That stems more from drag racing. At a time when a lot of cars were running in the 7.70s and .80s, Ongais first pass was a 7.57, and it didnt take them long to get into the 7.30s. What a likable guy in every way. He was a motorcycle champion in Hawaii when he decided to come to the mainland United States and go racing. A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. Just like the U.S. business world since the Great Resignation of 2020-21, one of the loudest narratives in racing has been the difficulty of hiring and keeping strong personnel since the COVID-19 pandemic upended the worlds workforce. But he continued to build a wall of silence around himself. He may yet get that chance. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. Ongais hadnt raced since the 1986 Indy 500. He never left anything on the table, I can tell you that. That 1978 season also included Ongais starting in the middle of the first all-200-mph front row at Indianapolis, between pole sitter Tom Sneva and rookie Rick Mears, but his best finish in his 11 starts at the Speedway was a fourth in 1979. Danny completed 10th place in his last race in 1996. I do think he was one of the best drivers out there. For the 1987 season Interscope Racing teamed up with Team Penske getting Ongais in the #25 Panavision Penske PC-16-Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 for the Indianapolis 500, however Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion. He had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into. Indianapolis became his bete noir. ''You`ll be lucky to win $250 the whole season here,'' he was told. Actually, he was only borrowing the balky, black Panavision Penske PC16 racer he stuffed violently into the fourth-turn wall at precisely 11:44 Thursday morning. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. ''That`s his life, racing.''. About three laps to go, Danny ran out of fuel, and he dropped out and that was it. After setting fastest lap of the race at the Indy 500 despite his rookie status, he went on to clinch victory at Michigan. Danny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver admired by fans and competitors for his speed and bravery in an Indianapolis 500 career spanning three decades, died Feb. 26 of congestive heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. 39 on the list of the Top 50 Racers in 2000, the same year that he served as the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion grand marshal and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. But no one could deny his talent. And I found her in a magazine and just reached out to her., ST. PETE PRIMER:Schedules, start times and how to watch the 2023 IndyCar season opener, PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: Its crowded at the top with Ganassi and Penske drivers. Its a mentality shift thats good. Even his closest friends know little of A driver at Indianapolis should be big enough to run what you brung, Ongais once said. Born in 1942 in the wake of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Ongais grew up in Kahului on the island of Maui, and he raced BSA motorcycles as a teenager before he was introduced to the dragstrip by some friends. Cars during this period would smoke the tires from the starting line to the finish line, so getting crossed up was a moderately common occurrence. Arguably Ongais best chance to win the Indy 500 came in his mid-40s in 1987, when Interscope partnered with Team Penske to run a Penske-Chevrolet at the Memorial Day Weekend classic. This time they carried him away, his body broken almost beyond repair. The time he hit the wall in the third turn. Rosenqvist, driver of the No. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. Gundlach forwarded Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the match turned out perfect. There have been other athletes who have taken a vow of silence, most notably baseball`s Steve Carlton. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. While Ongais was known for his blazing speed at Indianapolis and elsewhere, he also attracted attention for surviving some of the most violent crashes of his era. Eventually progressing through regional series and Formula 5000, Ongais and Field moved to USAC and Indy cars in 1976 under the banner of Interscope Racing. He is 44 and has never married. After a long pit stop, Ongais hit the Brickyard hard to make up for the 46-second stop. That victory came one year after Thompson tried to enter Ongais into the 1968 Indianapolis 500, but Ongais was denied because he had almost no experience in open-wheel race cars. Usually, however, he spent words as if they were pearls. WebDanny Ongais (May 21, 1942 February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver . Hills, California, from congestive cardiovascular collapse, but not because of any accident. We have an ethos here where we dont necessarily want to do things the way theyve always been done in the IndyCar world. WebDanny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver admired by fans and competitors for his speed and bravery in an Indianapolis 500 career spanning three decades, died Feb. 26 of WebFormer Indy car, drag racing star Danny Ongais dies aged 79 Danny Ongais, a race-winner and ace qualifier in Indy car racing whose career spanned three decades died last He also finished in 10th place in points. But when you look back, I think obviously marketing and that kind of stuff is becoming pretty huge in our team. In 1969, Thompson hired him to drive his new Pat Foster-built, Ford SOHC-powered Mustang Mach 1 Funny Car the blue one; Foster drove a red one and the car showed immediate promise. Danny, the way he picked it up, was like a duck to water, Mario Andretti told NBC Sports. After a 9-year hiatus from racing, Ongais was asked by John Menard to fill in for Scott Brayton who was killed during Friday Practice for the 1996 Indianapolis 500. He was knocked unconscious by the heavy impact. Around the same time, pole keeper Scott Brayton was killed in a training accident shortly after qualifying, and Ongais drove Braytons car, starting 33rd. Yet he hides everything. We came together with a big hug. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Date, time, venue, burial service, obituary poster, Where will be Ricou Browning buried? For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()), Skip Bayless Wife Ernestine Sclafani Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. Its the best team Ive ever worked at in terms of mechanics, engineers, commercial. Shes like, Absolutely. . In Sundays Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Gundlach and Hackenberg (a damper specialist who also works on pit stops) will begin their third year together in the engineering department of Arrow McLaren as the team enters its most critical season yet in trying to become a perennial powerhouse championship contender. Ongais calmly drove it around to the pits where the fire was extinguished. But he was not an idiot going around and doing stupid things. Ongais made his CART debut during the 1979 season driving the #25 Panasonic/Interscope Racing Parnelli 6C-Cosworth DFX. He finished runner-up in the Top Fuel class at the 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals after beating legend Don Prudhomme in the semifinals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and three years later he clinched the Funny Car class win in the same event. As a statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway pointed out, Ongais was known not only for his huge speed, but also surviving some violent crashes. Thompson, the onetime land speed record-holder, was campaigning a team at Indianapolis and promised to give Ongais a ride. Back to Victory Lane, Every Indy 500 Winner from the Dawn of Time, Danny Ongais, 11-Time Indianapolis 500 Racer, Rolex 24 Winner Dies at 79, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Service. Kiels team president role essentially was split between Ward and other managers. He won the American Hot Rod Association AA Gas Dragster Championship in 1963 and 1964. pic.twitter.com/X4ZqLkQY4w, Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) February 28, 2022. At the age of 18, he earned a Hawaiian state title in motorcycle racing, and he went on to become a drag racing ace. Roger Penske, while employing Ongais for the 1987 Indy 500, was unable to get the racer to speak to the press, and said of him - "His whole heart is in racing, that's his life"[13] Jim Chapman, race director at Interscope Racing stated "Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that". Interscope then bought a new Shadow chassis for him to race but he was unable to qualify at Long Beach and also in the Netherlands later in the season. Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category. But were also pretty realistic that you cant rob Peter to pay Paul, so were not always going to be able to hire from motorsports and especially other IndyCar teams. Burial site and Find a Grave details, Ricou Browning funeral, burial service, pictures, date, time, venue. He had a 7th at Ontario and 5th at Phoenix and then he won his first Indy car race at Michigan International Speedway. Sleek, swift and deadly, they could suddenly turn around and bite a man. Ongais qualified 27th and finished 4th. Danny Ongais, a Hawaii native, died Saturday of heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He took stints in cars owned by the great Mickey Thompson and the Beaver brothers, accumulating more driving and tuning knowledge as he went. It doesnt happen overnight. While deployed in Europe in the early 1960s, he also got his first taste of sports-car racing that would become one of his many fortes later in his career. From talking to not just the people in our team, but from other drivers and friends, theyre like, Man, its hard to find people., I trust the team. I always wanted to be like him. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Rest in peace, Danny Ongais.. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. He suffered a concussion, compound fractures in both legs, a broken arm and a 6-inch tear in his diaphragm. And its especially true during a season with the kind of expansion that Arrow McLaren has undertaken for the 2023 season. I think that also helps to diversify the portfolio of talent that we have internally and the ability to learn from one another and grow as a team.. His most notable years at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were with Interscope Racing and their handsome No. Latest: Mystery of Microsoft CEO Young Son Zain Nadellas Cause of Death Famous Voice Actor Kirk Baily Unfortunately Passed Away Danny Ongais Cause of When you want to build a high-powered racing team, software is really, really important, Ward said. [4], In 1977, Ongais ran his first full season in Indy cars. Shes a complete unicorn and super hard worker. But Ward said it wasnt necessarily a driver-executive package deal. He crashed out on a wet track at Watkins Glen after moving up early but managed a 7th place in Canada in what would be his best finish in F1.[2]. Type above and press Enter to search. We lost this treasured piece of history last Saturday when The Flyin Hawaiian, one of the greatest exports from the 50th state, passed away from congestive heart complications at age 79. He was 79. In 1985, he also survived a spectacular barrel roll at Michigan International Speedway after hitting the back of the slower car of Phil Krueger on the backstretch. Ongais had virtually lived with the Thompson family, and Campbell considered him a brother. In 1978, his most successful year in Indy car racing, Ongais won five more races,[5] at Ontario Motor Speedway, Texas World Speedway, Mosport, the Milwaukee Mile, and again at Michigan. [2], Ongais was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 21, 1942. He was direct. BREAKING! 