FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 7th, 2019
NBC SPORTS FILMS ANNOUNCES DRIVE LIKE ANDRETTI DOCUMENTARY DETAILING LIFE OF RACING LEGEND MARIO ANDRETTI
Andretti’s First-Person Account as Refugee, Immigrant, Cultural Icon and Racing Legend Ahead of 50th Anniversary of 1969 Indianapolis 500 Win
Includes Celebrity Interviews with Ludacris, Ice-T, Jay Leno, Tim Allen, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Drive Like Andretti Debuts Saturday, May 11, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, Leading Into INDYCAR Grand Prix
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 7, 2019 – NBC Sports Films celebrates the life of Mario Andretti with Drive Like Andretti – a documentary featuring Andretti’s first-person account as a refugee, immigrant, cultural icon and racing legend – ahead of NBC Sports’ presentation of the 2019 Indianapolis 500, which marks the 50th anniversary of Andretti’s victory at the Brickyard in 1969. Drive Like Andretti will debut on Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, leading into NTT IndyCar Series coverage of the INDYCAR Grand Prix at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
Drive Like Andretti follows Andretti – the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and a Formula 1 World Championship – as he recounts his improbable journey, beginning as a war refugee in Italy and concluding as the most famous racecar driver on Earth.
The documentary features interviews with a number of celebrities across entertainment and popular culture who discuss Andretti’s profound impact beyond the race track, including; Ludacris, Ice-T, Jay Leno, Tim Allen, Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASA Apollo 10 astronaut Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, and journalist A.J. Baime.
Click here to watch Leno discuss Andretti’s influence and the memory of interviewing Mario on The Tonight Show.
Drive Like Andretti includes interviews with Andretti in Montona, Croatia; Tuscany, Italy; Andretti’s home in Nazareth, Pa.; Andretti’s winery in Napa, Calif.; and Speedway, Ind., at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“With our inaugural presentation of the Indianapolis 500 this May, we wanted to tell a story that would connect audiences to the great history of that race,” said Mark Levy, Senior Vice President, Original Productions and Creative, NBC Sports Group. “The result was Drive Like Andretti, a compelling first-person account of Mario Andretti’s improbable immigrant journey and an exploration of how his victory at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 helped make the name Andretti synonymous with speed in America. We think racing fans and non-racing fans alike will love this story and appreciate what Mario accomplished, on and off the track.”
NBC SPORTS PREVIEWS DRIVE LIKE ANDRETTI AT SXSW ON MONDAY, MARCH 11, FEATURING PANEL WITH MARIO ANDRETTI AND 2018 INDY 500 CHAMP WILL POWER
NBC Sports will preview Drive Like Andretti at SXSW in Austin on Monday, March 11, at the Comcast NBCU House at Container Bar. The event will feature a preview of the documentary, followed by a panel discussion with Andretti, 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power, and NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey surrounding the documentary and the upcoming Indianapolis 500. Click here for more information as well as details for press interested in attending the panel.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS FILMS
NBC Sports Films, a division of NBC Sports Group, was founded in 2015 and produces sports documentaries that air across NBC, NBCSN, NBC Sports Regional Networks, and NBC Sports Digital’s platforms. Using the story telling abilities of the Emmy Award-winning production units that produce NBC Sports’ coverage of the Olympics, Sunday Night Football, and the Stanley Cup Final, NBC Sports Films shines a spotlight on historical moments and compelling stories that stem from the myriad of signature sports properties in the NBC Sports Group portfolio.
-NBC SPORTS-
