Mario Andretti makes a surprise stop at a racing fan’s Speedway

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Twenty-two years ago, Pat and his wife purchased land in Speedway.

They loved race weekend – hosting campers, meals and post-race chats.

The Speedway and its identity with the Indy 500 were fully embraced by Pat and his family.

This year, Pat wanted to mark what it meant to his family by putting up a fender and wheel and asking people to sign it.

He posted about it on X, formerly Twitter, and was surprised to see how many people shared it.

It didn’t take long for friends, neighbors and other racing fans to stop by and sign it or leave a short message.

But nothing…nothing…prepared him for what he saw on his doorbell camera a few days before the race.

It was the legendary Indy 500 winner, Mario Andretti himself. No entourage, security, nothing. Just Mario, stopping at a little house at the Speedway and leaving a note of appreciation for a real fan.

There was only one problem…Pat was at the store and his wife didn’t hear the doorbell!

“Best 36 seconds of our 22 years at Speedway…even though I was at the store! I’m laughing now, but not so much earlier when I was missing him!” » posted Pat.

So… Pat went home with a signature, a special message from Mario and a short doorbell video to capture the moment.