Race car drivers, especially the ones in NASCAR, have never been strangers to letting their fists fly after tempers boil over on the racetrack. But Mario Andretti once took that tradition a notch higher and traded punches with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars far away from any circuit. The legendary racer had already conquered Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR, but a bizarre night in New York saw him enter an entirely different kind of contest with Burt Reynolds.

Trash talking between Reynolds and Andretti went overboard, and Reynolds asked Andretti to meet him outside.

“You want to go outside?” And he goes, “Yeah, I do.” “It’s like February in New York, right? It’s like—it’s like 20°, and we’re circling each other, kind of in the street. We’re kind of circling each other.” And he goes, “When this dude hits me, I go, ‘Oh no,’ right? Because his punch is so strong, right? But I’m Burt Reynolds, right? So I f—— drill this guy, and we’re just drilling each other, and I’m so impressed with his punch. After about two minutes, maybe a minute and a half, I go, ‘Can we take a break?’”

The bizarre story was recounted by actor and comedian Jay Chandrasekhar on Mohr Stories 580. He was telling the story of Reynolds and Andretti during a conversation about the Hollywood icon.

According to the tale, Reynolds was sitting inside a Manhattan club with members of the New York Jets’ offensive line. At the time, he viewed himself as the biggest movie star in the world (and he was!).

Then he noticed Andretti (who he didn’t recognize then) sitting at another table. The racing legend was surrounded by several women, and Reynolds apparently decided that his celebrity status gave him an opportunity to intervene. He approached the table and began flirting with the women while deliberately ignoring Andretti.

That did not go particularly well. Andretti began chirping back, eventually prompting Reynolds to issue the challenge. The two men stepped outside into a freezing New York night. What followed was less Hollywood glamour and more street fight. Reynolds quickly learned that Andretti was not someone to intimidate.

Andretti had spent decades competing at the highest levels of motorsport. He won the 1967 Daytona 500, captured four IndyCar National Championships and became Formula 1 World Champion in 1978.

His competitiveness was not limited to racing. The fight reportedly continued for roughly two minutes before Reynolds, impressed by the strength of Andretti’s punches, asked whether they could take a break.

That was when the story delivered its best punchline. Reynolds reached over and introduced himself.

“Hey, I’m Burt Reynolds.” Andretti responded simply. “I’m Mario Andretti.”

The introduction presumably made the entire situation even more surreal. Reynolds had picked a fight with one of the most famous racers in the world without realizing exactly who he was dealing with.

Andretti’s résumé was already extraordinary by that point. He won the 1967 Daytona 500, four IndyCar National Championships and the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship, making him one of the few drivers to achieve major success across different disciplines. His versatility and longevity turned him into a global motorsport icon.

On the other hand, Reynolds began acting on television in the late 1950s. He appeared in shows including Flight, M Squad, Schlitz Playhouse, The Lawless Years and Pony Express. He eventually signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios and became a big movie star. His appeal to women became one of Hollywood’s defining parts of his image.

Universal executive Lew Wasserman reportedly summed up that appeal bluntly: “I don’t care whether he can act or not. Anyone who has this effect on women deserves a break.”

So, on that freezing New York night, Reynolds may have had the celebrity advantage. But Andretti had something else. A punch that apparently made even Hollywood’s biggest star ask for a timeout.