One thing that was certain about American automobile racing in the 20th century is that
Mario Andretti was the country's greatest race car driver. He was rated as such by votes from both fans and the media, and it's an uncontested fact that Andretti's record of success over a wide range of racing categories and an abnormally long and competitive career puts him in a league of his own, undisputed by his many challengers.
But there may be more of a debate about who America's greatest overall racing man of all-time may be.
You could nominate Bill France Sr and son Bill Jr for founding and building NASCAR into the world's most successful form of racing. You could also nominate Roger Penske for creating America's definitive race team of the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. Or you could reach back and select a guy like Harry Miller, who built and raced the fantastic Miller Indy cars from the twenties and thirties.
Then, of course, there's Dale Earnhardt, who has become even more of an icon of stock car racing in death than he was in life. And there's Andretti, for not only making himself the personification of the international American racer, but also for transcending the sport and becoming a renowned example of the American immigrant made good.
But there's no doubt in my mind that Dan Gurney is America's greatest overall racing man. Dan's driving career is one of the few that rivals Andretti's for diversity and achievement, while his remarkable second career spanning more than 30 years as a team owner and innovative car builder elevates Gurney to a unique category. Today, few people outside the motorsports mainstream know Gurney's name, and fewer still appreciate the great breadth of his achievements in the sport. In this column, I hope to set the record straight.
