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I don't belive he has become a deity...but this is the 50th anniversary of his start in major OW Racing....
Maybe it is because:
1. He won 67 American OW Races in his career....next closest if mario Adnretti with 52
2. He was the first to win Indy 4 times
3. He won the Daytona 500 at least twice (but I don't follow NASCAR, so I'm not sure)
4. He won Le mans on his first try with Dan Gurney as his teammate (1967)
5. He has won in virtually any kind of race car he has ever driven.
6. He is consistently rated among the top OW drivers, and among the top five overall drivers in auto racing history by motorsports journalists and historians.
NOTE: I watched the guy race for 25 years at Indy...he was a master of his craft...even when he was nearing retirement...
At the age of 56 (in 1991) he still had the moxie and the ability to qualify in the middle of the front row at Indy....
Sorry, but the guy was and is a racing legend....personal faults aside, you cannot deny his ability or his track record, which was astounding....
You asked...I just gave you my opinion, sprinkled with some facts to back me up...
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