The bottom dropped out in 1968 when he blew an engine on the first lap and finished 33rd. In 1967, he again won the pole but a slipping clutch put him six laps behind and ultimately, his car lost a wheel, and he finished 30th. It started hopefully enough during his first try in 1965, when he finished third and was named the race’s rookie of the year.īut in 1966, he earned the pole by being more than 2 mph faster than anybody else in the field, only to have the engine drop a cylinder on a restart. The car in which Andretti won the 1969 Indy 500 is owned by the Smithsonian, while a replica made from the original blueprints sits on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.The only thing missing from his growing and increasingly impressive résumé was the Indianapolis 500, The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and while most race cognoscenti figured it was just a matter of time for the young driver, Andretti had run into very bad luck his first four tries. Bud Tingelstad served as his replacement in the Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing entry. He suffered a broken leg the night before time trials was to begin, and had to sit out the race. Al Unser actually suffered the most serious injury of the month, when he crashed his personal motorcycle in the infield. Mario Andretti suffered burns to his face, and Sammy Sessions, who suffered a fractured knee cap.
The only injuries for the month were during two practice crashes.
It would go down in history as one of the most famous gaffes in Indy history.Īfter five drivers were killed at the Speedway in the decade of the 1960s, the month of May 1969 was relatively clean, with no major injuries. While Foyt and Andretti qualified 1st-2nd, the most notable story from time trials was the plight of Leon Duray "Jigger" Sirois, whose pit crew inadvisedly waved off his qualifying run on pole day. Likewise, it was a triumphant first victory for owner Granatelli, after a long presence at Indianapolis - and a long string of disappointments, first with Novis, and then with the Turbines. As of 2022, no Andretti has won the Indianapolis 500 since. Mario Andretti's 1969 Indy 500 win is the lone victory at the race for the storied Andretti racing family. Andretti suffered burns but was able to qualify a back-up car in the middle of the front row. He entered the month as a favorite, but he crashed his primary car, a radical four-wheel-drive Lotus, during practice. Andretti's victory capped off an up-and-down month of May. With Andretti's finish time of 3:11:14.71, it was the fastest run Indianapolis 500 up to that date, breaking the previous record by nearly five minutes.
Mario Andretti led 116 laps total and won for car owner Andy Granatelli. Quick facts: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500.
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