Mario Andretti

Andretti's racing career has always been a family business. Although his twin brother, Aldo, was not able to continue racing after two serious crashes in 1959 and 1969, he still remained involved in the sport and in his brother's career. During the peak of his racing career, Andretti became a family man. He married his English tutor, Dee Ann Hoch, on November 25, 1961. Their first child, Michael, was born in 1962, followed by Jeff in 1964, and Barbara Dee in 1969. The Andretti children were exposed to racing from an early age and were subjected to the lifestyle imposed by such a career. For example, the family spent every May living in Indianapolis, Indiana because of the Indianapolis 500, even though Nazareth, Pennsylvania was their home-town. The Andretti children also occupied themselves with their own racing vehicles and motorized toys, including dirt bikes, go-karts, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and jet skis.

The love for speed was shared by all of the children, even Barbara Dee. The only Andretti daughter loved to race dirt bikes as a child, although she would later pursue a career in singing and songwriting. Both Andretti sons, however, became racecar drivers, as did Aldo's oldest son, John. Andretti claims that he did not plan for his sons to follow in his footsteps. "These kids didn't grow up with me mapping their careers," Andretti told Ed Hinton of Sports Illustrated in 1992. "I think it was just a matter of being exposed to it." Andretti did not push his children into the sport, because he recognized that not everyone was capable of racing. "You have to be a dedicated person," Andretti explained to Lyle Kenyon Engel in Mario Andretti: The Man Who Can Win Any Kind of Race. "You have to want to do it more than anything else. You have to want to be Number One. Then you have to have the ability. You must be brave, but also have common sense." In 1992 the Andretti family made history when all four racers Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John, drove in the Indianapolis 500. While Jeff's career was cut short because of a serious accident that damaged his legs, Michael and John continue the Andretti racing legacy.