I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. He really was. Ward said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who also oversees the F1 team, attended more IndyCar races last year and will continue to be a more constant presence this year as the team ramps up. The 1978 Michigan victory would turn out to be the final Indy car victory of Ongais' career. WebDanny Ongais, a race-winner and ace qualifier in Indy car racing whose career spanned three decades died last weekend congestive heart complications By: David Malsher-Lopez What it has done to his life no one could say. F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: How to watch on TV in the USA on ESPN, How Liberty is "playing long game" to help F1 teams make money, How Liberty is "playing long game" to help F1 teams make money The tragic circumstances of an accident also led to Ongais final start at Indianapolis, in 1996. The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. He was a racer. 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. The times I got to know him; he was one that you always admired. He moved up to the National Hot Rod Association AA Dragster championship and defeated the legendary Don Prudhomme in the 1966 NHRA Nationals in the Top Fuel semifinals. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. WebI was with the first crew to reach Danny Ongais (1981) when he had his horrifying wreck. Timing is everything in this business and having the luck of the timing on your side, Mears said. Its been a time of tremendous growth for the team, and most of that growth has come since the end of last season, Ward told NBC Sports as many of the new team members scurried past him with fresh parts and data during a break from preseason testing at The Thermal Club in Southern California last month. ), Danny Ongais stepped up when @INDYCAR & I needed him most. 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. While he did not win the Indianapolis 500, he did manage to win several IndyCar and CART races. His entry was taken over by three-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser, who took the replacement machine a one-year-old show-car and made himself a four-time 500 winner. He was a tough guy, but it was fun to know him. The sad news of the death of the veteran racing driver was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway WebLong before Danny Ongais became a household name as a revered IndyCar driver, he belonged to the world of drag racing, where he first sated his need for speed. Longtime followers of this column are well aware of Ongais greatest quarter-mile accomplishments behind the wheel of Mickey Thompsons Mustang Funny Car in 1969, but his love of going fast was deeply rooted long before then. Weve got all these new people, all this new equipment, Ward said. They soon began taking chunks out of Danny Ongais` hide. For Ongais it was the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to resurrect a shattered career. There are some inherent advantages for a team in IndyCar, whose 17-race schedule is more manageable than NASCAR (36 races in 37 weeks) and Formula One (which has expanded to 24 races around the globe). 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.). Ongais later attempted to race at the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway, the Nissan Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park, and the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth Speedway. Ill see what I can do help you out. His first Indy-car race came at Ontario, Calif., late in 1976. ''His whole heart is in racing,'' said Roger Penske, whose auto racing empire had never before embraced such a prince of darkness. For the next seven races, Ongais replaced an injured Johnny Rutherford at Patrick Racing, who had been driving the #40 Sea Ray Boats Wildcat Mk 9-Cosworth DFX. Rosenqvist, driver of the No. For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. 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]. Kate Gundlach, a performance engineer at Arrow McLaren, was leafing through a sports car magazine a couple years ago when she stumbled upon a story about Grace Hackenberg, an Oregon-based racing engineer. Date, time, venue, burial service, obituary poster, Where will be Ricou Browning buried? Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a14578fbd9028fa In 1996, at the age of 54, after nine years away from racing, he served as the substitute driver in the Indianapolis 500 for Scott Brayton, who had died in a crash before the race. So thats infectious for everybody.. No matter how fast Ongais drove his race car, he always wanted to go even faster. So when this all happened, I was really Did Danny Ongais have children? When he got his chance, he did not disappoint anyone. ''He studies everything he says,'' says one friend, ''but why? Sadly, Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion that sidelined 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. That helps winnow down the applicant pool for hiring by an executive team that includes Ward, competition director Billy Vincent, operations director Max Neyron, performance director Nick Snyder, marketing vice president Mo Murray and general manager Brian Barnhart (Murray and Barnhardt also have joined within the last few months). The mothers name is Not Available. (Its) retaining the people youve got, he said. Thats exciting. Ongais and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the IndyCar Series in the late 1970s. His most notable years at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were with Interscope Racing and their handsome No. A head-on shunt in the 1981 Indy 500 left him recuperating for the remainder of the season while four years later at Michigan he went into a barrel-roll after launching off the back of another car. I think weve got a very good tribe of people here, and part of that includes just diversity of humans in general, Gundlach said. Ongais success in straight-line competition led him to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category. In the 1970s he moved to competing in sports cars and Indy cars, winning races in both types, including the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979 and several Indy car races in 1977 and 1978. