Andy Granatelli (1923-2013)
Anthony “Andy” Granatelli, one of the most important figures in American motorsports, died of congestive heart failure in a Santa Barbara Hospital Sunday, according to his son Vince. Granatelli leaves a legacy of American ingenuity, business savvy, and good old-fashioned showmanship.
Andy was born 18th of March, 1923, to a working-class family that lived in the rough part of Chicago. Two years after his mother’s death, a 14-year-old Andy dropped out of school to help feed the family. When he was 20, he and his brother purchased a Texaco station with what little money they had. Around this time, he was also president of the Hurricane Racing Association. These stunt shows involved roll-over and end-over crashes, and even an ambulance that would join in the action, often spitting out a stretcher with a mannequin strapped in. Granatelli also promoted serious motorsports events throughout the Midwest, establishing his prowess as a showman.
When racing returned to Indy in 1946, Granatelli and his brothers entered the race, starting a long obsession with the 500 Mile Sweepstakes. His love of the Brickyard earned him the nickname “Mister 500,” even though he wasn’t winning. In 1961, Granatelli began fielding cars with the fan favorite Novi engine, which also never won a race. In 1967, Granatelli came to Indy with Lotus chassis powered by turbine engines. The cars were considered controversial for several reasons, one being the fact they made little noise. Parnelli Jones nearly won Granatelli his first 500, untill a cheap gear bearing gave way with three laps to go. In ’68, Joe Leonard held the lead until his car broke down late, and the turbine-powered car was banned afterwards. The next year, Granatelli was stuck with using a year-old car with a conventional engine when his four-wheel driven primary chassis crashed in practice. Ironically, Mario Andretti would take the spare car and win the only 500 of his career, suffering with burns from the first crash. The image of Granatelli kissing Andretti in Victory Lane is one of the most famous in the race’s history. Gordon Johncock won Granatelli another owner’s victory in 1973.
Granatelli’s most famous contributions came in the business side. After selling an aftermarket performance parts company to Studebaker, he was enlisted to help their under-performing Chemical Compounds division, including a relatively unknown fuel additive. What was almost called “Studebaker Tested Products” became “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”, or STP. Immediately, Granatelli knew motorsports was the way to promote the product. He served as his own spokesman, and not only adorned race cars with red paint and oval stickers, Granatelli could often be seen at the track wearing a white suit with the logos spread throughout it, or even a bright red coat that matched the cars. “The Racer’s Edge”, as he promoted it, became so successful Studebaker spun off the division into its own publicly-traded corporation. In 1972, he signed a $250,000 deal to put STP on Richard Petty’s famous 43. The deal famously involved a disagreement between Granatelli’s insistence the car be “STP Red” and Petty’s insistence the car remain “Petty Blue.” The two eventually agreed on a half-and-half scheme (although Granatelli still offered a bonus for an all-red car, which Petty immediately struck from the contract), and the variants of the two-tone scheme became racing icons for almost thirty years.
Granatelli’s last major venture was a chain of auto repair garages, which he sold in the 80’s. Although he was not as active at the track, Granatelli remained a legendary figure in the history of American motorsport. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992.
Image courtesy National Speed Sports News. (http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/indy/izod-indycar/indy-500-winning-car-owner-granatelli-dies/)
Video from Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Centennial Celebration:
