The Andretti Curse, sometimes referred to as Andretti Luck, is a sports-related curse in a string of bad luck the Andretti racing family has experienced in their efforts to win the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Patriarch Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. In victory lane, prolific car owner Andy Granatelli planted a kiss on the young Andretti's cheek. Following the win, despite a Hall of Fame career in Indy cars, Formula One, stock cars, and sports cars, Andretti never managed to win the race again before his retirement in 1994. The misfortune has extended to his sons Michael and Jeff, nephew John, and grandson Marco, totaling 80 starts. The reasons for defeat have included a bevy of mechanical failures, crashes, and a last-lap pass in 2006.
According to Robin Miller, the curse started in 1970 when Mario Andretti, Andy Granatelli, and Clint Brawner were involved in feud over the team. Partners Granatelli and Brawner split, and Andretti sided with Granatelli. Brawner's wife Kay supposedly cast a hex upon them, promising never would an Andretti ever again win the Indianapolis 500.
Success has not completely eluded the Andretti family. Michael Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 five times as a car owner of Andretti Autosport. The racing team, formerly known as Team Green also won the race in 1995, prior to Andretti's involvement. Mario, Michael, Jeff, and Marco were all winners of the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award. Marco, meanwhile, is the only family member besides Mario to win a race of any kind at the Speedway, the Liberty Challenge for the Infiniti Pro Series on the combined road course at the Speedway in 2005.
Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti was the first of the Andretti family to experience success in the top levels of motorsports, going on to have a long and storied career. Mario became one of the most successful drivers of all time, winning four Indy car titles, the 1978 Formula One World Championship, and IROC VI. Andretti amassed 109 career wins on major circuits including, along with the aforementioned disciplines, wins in IMSA, USAC Stock Cars, and the NASCAR Daytona 500. He was the first driver to exceed 200 miles per hour while practicing for the 1977 Indianapolis 500.
In addition to his individual wins, Andretti has been enshrined in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, Long Beach Walk of Fame, and Automotive Hall of Fame. He was named Driver of the Year three times, and Driver of the Quarter Century as well.
Mario competed 29 times in the Indianapolis 500, with only a single victory in 1969 to his credit, which occurred very early in his career. His unsuccessful quest for a second victory was documented by television, radio,1975 Indianapolis 500 - Radio Broadcast: May 25, 1975 media, and fans. A prevailing opinion in racing circles began to grow that a perceived bad luck "curse" had overcome him (and his family) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti himself said that "Lady Luck" seemed to be against him at times. Meanwhile, fellow "Brickyard" legends of his era (A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Al Unser Jr., Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, and Rick Mears) all racked up multiple Indy 500 wins. Andretti's perceived curse became such a popular "watercooler topic" during the month of May that some fans were known to have betting pools to guess which lap he would drop out of the race.
In 29 total starts, Andretti finished the full 500 miles just five times: his rookie year (1965), his lone victory (1969), his two runner-up finishes (1981 and 1985), and 1993.
Indianapolis 500
1965: Mario Andretti made a solid debut at Indianapolis, qualifying 4th and finishing 3rd. On pole day, Mario was one of the first cars on the track and he delighted the crowd with a fast run of 158.849 mph. His fourth lap of 159.405 mph was a new one-lap track record at the time. Though his time sitting on the provisional pole position was short, he still managed to qualify for the inside of row two. On race day, Mario was running a strong third late in the race. He was even within striking distance of second place after Parnelli Jones began to sputter on the last lap while low on fuel. The third place debut cemented Mario as a new fan favorite at Indy. Mario was awarded the Rookie of the Year honors, receiving an almost unanimous 23 of 24 votes cast.
1966: In his second Indianapolis 500, Mario Andretti shattered the track record in time trials and earned his first pole position. Mario's four-lap average of 165.899 mph, however, was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Chuck Rodee less than a half hour later. On race day, starting up front was fortuitous, as Mario avoided the massive eleven-car pileup at the start. After the cleanup, the first five laps were run single-file under the yellow light after the crash, with polesitter Andretti as the lead car. Then Johnny Boyd's crash on lap 6 extended the yellow through lap 16. When the green flag came finally out on lap 17, Mario's engine was smoking and he lost power. Running slowly under the caution light for the extended period of time had apparently caused overheating. The engine broke a valve, and would drop out after only 27 laps. Due to the depleted field, he placed 18th.
1967: Mario Andretti became the fifth driver in Indy history to win back to back pole positions. His third lap (169.779 mph) was new one-lap track record. Striving to break the 170 mph barrier on his fourth and final lap, his car slipped, and he fell short. He still managed a record four-lap average of 168.982 mph, and won the pole by a comfortable margin. Meanwhile, Parnelli Jones in the STP Turbine qualified sixth. On race day (May 30), Mario took the lead into turn one, but by the exit of turn two, Parnelli Jones had blown by him in the Turbine powered car. After only 12 laps, Mario was forced to pit with a bad clutch. Moments later, rain began to fall, and the race was halted. The red flag allowed Mario's team to make repairs. The race restarted the following day (May 31) with Mario lined up 32nd, six laps down. Mario quickly began charging through the pack, passing many cars and posting some of the fastest laps of the race up to that point, On his 58th lap, he began to feel a vibration, and decided to slow down. A few seconds later, his right front wheel came off. He dropped out of the race and placed 30th. Despite 8 wins during the season, the poor finish at Indy likely cost Andretti the 1967 USAC Championship.
