Where's Mario? The Mysterious Disappearance of a NASCAR Innovator
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
- Mario Rossi was one of NASCAR's most brilliant engineers, creating innovations still common in today's racing landscape. But Mario mysteriously disappeared in early 1983. The theories of his disappearance are varied, ranging from his death to the possibility he may still be alive, living under a different identity. Join us as we shine a spotlight on an unusual case in NASCAR's history.
This video is not meant to provide any solutions to the case and does promote individual investigations. It merely is meant to showcase an unsolved mystery and a case without closure.
Read past articles on the subject:
Where is Mario Rossi? Herald-Journal July 16, 1998 news.google.com/newspapers?id...
The Life and Mysterious Death of a NASCAR Hero By Becca Gladden: www.legendsofnascar.com/Mario_...
Follow Brock and I on Twitter:
nascarman: / nascarman_rr
Brock Beard: / lastcaronbrock
Music:
Mystery Investigation | Infados
Comfortable Mystery 1 - Film Noir | Kevin MacLeod
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Thanks for watching, everyone! I just wanted to clarify something. The Pete Pistone that we mention was arrested at 6:19 is NOT the same Pete Pistone who is on SiriusXM. They were cousins. But I don't want to give off the impression that it was the radio guy who was involved in the dealings.
Hes also a Pit Reporter for MRNs b-team
Witnesses protection program. Probably lived the rest of his days in Palm coast FL.
You're channel has such consistent high quality. No clickbait, no sensationalism, no like begging. I support you for all this
Your*
mario’s great nephew here, thank you for covering this, it means a lot to us. It’s kinda hard to find information on him for multiple reasons which i won’t get into and for some reason he doesn’t even have a wikipedia page. But we really appreciate this
That's a red flag that someone doesn't want his information out there, someone with sway over Big Tech. Probably an Alphabet Agency.
Hey since you’re related to him, maybe you can ask someone in your family for information
@@hectorrubiojr2071 I have, it’s not that simple. It’s not my place to disclose anything i know
Oh ok
I knew a man (now deceased) who knew him from when he had a hanger at Spartanburg airport . He saw bale quantity of pot back then said they had police escorts . He also that dick brooks was some how involved directly or indirectly in the operation via a grass airstrip on brooks property in woodruff SC. Keep in mind that has always been rumored that dick brooks and Vic Bailey Sr (both new car dealership owners) played a large roll in the drug trade in South Carolina . He didn’t say anything about them in relation to his disappearance and at the time I didn’t know who he was talking about “Rossi” but in retrospect he knew a lot about the case and it must have been a known thing (his drug operation) here In Spartanburg.
He’s having a beer with LW Wright and DB Cooper
agreed
damnnn 😚
Heh
Nah man ... He on a island with Johnny Harra
..............now that the world knows who LW Wright is, maybe someone should ask him about Mario 🤔
**Morgan Freeman voice.**
"Mario Rossi settled in Zihuatanejo, Mexico with my friend... Andy Dufresne."
The shawshank redemption.
@@VGF80 Mario built one helluva motor for Andy's boat.
"I find I'm so excited I can barely sit or hold a thought in my head. It's the excitement only a freeman can feel. A freeman at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope I can see the Pacific. I hope it is blue as it is in my Dreams. I hope I can see my friend and shake his hand. I hope...."
Lol! 👍very good,Funny!
Spot on!👊
Maybe he’s living with LW Wright.
Or he is L.W Wright 👀
Good point…
EDIT: I just realised LW raced in 1983, around the time Mario disappeared. It all makes sense now!
He wanted 1 more rush in them stock cars before govt. Tighten up security on him very tight.
SovietOnion can’t be, according to Sterling Martin Wright kept asking basic racing questions that anyone who spent as much time as Mario did should have known.
@@TotoDG _Oh yeah, it's all coming together._
I met Bill Rossi (Mario's son) in 2005 when I purchased a '70 Dodge Charger race car project from him that he and his father had purchased together in the early 80's from Georgia. The Charger was to be a re-creation of one of his stock cars that Mario had built back in the day. At the time, Bill had told me that his father had gotten ill and had never completed the project. I assumed Mario had passed away sometime shortly after the purchase of the project. Not sure if this helps anyone, but thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in. Emery in Maine
Bill had a hand in restoring Bobby Allison's Rossi Daytona which was unveiled a few years ago and restoration has been completed. There are multiple articles and videos of the event. Bill has continued to state publicly that his father disappeared in 1983. Bill's sister has gone out of her way to find her father and keeps in contact with Bill on a regular basis. Not sure why he would tell you something different.
