“I won that ring”: When Mario Andretti commented on his disputed Indy 500 win from 1981

Mario Andretti would've been a two-time Indy 500 winner if not for the controversial finish of the race's 65th installment in 1981. The 4x IndyCar champ was stripped of the victory 138 days after the race.

Andretti and the late Bobby Unser, who he called a close friend, were the two drivers involved in the controversy. Unser crossed the chequered flag first, and Andretti slotted in second position. However, the morning after the race, USAC officials overturned the results, slapping Unser with a 1-place penalty for violating pit exit rules and passing multiple cars under the yellow flag.

Unser, ticked off by this ruling, took the legal route to contest it. After the relentless legal rigamarole, in October, outside judges labeled USAC's 1-place penalty for the Penske Racing (now Team Penske) driver too harsh and settled for a $40,000 penalty. Unser got what he wanted - his third Indy 500 victory.

However, Mario Andretti didn't let go of his '81 victory ring. Consequently, Unser was awarded another one. Andretti, who found the ruling to be a farce, reiterated his stance in 2019. He said (via Indy Star):

"I don’t care how you twist it or turn it. I'm wearing my '81 ring with pride because I know by the rule book I won that ring."

The once good friends turned into rivals who wouldn't speak with each other. Unser, who called Andretti one of "the best friends he ever had," said,

"I was disappointed. Our friendship didn’t overcome that finish."

---

Mario Andretti revealed he never blamed Bobby Unser for USAC's failed call

Mario Andretti - Source: Getty

According to Mario Andretti, he neither intended to end his friendship with Unser nor did he find him at fault for the overturned decision. He only blamed USAC for the inconsistency in penalty implementation.

He said in 2019 (via Indy Star):

"Bobby was under the impression I was upset with him and mad at him all these years. It’s not true. I never blamed Bobby or Roger Penske. I blamed USAC for allowing an outside force to come in and change the rule book."

The only thing that put Andretti off was Unser's resistance to accepting that he broke the rule. Even when IndyCar spoke to both drivers in 2009 about the controversy, Unser defended himself by explaining how his move was within the rules. He said (0:55 onwards):

"According to the rulebook, I can pass any car that there is above the white line if I am below the white line exiting the pits, okay, which is the pit extension. But I can't pass the pace car. And it states that in the rulebook."

After that incident, Unser and Andretti did not speak for nearly four decades before reportedly reconciling in 2017. At the age of 87, Unser passed away in May 2021 of natural causes.