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. 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. 7:00 AM A Race Car Crash From Helland the Science That Saved Its Driver Romain Grosjean’s F1 car slammed into a wall at 137 mph and burst into flames. 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. Following Lolas return to the world of Indycars with the T700 which had been promising with Mario Andretti taking two wins in the 1983 PPG Indy Car World. 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. Mario Andretti: What Id Do Differently On the eve of the Indy 500s centennial, we ask Mario to reflect on his successes and his failures at the legendary track.
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