Perhaps because I was a stranger and he figured that was all I needed to know? If it was my father, I wouldn't tell a stranger that my dad disappeared off the face of the planet - I'd probably do the same thing, and just tell a stranger that he had become ill....I don't know....I do remember him telling me about the restoration that was being done on the Daytona. At the time I tried to buy the Petty blue Busch Grand National Daytona that he had there. It was in poor condition, but plenty worthwhile to restore. I haven't spoken to Bill for many years, but I travel up and down the east coast quite a bit and have thought about stopping in to see him on a few of my trips.
when someone just vanishes like that it's either two things they're in witness protection or they're dead.
My old man used to work with him at DiGard, I last saw Mario at New Smyrna Speedway in the early eighties.
It was a Keith Black-built engine, but it wasn't a Hemi, it was an LA-based small block 2:47
There's another mystery. Why was Keith Black murdered ?
@@jamesclements3627 He wasn’t; he died of brain cancer in 1991.
@@SolamenteVees my bad. Was obviously thinking of Mickey Thompson.
OMG. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Rossi at a garage he and Darrell Walltrip used prior to the Daytona 500. I was covering the race ,as a photographer, for Cavalcade of Racing. I was a 20 year young man trying to make it in sports photography. Mr. Rossi was working on the #88 Gatorade Chevy. He shook my hand, introduced himself to me and acted as if It was a real pleasure meeting me instead of how thrilled I was to meet one of the greatest men to turn a wrench in NASCAR racing. I will never forget the impression he left on me.
Don't know if it as mentioned in the comments, but the 305 cubic inch engine was NOT a Hemi as the video states. It was a Chrysler small block with roots in the Trans-Am series (Sam Posey - Challenger & Swede Savage - Barracuda), but was built by Keith Black. There are articles, and more importantly, PHOTOS, on the net proving this.
You should make a video about inventive cheating in nascar. Because there has been some pretty ingenious methods.
Some very deadly cheating too. Too thin wall tubing on cages. Roll cages used as fuel tanks. Restrictor plates drilled to allow more air. Just a few of so many cheats.
@@johnstark4723 I just think it would be cool.
Yes the good safe cheating way. Then the dangerous bone head cheating type that 2 videos.
I think that would be interesting as well. Hell they got a whole museum based on it, its got to be interesting enough to make a show about.
I remember when the NASCAR cheating Museum was opening Darrell Waltrip held up a big 50s style chrome bumper but it was plastic. The thing looked real too!!
I read a three-part book on Smokey yunick one time, the stuff that man did was simply ingenious
Bees wax in the radiator fins for qualifying,Waltrips 45 pound radio,radiator fan that would stop spinning at speed,
Brock Beard should’ve done a foggy stroll on a dark, back lit set wearing a trench coat, while menacingly delivering his final lines, ah-la Robert stack lol
Once again, blown away by the content and the quality! I think I can speak for the most of us; you're the best motorsports channel on youtube!
I can almost guarantee Mario Rossi, LW Wright and possibly DB Cooper are having a drink and having a bigger laugh watching this on some island in the Caribbean or Latin America in their 70's and 80's with young sun kissed girls all around watching your youtube videos @nascarman History! Another awesome video thanks. I remember the Mario Rossi name, but I never ever thought to myself, what happened to him?
I love this channel. It has really interesting stories and the videos aren’t to long. Thanks for great content!
Mario had ties to the mafia. He was probably erased because of a big loss for a boss.
Yeah. Don Aronow was "whacked" around the same time Mario vanished.
First of your videos I've seen. Hope the rest ARE AS GOOD AS THIS ONE!
I knew a man who was a welder and avid skydiver who said that Mario had a hanger at the Spartanburg airport and that it wasn’t uncommon to them unloading bales of pot back then and that they had bribed the sheriff back then sometimes getting an escort . The man that told me this died in 2012 but when I tell you his word was as good as gold I mean it . He knew people , flew planes , raced motorcycles, shot guns competitively and was a no nonsense man . When he told me this back then I wasn’t familiar with this story only being in my late teens but looking back in retrospect he knew a lot about this situation- he told me the Spartanburg skydiving club had a club house from which his hanger was visible
I am sooo intrigued by this story! I just finished a podcast called The Sneak and my mind was blown 😳
He was the mechanic who built the legendary 112 Batmobile for the North East dirt racing that car is Amazing
A 305 considered a 'mini' motor and 50 cents per gallon gasoline; I was born in the wrong era :-( .
