When I was a kid, May meant Indy. My pops and I would pack our favorite racing paraphernalia, hop on a plane, and head to the speedway. We went every year from my 5th birthday up until the year... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Very cool story Ryan... I met Mario at Goodwood several years ago, got his autograph while he was sitting in the JPS Lotus...
I always remember Indy as a kid in the 70's. I was an open-wheel fan for years until the split really bummed me out. Names like Andretti, Mears, Rutherford, Unser, Foyt, and the like were the racers I thought were the coolest. I never cared for Nascar much then. I do wish CART/IRL dravers would have been more approachable like the Nascar guys, I think it would have helped the sports popularity immensley. I'm glad the Indy500 is making a bit of a comeback, I'll watch it again this year for the 3rd year in a row.
Ryan, Cool story dude. From what I understand Mr Andretti was a pretty kid friendly guy. Well that and you were a kid with something on the ball. That always helps. Nutin' faster than the pit telegraph friend. really cool story.
Ryan, I stand corrected on the Sullivan spin (not Mears). Possibly my memory was affected by my observing the races from the chaos and sheer quantity of beer in the once-cool "snake-pit." Ahh the good ole' days.
Very cool story. I was born in Indy but my family moved to So. Cal. when I was 2. My Dad used to go to the Speedway often in May. Our house was only a couple of miles from the track and he said you could hear the cars well enough to tell the difference between the Offys and the Novis. When I was a kid I remember going with my brother to the LA Sports Arena and watching the 500 on a big closed circuit B&W TV. J.C. Agajanian used to promote that deal. I can remember doing that in 1967 when the race was stopped because of rain and we went back the next day to watch Parnelli Jones in the STP turbine car break right at the end and let Foyt win. I've always been a F1 and sports car fan but over the last 10 or so years I have really come to appreciate and admire the old champ cars and the guys that drove them. It used to be the greatest race in the world. Look at the lineup for 1967. Look at the names. Six of those guys were current F1 drivers and five of them either had or would win a World Drivers Championship. A couple of years later Andretti would go to F1 and win his own WDC. Gurney, Foyt and Hill were also Le Mans winners. Look at the lineup this year. Hell, Tony George has to pay people to bring cars and fill the field. And people wonder why I like the old days so much. Kurt
With all of the races you have been to and all of the people you have met, I only have one thing to say to you Ryan. I hate you. LOL Cool story
Thats a very cool story. My old man used to take me to the drags in Portland Or when I was a kid. This was before they shut the track down to the NHRA drags due to the old hippies not liking the noise. Never met any one cool but just remembering those days and the smells coming from the track. It takes you back......
My uncle used to work for PPG nad when the CART circus came to Laguna Seca, (I live 7 mi. from the main gate), he would always set me up with the full pakage for the vendor schmooze. One weekend after the rides in the pacecars on track I was invited to lunch by my uncle and his boss. I got to meet Mario, Tom Sneva, and a recently retired Johnny Ruthuford. To this day none of my meetings with famous people have been bettered. All three of these guys where the nicest most down to earth people anyone could ever hope to meet.
Although I have never met Mario Andretti, I did get to hang out with Tom Sneva the year after he won Indy, he came by the store I was working in with a show car. The weather was so bad that nobody showed up and I was the one appointed to make sure that he had everything that he needed. We basically just sat and shot the breeze for for hours, a truly nice guy. I also got to hang out with Johnny Rutherford at Daytona the year his son made his debut in the 24 hour race. His sons team was pitted next to the team I was working for and Johnny was just sitting there watching for his son's car to go by. He started a conversation with me as a proud papa watching his son race, another truly nice guy.
Ohh - MAN, Ryan !!!! That race was one of the greatest races I have ever seen. I can't believe you were at that race!!! I will never forget that - Sullivan comes around the corner and starts to lose it and everyone expects the normal scattering of high priced parts when all of a sudden he loops it and in a flash of brilliance - steers right through it and has the presence of mind to keep it to the floor to save the race.... Godd damn. That race alone made NASCAR look silly forever more - to me anyways. And to think that the race wasn't even the highlight for you. Wow. ...
Even during my "too cool to hang with my old man" early teen years, my dad and I always watched Indy together... until the split (um... Indy... not my dad and I ). That Sullivan spin was one of the best moments in racing, IMO.
Great Story! My dad, brother and I used to go to qualifing each year until we were about eight and then we went to the race. I have a similar story we met Tom Sneva and hung out for the day because my dad owned a Texaco station and then went down pit lane with a pad of paper. The only one that didn't sign our pad was Mario, But Teo Fabi signed his name for him and said laughing that he wasn't in a good mood. Chip Gannassi was actually a drive back then... Lookin forward to the race this one of my buddies(and Boilermaker) is an engineer on Kannon's car.
You were at the Sullivan Spin Indy? You were nine years old? Damn yer a pipsqueak! Hey wait, that means I'm getting old......
My boss is driving his roaster there this year as part of the festivities, some cool machinery turns up for that. I won this race as a Chief Mechanic and get to work with Mr Sullivan now. If anyone is in the area they should take the time to visit the museum and see some of the old equipment.
I was there too, my first and only Indy 500. Was heartbroken to see Mario come so close - still have the ticket stub. You are one lucky guy Ryan, what a great father!
Like somebody said, it's nice to know your heros are good guys. We went to a cigar bar/wine place and they had some sort of promotion for Andretti wine. I bought a bottle of his stuff (idano what kind, it tasted good) and they had a trivia contest that I won and got an autographed pic of Mario. It's on my wall framed next to a MA tach I got off Evilbay.
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