In the years that passed, he racked up 52 Indy-car wins and was named the circuit's champion in 1965, 1966, 1969 and 1984 at the age of 44.
He is the only man to win the Indy-car Driver of the Year award in three consecutive decades, starting with the 1960s. And if you think he was just limited to Indy-car, think again. In 1967, he won NASCAR's Daytona 500 driving a Ford.
IN 1992, HE WAS NAMED Driver of the Quarter Century. In 1993, he notched 21 victories in Indy-car and earned 26 pole positions. His 100th victory came that year at Phoenix International. With the win, he became the only man to win Indy-car events in four straight decades.
The following year, he began the process of saying goodbye to auto racing with his farewell tour.
Today, his sons -- Michael and Jeffrey - are carrying on the family tradition.
And he still plans to race again. There is talk that he will enter LeMans this year, 1997 - at the age of 57. It is the only trophy missing in his case. But in the meantime, he still calls Nazareth, Pa., home. where he resides with his wife, Dee Ann.
Guess you might say Mario Andretti would not have it any other way. "I love motor racing," he says. "It's been my life, and I've given it all I could."