I only saw John Andretti win one NASCAR race, and that was on TV (Martinsville in April of 1999 in the 43 car).
But Andretti, the nephew of racing legend Mario Andretti and the son of Mario's twin, Aldo, was more than wins and losses. He was one of the smartest drivers I ever talked to, and he ranked with Neil Bonnett and Ned Jarrett among the nicest drivers I talked to. He was accessible; he was funny; and he was thoughtful.
One of my favorite memories of John came on a Winston Cup media tour in Charlotte in the mid-1990s. John had just taken the 43 ride for Richard Petty, and he was being announced to the media. "My goal is to make this 43 car famous," Andretti said to the astonishment of reporters, staff and Richard Petty himself. Richard had already made the 43 famous. John was just pulling our legs, and I guess some of us figured that out.
Then, I heard in 2019 that John had terminal colon cancer, and it claimed him on Jan. 30 at the age of 56. I've known a lot of notable NASCAR folk who have passed (Dale Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Buddy Baker, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Davey Allison, among others), and John's death is as wrenching to me as any of them.
When Neil died in 1994, I wrote that NASCAR had lost its best friend. You could say the same about John Andretti.
Then, I heard in 2019 that John had terminal colon cancer, and it claimed him on Jan. 30 at the age of 56. I've known a lot of notable NASCAR folk who have passed (Dale Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Buddy Baker, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Davey Allison, among others), and John's death is as wrenching to me as any of them.
When Neil died in 1994, I wrote that NASCAR had lost its best friend. You could say the same about John Andretti.
RELATED LINKS
Remembering John Andretti
Mario Andretti remembers nephew, John Andretti
John Andretti Wins at Martinsville, April 1999
Mario Andretti remembers nephew, John Andretti
John Andretti Wins at Martinsville, April 1999
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
More entries from TARJ
(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)
EDITOR@WORK blog entries
Entries from The Dog Blog
More blog entries by Tom Gillispie
Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie
No comments:
Post a Comment