But then COVID-19 claimed his twin brother and one of the greatest racers of all time is not immune from the loneliness and depression sweeping the world. And his beloved nephew lost a brutal battle with colon cancer. His wife died two years ago, long before the pandemic. Andretti feels the same pain as so many others these days. 21, 2020, file photo, Mario Andretti looks on before the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And when all the racetracks were closed, his world became very, very small. There is no bigger star at a racetrack than Mario Andretti, the only driver to win the Formula One championship, the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. It came about six weeks before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill and Andretti suddenly had nowhere to go. His beloved nephew John Andretti lost his three-year fight with colon cancer in early 2020, a death that shook the family. His sister and his wife died months apart in 2018 and maybe those back-to-back losses, and the hardness toward death that is inherent to racers accustomed to losing fellow competitors, should have prepared Andretti for 2020.īut the blows were just too deep.

One of the greatest racers of all time is struggling, not unlike so many people around the world during this pandemic that has devastated families and claimed more than 3 million lives. (Nazareth) - Mario Andretti is loneliest at night, when he’s home alone in his sprawling Pennsylvania mansion, and there’s no one to talk to but Gonzo, his 34-year-old Amazon parrot. And his beloved nephew John lost a brutal battle with colon cancer.

Mario feels the same pain as so many others these days. In this May 10, 2009, file photo, John Andretti, left, walks out of the pit area his his uncle, Mario Andretti, after a practice session on the second day of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be. The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over.

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