Surprisingly, Mario Andretti won the Indy 500 only once during his career. The year was 1969, exactly 50 years ago, and the Lotus he originally planned to drive had failed significantly during practice. After a heavy 150mph impact that bruised and burned the Italian-American, the only car left was “The Hawk” – a Brabham chassis clone that mechanic Clint Brawner had modified. The car had served him well a month before in a race at Hanford, and Andretti qualified the car in the middle of the front row. By the end of the 500, Mario’s scorched lips were soothed by ice-cold Indy milk.
The Hawk’s striking, bright red STP livery was forever etched in the minds of those who watched the race. This shirt commemorates that historic win, depicting the same livery with the prominent number “2” he carried on that day, plus the recognizable Andretti signature.
As fans of iconic liveries, we love the design of this shirt. In addition to the front graphics, the shirt features the official 50th Anniversary logo on the back. With about three weeks left until the 2019 Indy 500, and a reasonable price point of $32, we recommend grabbing this collector’s item as soon as possible.
