Andy Granatelli

Andy Granatelli
Granatelli at the 2011 Indianapolis 500
Born(1923-03-18)March 18, 1923
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 2013(2013-12-29) (aged 90)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Known forCEO of motor oil company STP

Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.

Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brothers Vince and Joe, he first worked as an auto mechanic and "speed-shop" entrepreneur, modifying engines such as the flathead Ford into racing-quality equipment. During World War II, he became a promoter of automobile racing events, such as the Hurricane Racing Association (which combined racing opportunities for up-and-coming drivers with crowd-pleasing theatrics). Hurricane events, according to Granatelli in his autobiography They Call Me Mister 500, included drivers who were experts at executing—and surviving—roll-over and end-over-end crashes, and also an ambulance that not only got caught up into the race but also ejected a stretcher (with a dummy on it) into the way of the racers.

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