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Winning Indy car team-owner Granatelli dies

Winning Indy car team-owner Granatelli dies

Vince Granatelli

Photo by: Steve Shunck

Vince Granatelli of STP, Bill Dunne, Mario Andretti and March designer Robin Herd at Kyalami F1 GP in 1970.

Photo by: David Phipps

Vincent Joseph Granatelli, son of charismatic STP promoter Andy Granatelli, was a crew chief when STP ran the famous turbine cars, and was also involved in the STP team’s brief flirtation in Formula 1, which saw Mario Andretti score a podium in the pretty but mediocre March 701.

But Vince truly emerged from the shadow of his father when he took over Dan Cotter’s Indy car team in the 1980s and almost immediately found success.

After winning the Indy 500 in 1983 with Tom Sneva, the Bignotti-Cotter team’s fortunes dwindled as Sneva departed and Bignotti retired. Roberto Guerrero scored only four podiums in three seasons.

However, with Vince Granatelli in charge from 1987, the team won only its second race, Guerrero charging from the back of the field at Phoenix (his car had failed post-qualifying…

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