I watched this because I thought it was about the father of someone I thought I was in a car club I was in. As I was watching, I'm thinking, what about Indy? Didn't this guys father win Indy three times on his own, and once as a relief driver? Then I noticed, looking at the people and the era they were talking about, the ages wouldn't match up. Then it finally hit me. Wrong name.
It was Mauri Rose's son I was in a car club with. I thought I was witness to a full blown mystery! Not quite. But there still two son's of famous Indy drivers. Mauri Jr. and Eddie Sachs III. Eddie, the Indy driver was actually Edward Jr. Edward Sr. evidently didn't like nick names, so they were collectively known as Edward, Eddie, and Eddie Jr.
He's gone to to shop to get some smokes with my father
Even weirder there is not much info on him. I looked on Wikipedia and i saw no page for him which is odd considering the things he accomplished. And on the fandom there was no information on his disappearance. Maybe i’m wrong but it looked like someone wanted to limit the information about him
Year later:
After the "The Sneak" podcast featuring this case, I would have expected at least a Wikipedia page... Makes it even more weird.
Sounds like witness protection to me.....
It is a shock that the Mario Rossi Story hasn't been told more. It has to be a role in not having New York New Jersey Racing today, and worse, kept Donnie Allison from Full Season Racing, which he is bitter to this day and as much as the Indianapolis 500 Misses.
It's the dark side of Racing. Moonshine to pot ro coke.
Just put Mario Rossi #22 1969 Dodge Daytona on the internet and you can read as many articles as you want.
Great story and video
Building boat engines in florida ,living in the bahamas,two choices witness protection or dead killed by "dirty fuel for the return trip?
He disappeared about the same time that Don Aronow got "whacked", coincidence???
@@roberthall696 Your right,there's so much filthy cash moved thru racing,
Well, dirty fuel, how does he bring back the money?
I can say it was neither.
@@roberthall696 damnnn 😚
You guys are doing a great job!
One glaring mistake - the motor in the #22 car at Daytona was not a "305 Hemi". It was a regular small block Chrysler engine by Keith Black based on the engines used in the Trans Am series
Been watching a lot of sopranos and its possible that he sadly was wacked.
You missed the chance for the title:
*Mario’s Missing*
USA Today's For the Win podcast "The Sneak" is doing a full podcast true crime series on Mario Rossi's disappearance, they worked with his family to find out what really happened.
When does it come out do you know
@@basketballgoat2343 it's available now I went to Spotify and typed in The Sneak.
@@robbyburnsI saw this comment the other day watching this video for about the 10th time and listened to the whole podcast today
What do you think happened to Mario?
The man should be a well-known hero for all the lives his innovations saved, and are still saving.
I was working with Mario's son Bill at Westinghouse Nuclear in Spartanburg, SC when Mario went missing. We are still friends and stay in touch. I remember him telling me about it.
another great one as usual nascar man i see what you did there at 0:33 well played
Do all Rossi's in history have that sideburn lol
Tugboatpb likely all have Italian ancestry
Somewhere people are wondering how a real estate agent builds such fast hotrods in his shed.
What a great little film interesting to learn about this guy but also so intriguing what actually happened to him?
My bet if he not died peaceful natural death yet. He sure would not around where he was living. Too dangerous. Mid west? President of little tropical island USA controls? Who knows? Main engineer for govt. High pursuit autos / boats & planes in DC. He be great in that job. That just might be where he is. A quiet isolated area in backwoods of WV. working for govt. Specially after he pulled that LW Wright stunt on govt. For 1 more speed rush!!!.
He might've passed on by now; but pretty sure he wouldn't have been taken out by the smugglers. His skills were too valuable; they probably put him to work on their boat engines. Faking someone's death was much easier back then; as was forging new identity documents.
Iirc Mario Rossi also did an attempt in Yatabe Test Track speed run with a Detomaso Pantera which i didn't remember who owned it at the time... (could be TRUST or HKS...)