1968: On pole day, looking to become the first driver to win three consecutive poles, Mario Andretti qualified 4th, but not without all sorts of trouble. Twice the team had to wheel the car back to the garage with fouled spark plugs, then he burned a piston, requiring an engine change. Mario managed the inside of the second row (167.691 mph), but he could not get anywhere near the front row, all three of whom broke 170 mph. On race day, Mario suffered a stuck wastegate and piston failure on lap 2, and finished in last place. A few minutes later, he climbed into the car of his teammate, Larry Dickson to drive relief. He did not fare any better, as that car dropped out after 24 laps with a bad piston. For the second year in a row, a bad finish at Indy likely cost Mario the USAC Championship. He lost by only 11 points to Bobby Unser.
1969: Mario Andretti's owner Al Dean (of the well-known Dean Vans Lines Specials) had died in 1967, and the team eventually became associated with Andy Granatelli for the 1969 season. Veteran chief mechanic Clint Brawner, along with younger up-and-coming mechanic Jim McGee were both still part of the effort. Granatelli had suffered heartbreaking misfortune in 1967 and 1968 with the Turbine-powered machines. In both years, his cars failed to finish within sight of victory. For 1969, he abandoned the Turbine program. During practice, Mario wrecked the revolutionary four-wheel drive Lotus, suffering burns to his face. The crash was caused by a right-rear hub failure. The team rolled out a back-up car, the year-old Brawner-Hawk. A week later, Mario qualified the Hawk in the middle of the front row. Due to his burns, his twin brother Aldo stood in for him for qualifying pictures. Despite the incident, serious concerns about overheating problems, and a gearbox losing oil, Mario went on to win the race in impressive fashion. Aldo, however, was not as fortunate, as less than three months later, he suffered a severely fractured face in a career-ending sprint car accident. In victory lane, an ecstatic Andy Granatelli rushed to greet his winner. After several years of heartbreak, he grabbed the victorious Mario and planted a kiss on his cheek. Mario went on to win the 1969 USAC Championship, his third title in five years.
1970: Following the 1969 victory, a feud erupted inside the team. For 1970 the team was sold outright to Andy Granatelli. Mario's chief mechanic, veteran Clint Brawner was promptly fired. Andretti and the younger, up-and-coming mechanic Jim McGee stayed on with Granatelli. It has been suggested that this ugly divorce within the team was the impetus of the curse, as allegedly, Brawner's wife Kay subsequently put a hex on Andretti. During a practice run on May 11, Mario Andretti crashed coming out of turn four. A universal joint yoke failed on his McNamara, and he hit the inside wall down the mainstretch. The car was badly damaged, but Andretti was unhurt. He would be forced to qualify in a back-up car. On pole day, gusty winds kept his speeds down, and with only 35 laps of practice in the car, he qualified for the dreaded "8-ball spot." (8th starting position was considered bad luck at the time; no driver had ever won the race from that grid position, and would not do so until 1985, see below). It was Andretti's worst qualifying result to-date. On race day, Andretti was attempting to become the first back-to-back winner since Bill Vukovich in 1953–1954. On about lap 31, Mario was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop due to loose bodywork. He rejoined the race, but lost many positions. Later on, he experienced handling problems with the right rear suspension, and had to make another unscheduled pit stop to change the right rear tire. It was not until lap 172 that his handling issues went away, but by then he was already a lap down and out of contention for the win. He led no laps, and finished in 6th place.
1971: On lap 12, Steve Krisiloff blew an engine, spewing oil on the track in turn three. Mel Kenyon spun in the oil, and crashed against the outside wall. Gordon Johncock and Mario Andretti came quickly upon scene. Johncock veered to miss Kenyon, and his car rode over top of Kenyon's car. Andretti spun trying to avoid the crash, and rammed into Johncock's car. Mario placed 30th.
1972: Mario Andretti joined the "Super Team" of Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing. Admittedly running a rich fuel mixture, the car ran out of fuel with 6 laps to go. Mario dropped to 8th place in the final standings.
1973: Rain delayed the start of the race, and at the start, a massive crash involving Salt Walther halted the race. Rain fell again, and two days later, the race finally got underway. Mario Andretti completed only 4 laps and dropped out with a bad piston. He placed 30th. Incidentally, Andy Granatelli, Mario's previous car owner, was the winning co-owner along with Pat Patrick. Andretti would later drive for Patrick in 1981–1982.