MARIO ANDRETTI’S 1988 SEASON Nineteen-eighty-eight marked the final year of a single-car program for the Newman/Haas Racing team and the beginning of a 13-year sponsorship by K-Mart, which altered the livery to a primarily white design.

A difficult season, a number of retirements were countered by seven podium finishes throughout the remainder of the calendar.

For Mario Andretti, it was truly feast or famine: In the season opener, at Phoenix International Raceway, Mario began in top form, achieving a race win after leading the most laps.

After securing a front-row start at the next event, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, back-to-back victories would have been a certainty given Andretti’s record at the circuit—only for a mechanical failure to end his race on lap 70.

A familiar position on the second row at the Indianapolis 500 provided Mario another chance to win his elusive second victory at the Brickyard.

Unfortunately, his second retirement of the season occurred, and a thir...