He did not own the Pantera in question, the car was owned by Gary Mitsunaga (who was not affiliated with HKS or TRUST), who built the car as the ultimate street machine in 1981, designed for racing on the Tomei Expressway. He did not drive the car during the Yatabe run, with successful racing driver Kunimitsu Takahashi performing that job. Mario Rossi helped source and build the 7.4-litre LS7 big-block (bored to 7.7-litres) that would go into the back of it, for a pretty large amount of money. The car itself, though, has a bit of a legend that could rival Mario's.
Maybe u can get ahold of the guy that owns the 112 dirt modified. They had that car at Orange County speed way in Middletown New York last year at Eastern states weekend. Maybe they can help out
I can imagine Steve Letarte vanishing, it would make the NBC broadcast more enjoyable
"This is the pressure of the playoffs"
Remove Dale Jr Jeff Burton and that’s how you help NBC easily the worst broadcasters EVER
@@epic9256 it should be Michael waltrip, jammie McMurray, and Larry McReynolds
Bravo! 👏
A Trentonian native that innovated in NASCAR? Well hot damn, thats my hometown
I have never heard of this before.
Mario and Colin Chapman are probably chilling somewhere in middle America and doing autocross
If we don't find out soon, we may never find out. He'd be age 88 and if not already passed, may pass very soon. The government totally knows something. I find it hard to believe that they can't track down anyone they want to.
@Star Trek Theory Understandable.
I happen to agree with you.
Great video what a Pioneer in NASCAR I imagine he banished because he got too big and was too popular and was too famous for all his advancements in racing way ahead of his time one thing about calling it a spin out where he almost won was more like he was tapped and spun out that was pretty obvious to see they took him out.
That 22 red and gold paint scheme would look amazing on Joey Logano's car for Darlington.
#JoeyLogano
Nascarman should be hire for fox Or history for alot of tv shows of nascar's history.
Chauffering those Superbirds and Chargers needed super skills!
He's definitely in WitPro, "Neither Confirm nor Deny" basically means, yeah, he's in WitPro.
Years later..... he's still hasn't been found.
Maybe he became Mario, Luigi’s brother
The years check out.
@@cba_2442 hahaha!!
Well,his roots were in Jersey.....
In the Chicagland area Mr Bob Pronger is still missing last I read
The temptation of easy money was his vice.
You have met humans before right?
He's in heaven building motors for Earnhardt Sr.
Him and Junior Johnson alike
@@lukebreadstick6562 Don't count out that Robert Yates kid.
yo @mario wya
Excellent video. Genius or v high IQ is often associated with extreme behavior and there is very little between genius and insanity...What does that have to do with Mario Rossi? Well...I'd take a bet Mario Rossi was a v intelligent man...
Mario Rossi and LW Wright NASCARs 2 mysteries
YES!!!!!!
I was thinking Mario Andretti... my bad!
Get Buzzfeed Unsolved on this lol
After listening to "The Sneak" we have a better idea what happened.
What happened??
Wonder if Mario Rossi was involved with the Whittington brothers...?
That's an interesting thought, the timeline fits.
@@raydan813 really? I was speculating. How do you know ?
@@raydan813
Should be a movie.
@@raydan813 wow! I had no idea. I really appreciate your reply. I'm also sorry for your loss. I would think not knowing what happened would be agonizing. Thank you for filling us in.
@@raydan813 WOW!
They love living around people that moved to Macon from another state you feel me
He and LW Right are probably relaxing somewhere talking about their exploits.
Gary knows
All that over something that is legal in half the country now.
❤️☮️🎵🌍🤗🏁
I would luv to know how much down force the high rear "wing" provided- have never heard a word abt it.
Richard petty said he liked the lateral stability it provided more than the downforce
@@patrickharper9297 Ah, didn't realize the 2 verticals contributed to lateral stability- thanx for your input- I just learned something cool.
Yes , the stabilizers did more then the wing. Especially in a pack.
I'll ask Mario.
The wing created downforce, but where you have surface area there's a lot of drag. Richard was right,,, The two Vertical Stabilizers where it. But Pete Hamilton would know best 🏆 🏁 #40 ~~~~~~~~
Mario is my cousin. My father used to tell me this story.
if he was doing shady things i wouldnt doubt if he got clipped
Wow, this guy invented the anti-submarine belt!
I like how everyone says they knew him lol
Video Suggestions:
Richard Petty & the vinly roof in the 1968 Daytona 500
Mario Andretti winning the 1967 Daytona 500
NASCAR's first use of restrictior plates
The 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season.
