A Chance Encounter with Racing Legend John Andretti: Lessons in Humility and Kindness

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Reflect on the power of fleeting encounters as I recount an unforgettable meeting with the late racing legend John Andretti in this week's road trip episode. Picture an unexpected pairing at Bertel Roos Racing School, where our son Henry found himself teamed up with John's son, Jarett. This chance encounter with John revealed not just his legacy on the track but his genuine character off it. Learn how his humility and kindness left a lasting impact, showcasing that the true measure of success isn't just accolades and titles, but the positive influence one can have on others.

Journey with me as I share dinner conversations filled with racing stories and life lessons that John generously imparted. This episode serves as a heartwarming reminder of the connections we form and the importance of cherishing them, no matter how brief. Discover how John Andretti's words of encouragement and acts of kindness can inspire us all to leave a positive mark in our own lives. Tune in to explore how even the most fleeting encounters can leave a profound impact on our journey through life.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host, dan, and eachweek we'll embark on a new
adventure, discovering memoriesand life lessons of our
incredible guests, from everydaytravelers to thrill seekers and
everyone in between.
This podcast is your front rowseat to inspiring stories of
passion, resilience and thepursuit of happiness, so buckle

(00:23):
up and enjoy the ride.
I'm on a solo drive today.
I hope you enjoy it.
If you've listened to thispodcast, you know it's about
stories and, again, myencouragement to you is to
record stories of family andfriends that are close to you so

(00:43):
that you can preserve thosestories.
I am sure, like me, you've hadpeople come into your life over
the years.
Some stay for seasons, somestay for decades, some stay for
years, some stay for a day ortwo, but no matter what, people
impact our lives on a dailybasis.
We're not here living on anisland all by ourself.

(01:04):
We're surrounded by people.
I was recently reminded of oneof those people that came into
our life for basically two daysback in November of 2013.
And I thought of him recentlybecause of a note I wrote in
February of 2020, shortly afterhis death in January.
His name is John Andretti.
Yes, he's of the Andrettifamily.

(01:26):
He was a racer, but my note wasentitled A Racer and a
Gentleman, and that's exactlywhat he was.
John's career covered IndyCar.
It covered NASCAR, nhra, imsa,rolex, sports cars.
If you know anything aboutracing, you know those are the
pinnacles of racing.
He's the nephew of MarioAndretti, the son of Mario's

(01:48):
twin brother, aldo, and here'show that note went.
If you know me well, then youlikely know my affinity for auto
racing, and in my lifetime I'vehad the honor of having dinner
with one of the great racinglegends, john Andretti.
I remember it was likeyesterday.
Henry had just returned fromCanada.
John Andretti, I remember itwas like yesterday.
Henry had just returned fromCanada.
He was signed up with theBertel Roos Racing School to be

(02:08):
a part of their enduro race atRoebling Road.
In this particular race, eachdriver is partnered up with a
teammate for a one and a halfhour race in a formula car, but
the teammate was a surprise.
Henry had no idea who he'd bepaired up with.
Upon arriving at the track, thefirst person I see is John
Andretti.
Of course, I tried to remaincalm and act casual.
There was no denying I wasstarstruck.

(02:30):
This was John Andretti and, loand behold, henry's partner was
none other than John's son,jared.
Later that evening, henry and Ihad the pleasure of swapping
racing stories over dinner withJohn and Jared.
To say it was fun would be anunderstatement.
Indie winner, nascar winner, 24hours of Daytona winner All I
could think about were thetitles this man held and what an

(02:53):
inspiration he had been to alot of people.
Though the stories were prettycool and his track record rather
impressive, what struck me themost was John's character.
He was both thoughtful andhumble, and not once did he or
Jarrett, and not once was he orJarrett dissatisfied.
They had been partnered withHenry, just 18 years old at the

(03:14):
time.
Rather, john spoke words ofencouragement into Henry, giving
him practical instruction andtips on the track.
He didn't know it to us, but hedid it anyway, and I even
recall that when Jared noticedHenry didn't have tear-offs on
his visor, he prepared Henry'shelmet for the 45-minute race.
You hear people talk aboutrandom acts of kindness, and

(03:36):
though our time was brieftogether, I experienced just
this with John.
After everything I'd read abouthim, I can attest that John was
not only remembered for histalent behind the wheel, but he
will be remembered for his heartand what he did for others.
Never take for granted whatkind of impact you might leave
on someone else's life.
I know I will never forget theexperience of meeting John and

(03:58):
his son, jared.
I think the thing we can takeaway from this story and I'm
sure you have many like it isthat people come into our lives
for a reason and we need toembrace the time with them.
One of the things that Laurengave me for Christmas in 2023
was StoryWorth.
It's a product where she picked53 questions that I would be

(04:19):
prompted with each week toanswer.
I fell off schedule a bit, so Iwas left with about nine
questions a couple weeks ago andI've been knocking those off
one by one.
One of those questions thisweek was what qualities do you
value in friends?
And this made me think back toour time with John Andretti and

(04:40):
his son, but it also made mejust wonder Go way back to my
childhood and think about allthe people who have come into my
life and the things that Ilanded on that were important in
these friendships.
As I said early on, friendshipscan last a day or two, like
ours with the Andrettys, or theycan last lifetimes or anywhere

(05:00):
in between.
So you need to embrace whypeople are sent into your life
in the moment.
I hope you've enjoyed thislittle short podcast today and I
do hope you'll record storieswith those that are around you
and if you've got an old friendthat you need to call up, hop on
the phone today.
Give them a call and catch up.
You might be surprised.
You might just pick up rightwhere you left off the last time

(05:22):
.
In case you were wondering howJarrett and Henry finished up in
2013 in that race, theyfinished second, second only to
the owner of the school, so wewalked away from that feeling
pretty good.
Jarrett has gone on to be aracer in his own right,
following in the steps of hisfather.
John Henry spent 10 years outon the road making drivers go

(05:43):
fast.
He focused his attention lastyear to his BMW performance and
tuning shop here in Cincinnati,and so that's where you find him
today off the road and in hisshop, still making people go
fast in their BMWs.
John Andretti's memory stilllives on today.
With the Check it for AndrettiFoundation, they are on a
mission to bring awareness tocolon cancer, which is what,

(06:06):
unfortunately, took John's life.
I hope you'll visit theirwebsite and learn more about
their cause.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your own
, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and

(06:28):
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels and remember youcan find me on the internet at
dantheroadtripguycom.