final season. “I passed Adrian Fernandez for third and then the engine blew with four laps to go.” “It was an interesting race because somebody at the start hit me from the back and I got a flat tire,” Andretti said. That was very competitive to me.”Īndretti’s final race ended four laps from the checkered flag when his Ford engine failed after starting 12th.
“I know that I pushed the envelope as long as I could and that when I did retire, I was still competitive. “That was not the norm in the days that I raced. “Obviously, when you are ending something that has been so gratifying, there is some sadness to that but at the same time, the next day you realize how blessed I am to have done it for so long and dodge all the bullets that I did and retire on my own terms,” Andretti told NTT INDYCAR Mobile. It was both a sad day and a happy day for Andretti. It culminated with CART’s final race of the 1994 season. “Arrivederci Mario” was more than just a celebration of Andretti’s final race it was a season-long festival where each track had a chance to honor the racing legend.
He does, however drive the Ind圜ar “Two-Seater” at the age of 79, giving VIPs and celebrities high-speed rides in an Indy car around the tracks on the NTT Ind圜ar Series schedule.
With 421 Ind圜ar Series starts, 52 victories including the 1969 Indianapolis 500, four Ind圜ar “National Championships,” it was 25 years ago at the track now known as WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca that Mario Andretti competed in his final Ind圜ar race.Īlthough Andretti would compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, ’96, ’, the sport’s legend would never again strap himself in an Indy car for competition. It was a day when the sport said, “Arrivederci Mario.” – One of the most glorious careers in Ind圜ar racing came to an end at Laguna Seca Raceway on Oct.
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