“He was not very happy” - When Mario Andretti reflected on beating son Michael in Indycar on Father’s Day

The Andretti family is often regarded as racing royalty with eight members of the family involved in professional racing. However, Michael and Mario Andretti are the two most successful of the bunch. The father-son duo raced each other back in the day and Mario once reflected on the time he beat his son in IndyCar.

Mario, Michael, and Marco made an appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in 2019. The host asked Mario if he ever imagined the next generations to continue in his racing footsteps.

As the former F1 world champion reflected on his family's racing heritage, Fallon asked if they'd ever raced each other. Michael replied that they had with the host following up with a question about who won.

Mario Andretti said, “I’ll be very honest with you. Michael had the race won. I couldn't catch him. About a couple of laps from the end, my engineer was screaming in my ear and he said, ‘Michael is having some fuel pickup problem.’ So we're coming down to drag race to the finish and his engine shuttered a bit. That's it. I clipped him. He was not very happy.”

The race was the 1986 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland. The four-time IndyCar champion won the race by 0.07 seconds. When it happened, it was the closest-ever finish in IndyCar.

Andretti Sr. raced for the Newman/Haas Racing team with the Lola T86/00 car while Michael Andretti raced for Kraco Racing which used the March 86C Cosworth. Michael was involved in the 1986 championship fight but lost by eight points to Bobby Rahal.

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“Why Didn’t You Let Your Son Win”: Mario Andretti Reveals What His Wife Said After the Close Finish With Michael

2021 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach - Source: Getty

The 1986 Grand Prix of Portland took place on Father's Day. Andretti Sr. revealed how his son was grumpy on the podium after losing the race win. He suggested that someone asked Michael to lighten up on the podium with the son replying, “Okay, Happy Father's Day dad.”

As the father-son discussed the close finish, Mario Andretti recalled what his wife, Dee Ann Andretti told him after the race. He revealed, "My wife said, 'Why didn't you let your son win?' and I said, 'Are you kidding?' Come on Dee Ann."

Michael Andretti then pulled his father's leg and suggested how he forgot to get a gift for Father's Day. Therefore, he offered the race win and the extra points as a gift to Mario.