One of the greatest racing drivers of all time paid a visit to Midwestern Ontario last night.
Mario Andretti was at the Kinfarm OK Tire in Bervie, just outside of Kincardine for a special meet-and-greet event for fans. Before signing many autographs, Andretti sat down for a lengthy interview, which will be featured on MWO Sports next week. Andretti says despite not setting out to race in multiple competitions other than F1 or IndyCar, he couldn’t resist the thrill of trying.
“Opportunities came up and then you get curious, if you will. So I had the opportunity to drive for some of the top teams even in NASCAR, and was lucky enough to win.”
Andretti is the only driver ever to win the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and a Formula 1 World Championship. He remains the last driver of American nationality to win a Formula 1 race, at the Dutch Grand Prix, and F1 World Championship, both in 1978. Andretti says that he raced with many icons including Niki Lauda and James Hunt in Formula 1, and many others across multiple racing series.
“I was fortunate. In IndyCar when I got started it was guys like AJ Foyt and the Unsers. Then to race against people like Dan Gurney, and my hero, Parnelli Jones.”
Andretti and Gurney are the only two drivers ever to win races in F1, IndyCar, World Sportscar, and NASCAR. A full length interview with Andretti will be featured next week on MWO Sports, which will also be available on CKNX.ca.
The promotional blow-up tire for the Mario Andretti meet-and-greet event at the Kinfarm OK Tire in Bervie. August 22nd, 2019 (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Fans begin lining up for the meet-and-greet with racing legend Mario Andretti outside of Kinfarm OK Tire in Bervie. August 22nd, 2019 (Photo by Ryan Drury)