In the world of motor sports marketing, few names are as recognizable as Andy Granatelli, the ingenious pitchman and racing promoter who funded numerous Indianapolis 500 efforts before capturing victory with Mario Andretti in the 1969 race. Also known as the driving force behind Richard Petty’s long-term STP sponsorship in the World of Nascar racing, in the process helping to create the iconic red and sky blue paint scheme recognised by fans of American auto racing around the world. Granatelli remained a colourful figure in American auto racing for over 30 years, and still regularly attended Indycar events until his passing at the age of 90 in December 2013.

Born in March 1923 in Dallas, Texas, Granatelli was raised in Chicago by his widower father., and after quitting school at the age of 14 to train as a car mechanic alongside his elder brothers.. By the age of 20, he was an investor in his brothers’ service station, and soon began selling auto parts under his own name as a sideline business. Following the conclusion of World War II, Granatelli began promoting automotive races under the ‘Hurricane Racing Association’ banner, combining racing opportunities for up-and-coming drivers with crowd-pleasing stunt-work and theatrics, with one event in Illinois becoming so successful that warranted an estimated crowd of over 26,000 people.

After earning his wealth and reputation through the Hurricane series, Granatelli began to turn his attention to Indycar racing, with he and his brothers making their debuts in the event fielding an 11 year old machine for rookie driver Danny Kladis, finishing in 21st place after starting the race in the 33rd and final qualifying position. In 1948, Granatelli tried his hand at making the 500 himself as a driver, but a qualifying crash proved his talents were best used in promoting races and fielding race teams rather then behind the wheel.

Away from racing, Granatelli’s business acumen soon began to earn him a fearsome reputation in the corporate world, particularly in his ability to turn around failing automotive business and either return them to former glories or sell them for a significant profit. In 1961 he purchased Tuneup Masters for $300,000; and over the next decade turn the specialty service provider into a profitable and highly sought after service that was eventually sold for 53 million dollars. His biggest success however came in 1964, when he became the CEO of the faltering lubrication company Chemical Compounds, using shrewd marketing techniques and his racing pedigree to promote the company’s ‘Scientifically Treated Petroleum’ to a larger mainstream audience. Through Granatelli’s help, STP became a renowned household name, as well as one that would follow Granatelli throughout his racing exploits into the late eighties at the Brickyard.

Granatelli’s rise to prominence at the Indy 500 really began in 1961, when he purchased the rights to use the dual camshaft, supercharged Novi V-8 engine at the Brickyard. Fans loved the engine’s distinctive howl, but harnessing its excessive power proved troublesome for drivers Jim Hurtubise, Art Malone and Bobby Unser. Reliability issues also impacted the Novi’s performance, and after five frustrating years with the system Granatelli abandoned the engine after the 1966 running where a crash in qualifying had excluded it from that year’s field. His next innovation at Indianapolis came in 1967, when Granatelli fielded a turbine-powered race car driven by Parnelli Jones. Jones qualified sixth on the grid, but quickly passed the rest of the field on the opening lap. With just four laps remaining in the race, and a full lap ahead of second place A.J. Foyt, Jones coasted to the inside of the track down the back straight, barely managing to limp the car home to the pits. A certain victory had been spoiled by a transmission bearing, which Granatelli later referred to as a “$6.00 part.”

Granatelli would also field turbine cars for the 1968 running of the race, although rule changes had made turbine cars far less competitive. Now using a more sophisticated Lotus 56 chassis, the STP team once again appeared to be in position to win the race, but a restart on lap 191 left race leading team driver Joe Leonard with a snapped fuel shaft, a problem that also dropped Leonard’s team-mate Art Pollard from the race. With turbine power outlawed for 1969, Granatelli managed his first Indy 500 victory in a conventional (and year-old) race car driven by Mario Andretti, before Gordon Johncock would give the team boss his second triumph four years later in the tragic 1973 running of the event. Following that season, Granatelli made the decision to shut down his racing team, with STP moving on to serve as the primary sponsor for Patrick Racing seasons. During their tenure the company picked up a third triumph at the Brickyard, once again in the hands of Gordon Johncock in 1982. Despite efforts that lasted until 1991, the victory would be the final one for “Mister 500.”

Though today’s Indianapolis rules and contract restrictions seldom allow for of flamboyance and innovation exhibited by Granatelli over his time at the Brickyard, his genius and his energy won’t soon be forgotten by many figures at the speedway, be it through his in-the-moment kiss to celebrate Mario Andretti’s 500 victory in 1969, the colourful uniforms used by his pit-crew or the part he played in creating one of racing’s most iconic racing paint schemes. And in the process going a long way to show that those colour figures away from the track can prove just as influential off the track as those on it.

In today’s video Parnelli Jones and Bobby Unser speak about their experiences of driving for Granatelli: