Mario Andretti Has a Great Speeding Ticket Story
When you become a household name, funny things can happen. Back in 1977, Mario Andretti was once sitting shotgun to Vince Granatelli, who was pulled over for speeding through an intersection. The cop, not realizing who was sitting in the car, asked Granatelli, "Who do you think you are? Mario Andretti?"
Andretti tells the story in Drive Like Andretti, a documentary on his life set to premiere this Saturday on NBC Sports at 2:00 PM, just before the IndyCar Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The legendary racer also told the story to the Indianapolis Star back in 2015.
Granatelli and Andretti, of course, started laughing, much to the annoyance of the cop, who exclaimed "That's not funny!" at the pair. After the cop asked Granatelli to step out of his car, the son of the longtime STP CEO tried to explain that he was laughing because Andretti was in the passenger seat. Apparently the cop didn't know what Mario Andretti looked like, as it was only when the racer produced his driver's license that the cop realized who he was talking to.
Andretti jokingly urged the cop to give his friend a ticket, but Granatelli was let off with a warning. In the NBC documentary, Andretti also shows off a "speeding ticket" from the 1987 Long Beach Grand Prix, where he was clocked at 170 mph on the city streets.
Andretti is one of the world's great racers, and he's a hell of a storyteller, too. That should make Drive Like Andretti essential viewing. You can check out the first part of it below.
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