Mario Andretti is a racing icon, considered by many to be the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport. He was born in Italy and immigrated to the United States at age 15. At 19, he began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania, and that was the start of an illustrious career that saw the versatile driver compete and win in every discipline he entered — midget cars, sprint cars, dirt track cars, stock cars, sports cars, IndyCars, Formula One and Formula 5000.

Mario’s achievements are legendary. He won the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and, ultimately, the Formula One World Championship — an unprecedented trifecta. No other race car driver has ever won all three titles. Mario took the checkered flag 111 times during his career — a career that stretched across five decades and six continents.

He has received hundreds of awards and recognitions. Among the most prestigious, he was named Driver of the Century by Racer magazine, he was knighted by his native Italy, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., added him to its Living Legends list. And on the lighter side, but undoubtedly affirmation of his charisma and popularity, he was in the first Pixar “Cars” movie voicing himself, and GQ magazine named him to its list of the 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time.