Mario competed 29 times in the Indianapolis 500, with only a single victory in 1969 to his credit, which occurred very early in his career. His unsuccessful quest for a second victory was documented by television, radio, media, and fans. A prevailing opinion in racing circles began to grow that a perceived bad luck "curse" had overcome him (and his family) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti himself said that "Lady Luck" seemed to be against him at times. Meanwhile, fellow "Brickyard" legends of his era (A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Al Unser, Jr., Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, and Rick Mears) all racked up multiple Indy 500 wins. Andretti's perceived curse became such a popular "watercooler topic" during the month of May that some fans were known to have betting pools to guess which lap he would drop out of the race.