EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Exclusive: 6 full throttle questions for racing legend, Mario Andretti
Sep 10, 2020, 10:51 am
Photo via: Wiki Commons.
Today I was lucky enough to talk to Mario Andretti, a living legend in auto racing. He has won over 100 races including an Indy 500 in 1969 and a Daytona 500 in 1967. Mario could not have been more kind as we talked about where IndyCar is today and what some plans are moving forward including the recent addition of Jimmie Johnson as it was announced Wednesday that he would drive for Chip Ganassi racing in the IndyCar.
SportsMap: I am joined here today by in my opinion the greatest race car driver who has ever lived, Mr. Mario Andretti. Mario, thank you so much for joining me here today.
Mario Andretti: My pleasure, Trey. Thank you for having me.
SM: So right off the bat as we all know, IndyCar is under new management. How would you rate the job that Roger Penske has done so far in his first season?
MA: Triple A! We're so fortunate that he has [taken] on the reigns of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis during these difficult times, and we have all the confidence in the world that we will get right through this, and we look forward to a better and more prosperous 2021. But to answer your question, we're all thrilled that he's at the helm of the series and Indy. He has made so many improvements to the speedway, and he did all this knowing that the race wouldn't be [run] with fans, so he has done terrific.
SM: You mentioned earlier that he has made many improvements to the speedway, what sort of improvements have you seen that make it more accessible for the fans when they are able to return next year?
MA: Just the accessibility to the fans has been incredible. They have paved a lot of the parking lots, lots of accessibility to the tower, the restrooms are much cleaner and it's only the beginning. He is planning to add at least 20 big screens to the track so the fans can see every inch of the track.
SM: How do you like the racing we are seeing with today's cars? I know they are a lot more spec than they were when you raced. Do you like the product we are seeing on the track?
MA: I think a lot of the racing we see on the ovals and the road courses have put a lot on the drivers themselves because everything is so close together, we see a lot of races that are won and loss in the pits more than ever. So it's kind of become more a team sport as well.
SM: What is your opinion on the new windscreen that IndyCar has unveiled this season to try and protect these drivers?
MA: Well I think there are a lot of benefits to it, but there are also a lot of possible drawbacks as well. They have a lot of work to do, and they haven't had a lot of time with this abbreviated season. And they are working on the ventilation with the heat and everything but when it comes to safety, I am all for it.
SM: It was announced today that Jimmie Johnson would be joining the IndyCar Series next season. How do you think his success will translate over to IndyCar?
MA: First of all, this is wonderful news by the way, and you can see that Jimmie has a lot to give to the sport. He has an enviable record in NASCAR, and then he's young enough that he wants to expand and that's beautiful for the sport. It's a win-win for everyone, motorsports wins and now that he will be going with a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, I think he can be a force to be reckoned with. I think he caught the bug when he did a test in an F1 car in Bahrain with Fernado Alonso so it will be fun to watch for sure.
If you would like to hear the entire interview, you can listen below.
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How Astros advanced metrics tell puzzling story about Houston's start
Apr 17, 2025, 5:21 pm
Major League Baseball’s regular season is 162 games long. You can think of 18 games as the first inning of the season, 18 times nine equaling 162. While the Astros 8-10 record is not good, it’s far from disastrous. Think of it as them being behind 1-0 after the first inning. It is pretty remarkable that they have yet to win consecutive games. Even during last year’s 7-19 stink bomb of a start the Astros twice managed to win two in a row.
The Astros’ offensive woes are plentiful. Oddly enough as impotent as they’ve been, the Astros have yet to be shutout. But in half their games they have scored exactly one or two runs. Basically, most of them stink thus far. Exemptions go to Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes, but it’s not like either of them has been outstanding. It’s still early enough that one big series can dramatically alter the numbers, but the Astros badly need Yordan Alvarez to pick up his production. Yordan enters the weekend batting just .224 with a .695 OPS and just four extra base hits. Yainer rhymes with minor. As in minor leagues, where Diaz belongs at his current level of performance. That is not saying Diaz should be sent down, just that any random AAA catcher called up couldn’t have done much worse to this point. Diaz isn’t hitting Altuve’s weight, a woeful .130 with seven hits in 57 at bats. Diaz simply remains too undisciplined at the plate swinging at too many balls. He’s drawn three walks. And now to Christian Walker, who thus far has delivered return on investment for his three year 60 million dollar contract about as strong as the stock market’s performance in Tariff Time. Walker’s .154 batting average and .482 OPS are very Astro Jose Abreu-like. Walker’s23 strikeouts in 65 at bats jump off the page. He has often looked befuddled in the batter's box. Walker is definitely pressing and frustrated, wanting to perform better for his new team. Jeremy Pena goes into the weekend batting .215 and has one hit in 13 at bats with runners in scoring position. Brendan Rodgers, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick all have weak stat lines, with little reason to expect quality offensive output from any of them. Cam Smith is at .200 with a yucky .591 OPS but he’s obviously a young stud work in progress thrown into the deep end of the pool.
All batting orders are top-heavy, the Astros’ on paper more so than many. As I set forth on one of our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts this week, the first inning should be a team’s best offensive inning. It’s the only frame in which a team gets to dictate who comes up from the start with the batters lined up just as the manager slots them. Add to that, the first inning is a good time to get to a starting pitcher before he settles in. The Astros have scored a pitiful three first inning runs in 18 games, and in two of the games they pushed one across in the first, it turned out to be the only Astro run of the game. Improvement needs to come internally from the big league roster. It’s not as if the Astros have a meaningful prospect at AAA Sugar Land who looks ready to help. Entering play Thursday the Space Cowboys’ team average was .186. Second base hopeful Brice Matthews is nowhere close, batting .180 and striking out left and right. Outfielder Jacob Melton opened three for 17 following the back injury-delayed start to his season.
As exasperating and boring as the offense has been for so many, grading needs to occur on a curve. So, while the Astros’ team batting average is a joke at .216, know that at close of business Wednesday the entire American League was batting just .232. The American League West-leading Texas Rangers scored eight fewer runs over their first 18 games than did the Astros, though that is skewed by the Astros’ one 14-run outburst against the Angels.
Familiar faces return
This weekend the Astros play host to the San Diego Padres at Daikin Park. The Friars are off to a fabulous start at 15-4. The Padres being here creates a mini reunion as both Martin Maldonado and Yuli Gurriel are on their roster. In a telling fact, Maldonado would have the third-highest batting average on the Astros if on the team with his current numbers. Maldonado is hitting .250 with seven hits in 28 at bats. The last season he finished above .200 was 2020. The only season in his career Maldonado topped .234 was his rookie season with a .266 mark in 2012.
Gurriel was last good in 2021 when he won the American League batting title at .319. He fell off a cliff from there, though perked up to have a fine postseason in the Astros’ 2022 run to World Series title number two. “La Pina” is batting .115 with just three hits in 26 at bats. Gurriel may be released soon, and approaching his 41st birthday June 9, that would probably be the end of the line. Short-timer Astro Jason Heyward is also on the Padres, and batting .190.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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