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. I mean, listen I've done well in drag racing, and I've driven Top Fuel and Funny Car, but so had Danny, but he even went two or three steps further, driving an Indy car and hauling ass and in IMSA cars. Ricou Browning cause of death: How did Ricou Browning die? Ongais started, but his drive line broke immediately. There are those who feel he has not been the same driver since. Ongais and Fields success with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Good grief, who can forget Jim Crawford (1990)? He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. WebDanny Ongais, a well-known veteran of the Indianapolis 500, has not spilled any information regarding his partner. Service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s exposed Ongais to sports car racing in Europe, and he moved from dragstrips to ovals and road courses in the mid-1970s. As good as he was on two wheels and all indications are that he was very good he was equally as good or better on four wheels and quickly won the Island Championships and Outstanding Driver of the Year awards. 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 Now, his relationship is perfect. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th. 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. That is what I liked about individuals like that.. His first Indy car race was the 1976 California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway, where he finished 28th after a crash. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. Im new to this role; hes lived it before. For the 1985 season Ongais scored a best finish of 6th at the Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park and finished in 24th place in points. Thats the way he drove, too. If you know some information, please comment below. On May 15, 1982, Danny Ongais qualified 9th for the Indy 500. ''He ran her off the speedway. Nielsen was hard-core Ongais all the way, peppering me with facts and stats to prove his case, so, naturally, I reached out to ask for his parting thoughts on Ongais. 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. WebDanny Ongais (May 21, 1942 February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver . How much does an F1 car weigh in 2023 and what's included in the limit? 2 at 11:30 a.m. Casual attire; flowers and lei are welcomed He is survived by wife, Patricia P. Ongais of Keaau; daughters, Deneen (Nathan) Ongais Louie of Hilo, Renee (Clarence) Ongais-Salvador of Mt. He piloted a new Interscope IP-1 chassis, qualifying 9th and leading several laps before crashing out on lap 62 when running 5th. It is his and his alone. That 1978 season also included Ongais starting in the middle of the first all-200-mph front row at Indianapolis, between pole-sitter Sneva and rookie Rick Mears. Danny let his racing do his talking for him, thats for sure., Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500. But then the wild mustangs he was driving gave way to the thoroughbreds, the ground-effects cars. ''I`m amazed.''. Its a mentality shift thats good. The success of Ongais and Field with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021. He initially drove the #65 Interscope Racing March 83C-Chevrolet V6, however, that car was replaced with the #25 March 83C-Cosworth DFX. Was 1 of only 5 teammates I ever had in #INDYCAR. Went to victory lane and did all the smiling and pictures. He did things that guys like me only dream about doing. Field was part of the famed Marshall Field family, the famed owners of the department store chain in Chicago. 162.144.88.63 When he was 14, he already was speeding around on motorcycles. There probably has never been a driver who hit the wall harder more often and was able to survive than Danny Ongais (who died earlier this year). Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. The group of people that are in charge (of) who joins the team, I think they know exactly what we need, and I trust theyre going to make the right decisions. The cars were fragile on the half shafts, and he liked to drive them hard sometimes. We want to pull the best of the world of motor racing and beyond. He quickly showed he could drive those cars as fast as anyone. While practicing for his first Indy-car race at Hanford, Calif., his car caught fire on the. He finished runner-up to Mike Snively in the Top Fuel class at the 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals after beating the legendary Don The Snake Prudhomme in the semifinals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. It is a fun group. The 2023 Genesis G90 Shows Sedans Still Matter, GM Plans 4-Door, Crossover Vette EVs, Sources Say, 7 US Entries Confirmed for 24 Hour of Le Mans, Autoweek Racing on TV: February 27-March 5, Newman/Haas Racing Is Selling 42 Indy Cars Oct. 29, Three-time Indy 500 Starter Rasmussen Dies at 85, How Dixon's Simple Mistake Cost Him Indy 500 Win, Move Over ABBA, Sweden Has a New Racing Superstar, Jimmie Johnson's Indy 500 Experience Ends in Crash, Ayla Agren Is Montoya's Eyes in the Sky for 500, 11 Closest Indianapolis 500 Finishes in History, Larry Foyt Out to Get A.J. Great guy. Godspeed, racer. And well-deserved. 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