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. [14], Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. WebFormer Indy car, drag racing star Danny Ongais dies aged 79 Danny Ongais, a race-winner and ace qualifier in Indy car racing whose career spanned three decades died last Danny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver admired for his speed and bravery in an #Indy500 career spanning three decades, died Feb. 26 in Anaheim Hills, California at 79. This remarkable achievement came one year after the 1981 race where he broke his right leg so badly that a piece of bone shot out of his firesuit and was found a day later stuck in the dirt outside of the track wall. [2], That year he also ventured into Formula One with the Interscope team, entering the U.S. and Canadian Grands Prix at the end of the season in a year-old Penske PC4. Did Danny Ongais have children? As soon as he was able, he got back on the horse but was no longer a major force. ), Danny Ongais stepped up when @INDYCAR & I needed him most. Zak also leads the charge in that. He was a tough guy, but it was fun to know him. He proved it again in that race and got the job done.. More of the same followed in 78. Ongais Indy 500 career ended with him leading in four races for 79 total laps. Known as the 'Flyin' Hawaiian', Ongais' long career saw him excel in Indy cars, F1 and drag racing. I think everyone in the team feels that we should perform and win instead of like, its a luxury to win. Ongais made 11 Indy 500 starts between 1977 and 1996 and placed in the top 10 a total of four times. WebMotor sports and racing legend Danny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at 3:15pm of congestive heart failure at his home in Anaheim Hills, CA, that he shared with If you embrace it for what it is, the American culture and the IndyCar experience, its a neat option for these guys. He competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing. Field was part of the famed Marshall Field family, the famed owners of the department store chain in Chicago. Staring through him as if he had not heard, Ongais made no reply. He was called The Flyin Hawaiian by fans, and the nicknames On-Gas and On the Gas were puns on his last name. Faster than he could whip a motorcycle through a turn, Ongais became a drag racer and an instant winner. ", Pomona 1962: That's Ongais, second from left,standing next to Leong. The rides with major teams that could have been his went to less talented but more malleable men. His long and successful string of Hawaiian cars, his mentorship of drivers, and his longevity in the sport extending more recently to domination on the nostalgia circuit gave Ro my vote. Racing director Gavin Ward, who oversees day-to-day operations as the direct report to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, started last July after working as head engineer for Josef Newgarden at Team Penske. So thats infectious for everybody.. Danny Ongais has From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. Next, he wants a man who will project the Penske image to sponsors and the press. I never want to say anyone is better than me, but I'll tell you, if anybody was better than me, it was him. 25 Parnelli and Penske chassis powered by Cosworth engines, with a best finish of fourth in 1979 and a top start of second next to pole sitter Tom Sneva in 1978. backstretch. Parents: The undercover bloggers Parents are not He was as smooth they get. A good guy to have a conversation with. He was easy going outside of the car, didnt say much and kept to himself but when he got in the car and put a helmet on, it was like he flipped the switch and stood on the gas.. Danny Ongais Wife: Who Is She? There are those who feel he has not been the same driver since. For the 1980 season Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche V6 engine. He also competed in four Formula 1 races in 1977 and 1978, including two starts with Interscope, with a best finish of seventh in the 77 Canadian Grand Prix. He also won eight poles in qualifying. In the unlikeliest alliance since Rocky joined forces with Apollo Creed, Ongais had contracted to drive a single race for Penske, the May 24 Indianapolis 500. After losing Saturdays AA/Dragster class final to Thompson, he beat Thompson in the final of the eliminator on Sunday, 8.39 to 8.53, to claim the big prize, then a few months later, he won the Hot Rod Magazine Championships at Riverside Raceway. Nearly 50 percent of the team is comprised of engineering, commercial and finance positions with skillsets that transcend racing. In late 1964, Ongais moved into the nitro ranks for good, driving the Broussard-Davis-Ongais "Mangler" dragster in which he won the 1965 Grand Opening meet in his adopted hometown of Carlsbad, Calif., and later moved on to wheel the Honda of Wilmington entry in 1966 and was a dominant force in SoCal Top Fuel action, but due to his unassuming nature in addition to his well-known On the Gas nickname, he also was known as the Silent Hawaiian (and sometimes the Quiet Hawaiian) he sometimes flew under the publicity radar. WebDanny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at the age of 79. He did not have any of that reputation, quite honestly. WebOngais has been a man of mystery since he first arrived on the mainland from his native Hawaii and set the world of drag racing on its ear. All registered. WebBrian Ongais, son of Indy car driver Danny Ongais, won the October 17, 1987 CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) _ Brian Ongais, son of Indy car driver Danny Ongais, won the But then Brian is a great resource for me, for the team. His race director at Interscope Racing Jim Chapman stated Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that. He piloted a new Interscope IP-1 chassis, qualifying 9th and leading several laps before crashing out on lap 62 when running 5th. That was just his nature, Leong told me earlier this week, adding that he had first met Ongais, who was two years older than him, when they first crossed paths on the dragstrips in Hawaii and first came with Leong to the Mainland. Ongais became the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 and was in the top three positions in the expert class from 1960 to 1962.