A video about IndyCar driver Swede Savage.
Ooh, I like those ideas. Might have to do the Swede Savage one around Indy.
@@nascarmanHistory Good video ideas.But yes.the king once ran his #43 Plymouth with a vinyl roof.
Here is also a few video ideas:
AJ Foyts last race (Hint:it was the first NASCAR race ever held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1996)
The last time a Oldsmobile was in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race
Mark Donhue & the 1973 Winston Western 500
The 1975 Southern 500
IndyCars at Silverstone
Jim Clark as a NASCAR driver.
@@kurtperleberf6983 there was no vinyl roof but that would make for a good video as one of the most enduring falsehoods.
@@ostpies But Richard Petty did run his #43 Plymouth Road Runner with a vinyl roof in the 1968 Daytona 500.he finished 7th 2 laps back of winner Cale Yarbouough.
Luigi tried to find him in some big ass Mansions
Only the shadow knows,
DB Cooper?
Died in some sort of flight? Seems to be a trend.
The name Mario Rossi is the Italian equivalent of John Smith, maybe he used a fake name since the beginning of his nascar career?
Maybe Pete Pistone of the Morning Drive can tell us, his name appears at 6:18
He won't
Unfortunately it’s not the same Pete Pistone
Related to Alexander Rossi, (Indy car driver) maybe
Rossi is an extreeemely common Italian surname though.
NO.
What would I say if Steve LaTarte disappeared? "At least we don't have to hear his commentary."
This might be a stupid question but is related to Alexander rossi indy car
Driver
NO.
I'm going with witness protection... Back then witness protection was not as refined as it is today.
Or he did the vanishing act on his own.
Easier to do back then.
The plane 'crash' supports this.
WP might just crash the plane to add credibility.
Rossi and/or associates, just couldn't waste the plane...sold it.
Kinda off topic but it’s crazy back then for the crime of marijuana 😂
Don't kid yourself. It's all about getting the tax man paid. If you make a lot of money they want their cut. No matter how you made it. They want theirs.
Rossi is living out his last days in rural Brazil. He is nearly 90, he is happy.
Jumped out of the back of that jet with a big bag of money over heavy Forrest in Oregon
If possible, I would like to see a video covering black Thursday if not done so already
What was black Thursday?
@@jamiedoughty6703 rewatch the video. There is a side note at a part where drugs and nascar mix.
@@dennisbowen452 oh shit! I'll definitely rewatch!
@@jamiedoughty6703 Teams in the 70s and 60s sold cocaine and Pot for money..Read up on Randy Lanier sometime..its a trip.
@@RingoYote Damn. That's pretty interesting!
Im sure hes somewere in Indianapolis
Flying in the Bahamas? Victim of the " Bermuda Triangle"?
I believe he's dead now but the 3rd theory would make the most sense, I mean look at michael de santa
Never know, he could have watched this video....
The very first two questions you asked at start of video "How would you react if so-and-so or so-and-so disappeared.
My reactions were "who & who"?
Fort Bragg Calfornia Rossi's building supply
3:20 who is that?
I can see why he might got into that business in a accidently way. I am sure he got great money for building fast engines that was used. More my guess than selling NASCAR engines plus no rule books to hold him back. Then maybe got in over his head. Not trying make excuses for him but was a more of the time period & main stream social outlook of that time period. He needed the money #1. Has anybody went jail for building engine & it was used afterwards for something illegal? Where it lead to after that only he would known. Times different back in them days. I remember just starting in the work force. We had safety meeting every Monday with 50 to 70 guys standing around. I look around 80% including some supervisors have white rings around there nose. We just didn't know dangers & after effects of them drugs back in them days only it was said make you feel good. Not uncommon for Drs, Lawyers & Even Judge's be known to party on Cocaine on there time off. It's more new great drug out there deal. I was lucky I was more the beer drinker type I couldn't smoke pot made me paranoid. Only later in my area did people start having major trouble with it. It was call recreational drugs back then. But that is a great mystery happen to some say 1 of the very best mechanic wizards that was in maybe same league of maybe Smoky or Jr. Johnson ranking in his time period. He never really got the praise in racing community later the guy really deserved. He did on his own save many drivers lives with his hard work & inventing ideas.
Thank you.Virginia Rossi DiMattia
Mario Is Missing!
I know where he is. He is on a island with elvis,