He has had a fabulous career-statistically, he’s one of the most accomplished American open-wheel hotshoes of them all, with scores of victories and a CART Indy-car national championship under his belt (1991). But today Michael Andretti, 59, has fulfilled his destiny. It couldn’t have been easy growing up the racing son of the most famous racing driver of all time. “When I offered him a happy Father’s Day, I wasn’t really sincere. “It’s such a cool story, but it was also incredibly frustrating,” he says. We’re sitting in the Andretti Autosport hospitality area in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just before qualifying for the 2022 Gallagher Grand Prix on the track’s road course. When asked about it today, Michael can only chuckle. Michael turned to Mario and said, “Well, happy Father’s Day, Dad.”

“Do you want to say anything to your dad right now?” the TV interviewer asked. Father beat son by four inches to snatch the victory-on Father’s Day. Michael and Mario at the 1986 Portland Indy-car race. Immediately after the finish, the cameras caught Michael’s then wife, Sandy, sobbing in the pit lane, while he stood with his father at the center of a mob of fans and TV cameras. That’s probably what cost me the championship that year.” The “funniest” thing of all? That race, where father beat son by those fateful four inches, went down on Father’s Day. “That was so disappointing,” Michael Andretti says today.

It turned out Mario beat Michael by about four inches. “Well, it’s perhaps the closest and best Indy-car finish in history!” His father caught him, and the two cars flew by the checkered flag at almost exactly the same time. Joe’s 200, over two seconds ahead of his father, Mario, on the last lap, when he ran out of gas coming out of the final turn. He was about to win the 1986 Portland Budweiser/G.I. 18 March 86C Cosworth, likely with every muscle in his body clenched. SIGN UP FOR THE TRACK CLUB BY R&T FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE STORIES This story originally appeared in Volume 13 of Road & Track. “ is out of fuel, dropping to the inside! And here comes the finish line! Who’s gonna win it?!” “He’s out of fuel!” the TV announcer screamed into his microphone.

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