The White House, U.S. Capital, Lincoln Memorial and a 50-plus-year-old Mario Andretti race car all have one thing in common — they have their respective areas for sightseers and history buffs in Washington D.C. to enjoy.
Andretti’s 1969 Indianapolis 500-winning car sits prominently on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Perhaps the oddball of the group, Andretti’s race car has a book’s worth of history behind it.
What started as Andretti’s backup at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 turned into the miracle car Andretti needed. The Brawner Hawk was elevated to be Andretti’s chariot after a crash during practice destroyed his primary race car, a Lotus. The crash left Andretti with burns on his face.
Thus, the Brawner Hawk was thrust into duty. As Andretti recalled, he and the Ford-powered car already had success together.
“The car came away a winner at Hanford, California a couple of weeks earlier,” Andretti explained. “You know, so again, was not prepared for anything but that’s all we had.”
While Andretti and team owner Andy Granatelli felt positive about the Brawner Hawk after qualifying second, cooling issues and staying within the rules forced the STP-backed team to pivot prior to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“They put a radiator behind the seat of the car,” Andretti said. “With air pickup from underneath and exhausting at the top.
“Can you imagine the heat during the race? It wasn’t very efficient either.”
Thus, a calculated then-29-year-old Andretti accepted the hand he was dealt and made it work, despite another major issue arising during the race.
Andretti’s team couldn’t get his right rear tire off the car during pit stops, forcing him to tactfully conserve the tire for all 500 miles.
Leading 116 of 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval, Andretti scampered off to his one and only Indianapolis 500 victory.
After the event, the car was donated by STP and Granatelli to the Smithsonian Institution, where it stood proudly for many years.
“It had been on display at the Smithsonian for 27 years before they sort of took it down to the basement,” Andretti said.
While the Brawner Hawk remained in storage for years, the National Air and Space Museum opened a new exhibition, called Nation of Speed on October 14, 2022.
Andretti’s famed race car had a new home where tourists can visit the red No. 2.
“It seemed like it fit that mold,” Andretti said. “I was so proud that they brought it out and it have such a beautiful, prominent display.
“I’m proud because motorsport is actually present in such fashion in a museum, such as again, the Smithsonian in Washington.”
Richard Petty’s 1984 Pontiac, the same car the NASCAR Hall of Famer won his 200th race in at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, is among the cars also on display in the Nation of Speed wing.
While the exhibit has been up and running for almost two years and the race itself has eclipsed its 55th anniversary, Andretti still hears from avid race fans about that monumental day.
“It’s amazing how many people (say), ‘Hey Mario, I was there in 1969.’
“I said, ‘Do you know what I’ve done since in all that?’ Seems like that’s the only event that I’ve ever really had success in,” Andretti laughed. “It has that much flavor to it.
“I felt so proud to have this exhibit, because it’s going to be there for the foreseeable future. I mean, winning Indy, it’s got legs and that’s one thing for sure.”