[2]. So its been a challenge, but Im really happy with how we managed to hit it in a short period of time. But also building a machine of a race team that can develop all year round, not sort of go racing in the season and do development in the offseason. If you love what you are doing, it makes it a lot easier to get back in the car. He competed Thompson and Ongais also teamed up to set nearly 300 national and international speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Mach 1 Mustang during the 1960s. Weve pulled a No. He was there to do a job. Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting, 2021 IndyCar title is just the start for Ganassi's newest star, 2021 title just the start for Palou It was always wide-open throttle. How much he loves IndyCar. Ongais stared at the money in his hand as if it were something a passing bird had just dropped there. In addition to Grace Hackenberg, Gundlach also played a role in the teams acquisition of systems engineer Lizzie Todd, who came from previous roles at Andretti and Penske. No ones ever going to say weve got everything figured out. Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th. In his first motorcycle race, at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif., he finished second and was handed his prize--$15. Ongais raced and drove a number of Top Fuel cars in those years, including this cool-looking winged slingshot at the 1972 Winternationals. Ongais is the main Hawaiian to compete in Hustlings Greatest Show. By the time the broadcasting of the race ended at 11:30 PM, Ongais's condition had improved and his condition was updated to stable. Russian Colonel Alexander Bespalov cause of death cause of death, wife, children, net worth, funeral, obituary, Cathal Coughlan cause of death, wife, children, Microdisney and The Fatima Mansions. His expansive Rolodex comes in handy but hasnt been key in expanding to a third car. For Penske the hiring of Ongais was an aberration, a minor breach of his own immutable rules. One driver who stands out the most as the best driver of a Top Fuel or Funny Car is Danny Ongais. Ongais and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the Indy car Series in the late 1970s. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of young media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. As I mentioned previously, Prudhomme had some amazing things to say about Ongais, expressing a reverence that Ive seldom heard the Snake hold for other drivers. Palou happy to bounce back from crash and practice struggles, Chevrolet gratified, not satisfied by St. Pete IndyCar win, Hardwick slams flawed IMSA BoP, announces WEC plans, Hardwick slams flawed IMSA BoP His racing career was paused as he served a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he became an elite Airborne paratrooper. He did win one legendary race that year, however, joining forces with Field and Hurley Haywood to win the Daytona 24 Hours in an Interscope Porsche 935. His total assets include stocks, houses, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes. It did not matter whether he was driving a Top Fuel dragster, Funny Car, Indy car, 24-hour endurance car, Formula 1 car, or motorcycle racing, he was always fast. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. In 1979 he walked away from a qualifying crash at Indy, paced the garage area like a caged lion until doctors released him to drive again, then made the race. Staffing has been a top priority at Arrow McLaren for Ward, who says he initially was nave to how hard it is to recruit for talent right now in this sport. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. He was that talented. Adding 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi as a teammate to Pato OWard and Felix Rosenqvist, the team will be running three full-time cars for the first time (and a fourth Indy 500 entry for Tony Kanaan). He also won the National Hot Rod Association AA Dragster Championship in 1965. WebDaniel Ongais passed away on October 11, 2019. Jim Nelson once said that what he could tell about Ongais was that "all he wanted to do was race. Hes happy to be here; were happy to have him.. The guys in IndyCar racing called him The Ghost from the Coast. , (Be sure to read the end of this column for more from Prudhomme, who says some very kind and impressive things about Ongais.). I think that it is very important to see that the company emphasizes bringing the right people in, and the right people are women.. Ongais also made a single start for AMI Racing driving the #43 Armstrong Mould Orbiter 80C-Cosworth DFX at the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, finishing 11th. Do was race of silence around himself, from congestive cardiovascular collapse, but not because of accident... 2022 at the Indy car race at Michigan International Speedway like to avoid doing because you lose little... Him as if he had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into had virtually lived with the family! Famed Marshall Field family, and drag racing. '' not an idiot going around and a! 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