"It almost killed me": Mario Andretti recalls unforgettable race weekend ft. Bruce McLaren

Former IndyCar champion Mario Andretti featured on the Formula Reports channel where he discussed all things racing with the host. Andretti recalled the 1967 Sebring 12 Hours race weekend where he teamed up with motorsport and automotive legend Bruce McLaren to bring home the win for the Ford factory team.

The host questioned Mario Andretti about his passion for motorsports, asking the former IndyCar driver about his longevity. Andretti raced for over three decades in IndyCar and revealed where his passion for racing originated.

The 85-year-old revealed how racing was his priority and that his wife Dee Ann never made him feel guilty about following his passion. He then gave examples of racing in different championships over a season despite signing contracts that didn't allow it, yet, he went ahead with it because of his love for the sport.

One such example was the 1967 Sebring 12 Hours endurance race where he teamed with Bruce McLaren and raced the Ford GT40 around the oval. While talking about the same, he said:

“I mean, you know, when I won Sebring in 67, with Bruce McLaren on a Saturday, on a Sunday. I was in a stock car race in Atlanta, 500 mile race the next day, you know, which physically almost killed me, you know, but did I need that? No, but I wanted to.” (19:13 onwards)

“So, you know, things like that, earlier, I mean, even early 70s, for instance, I would do Formula One and then go, come to the States and do a dirt track race. Actually 74, you know, I won the national championship, you know, on a dirt track series. I was doing, Formula 5000, Formula One, IndyCars and dirt track racing,” added Mario Andretti.

After winning the Sebring 12 Hours on Saturday, Andretti participated in the NASCAR race at Atlanta on Sunday, where he unfortunately had to retire from the race.

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“I looked like a Skeleton”: When Mario Andretti reflected on the Sebring 12 Hours and Atlanta 500 doubleheader

Mario Andretti talks to the media while attending the F1 75 Live at The O2 Arena on February 18, 2025, in London, England - Source: Getty

Mario Andretti’s back-to-back races at Sebring and Atlanta left him in a poor condition. The former IndyCar revealed the same as he explained the treacherous conditions inside the Ford GT40 during Sebring, followed by the tire blowout in NASCAR. In an interview with Racer in 2017 Andretti mentioned:

"Ford is carting us back and forth from Sebring to Atlanta in the same weekend, [and] after the race at Sebring, I was as spent as I had ever been because there was a lot of wind during the race and the air intakes into the cockpit were plugged up, and it was so hot.”

“I couldn't even get out of bed! When I went home, my mother cried; my eyes were [sunken] in my head about two inches. I looked like a skeleton,” he added.

Mario Andretti's tire blowout happened on the 493rd mile out of 500 at the Atlanta 500 while he was in the lead pack, and took the chances away of consecutive wins at Sebring and Atlanta.