'I thought the last tweak they made was awesome. I know there's tradition and a lot comes into play. 'But I think in some areas, tweaks need to be done. 'Conventional wisdom says if it's not broke, don't fix it,' said Andretti, who sat on the Indianapolis pole in 1965, '66 and '87. We started by discussing the changes to the qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500, chiefly moving Pole Day to the second day of action. He is still very much involved in racing through his longtime association with Firestone, and he rarely turns down the opportunity to take the wheel to give pace car rides or two-seat Indy car rides. With victories in the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, classic endurance races and a Formula One world championship, Mario Andretti's résumé is unmatched.Īlthough it has been 20 years since the 'Arrivederci, Mario!' tour that announced his retirement from full-time competition, Andretti hasn't slowed down much.

With such a dramatically altered landscape, it made sense to talk to a man who has done it all - and won it all. The illusion of parity is almost there, but at the expense of a lot of unhappy competitors. The Verizon Ind圜ar Series hasn't worried about a championship blowout since 2005, yet it has implemented a major shakeup to its point system, doling out double points for 500-mile races and laying a ton of points on the line for the revised Indianapolis 500 qualifying format.Īnd the newly minted TUDOR United Sports Car Championship has taken micromanagement to a new level by attempting to balance the performance of two radically different classes of cars. F1 also has taken steps to try to slow down Sebastian Vettel's dominance by offering double points for the final race of the season. There are also rule changes, chiefly aimed at the ride height, that alter the way teams set up their cars.įormula One is introducing a whole new engine formula, with downsized V-6 engines and myriad hybrid electronics and driver aids that are currently making life miserable for engineers and technicians. NASCAR has expanded and revamped its postseason playoff system, adding more drivers and creating stick-and-ball style eliminations. This year, it seems auto racing is pushing that old axiom to the limit, with major changes in almost every professional category of the sport in America, with the exception of NHRA drag racing.

INDIANAPOLIS - We are often reminded that the only constant in life is change. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser

Download mario andretti nascar