Our car experts choose every product we feature. NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch, NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch Im really happy to be working with (Todd) because its a different culture for her. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Weve got to take care of our people through those hard stretches, but for the most part, its a little less time away, the travels not quite so far. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was out there. He is 44 and has never married. He never really disparaged anybody. Rest in peace, Danny Ongais.. Danny, the way he picked it up, was like a duck to water, Mario Andretti told NBC Sports. 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. So we just are thinking strategically on how can we find candidates with transferable skills outside our industry if we can. Ongais finished in 3rd place at the Detroit News Grand Prix at Michigan International Speedway. Nigel Mansells greatest F1 and Indycar drives, How Marcus Ericsson finally unlocked his potential in IndyCar, How Ericsson unlocked his potential 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. Danny Ongais cause of death was heart disease, not an accident Danny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver respected by fans and contenders alike for his speed and bravery north of a three-decade vocation, died February 26 in Anaheim. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. He was the Indycar Rookie of the Year in 1977, competed in the Indy 500 11 times, and finished as high as fourth (1979) and also competed in both the famed 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before hanging up his driving gloves in 1998. If he was running at the end, you couldnt count him out. He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. Honestly, there was already so much talent in the group, and I feel like so much more has been added on which is just going to help us to really get us where we want to be.. 32 seat vacated by the late Scott Brayton, Danny Ongais made his last start in the Indy 500 with Team Menard (IndyCar). Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. Ongais Indy 500 career ended with him leading in four races for 79 total laps. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. He was 79. ''I`m amazed.''. Press Esc to cancel. He competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of young media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. Im excited to see how it goes., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Though Indianapolis Motor Speedway had listed, suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, Schedules, start times and how to watch the 2023 IndyCar season opener, Its crowded at the top with Ganassi and Penske drivers, organizational hierarchy was restructured, Rossis signing was followed by the arrival, was announced as a finalist for Indys Best and Brightest,. We stayed friends over the years, and wed see each other at functions if he showed up. For all the problems he had getting up to speed this week, Ongais knew that any driver seated in a Roger Penske-prepared car has a chance to be the anointed one come race day. Ongais was known to be a hermit and quiet man who did not give many meetings and uncovered the least about his life outside of bullying. But he was not an idiot going around and doing stupid things. In 1969, Ongais won the NHRA Spring Nationals and NHRA U.S. Nationals in the Funny Car class driving a Mickey Thompson Ford Mustang. Thats the way he drove, too. ''His whole heart is in racing,'' said Roger Penske, whose auto racing empire had never before embraced such a prince of darkness. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. How much does an F1 car weigh in 2023 and what's included in the limit? 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. And wants to make this something special. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Danny commenced his journey from 11 Indianapolis 500 races from 1977-96 and made many races on his name as the winner. 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. The rides with major teams that could have been his went to less talented but more malleable men. 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. 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. 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. In fact, even his closest associates have little insight into his own life, as he doesnt talk about his family or his youth in Hawaii. He competed 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. 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. 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. We cant say their name. Officials had to cut open the car to help Ongais out. Went to victory lane and did all the smiling and pictures. The 1970 season didnt go as well, haunted by parts attrition and at least one fire that burned Ongais. Don Prudhomme, who met Ongais through his old pal Leong, called me early last week to weigh in on Ongais, a guy with which he carried on a relationship even after Ongais left drag racing, thanks to Prudhommes interest in and friends within IndyCar racing. Al Unser was named as Ongais replacement and drove to his fourth 500 victory in a backup car that was a show car earlier in May in a hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. Ongais hadnt raced since the 1986 Indy 500. The 1981 Indianapolis 500 was a rough race for Ongais. 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. When you invest in software, you invest in the efficiency of a lot of your people. He drove with bravado and advocated unlimited rules at the Indianapolis 500. 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. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th. After he was discharged, he returned to Hawaii and entered motorsports, first as the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 before switching to a drag racing career. We let him drive my car, and his first run was as good as any I ever made. It was always wide-open throttle. ''That`s his life, racing.''. 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. RIP, my friend. Ricou Browning cause of death: How did Ricou Browning die? I, like many, always enjoyed watching the Top Fuel and Funny Cars when I was not racing my own car. At times, Ongais drove both the trademark orange Vels Mustang Funny Car and Flying Doorstop Top Fueler at the same event; in the dragster, he set the national speed record at 243.24 mph at the 1972 Supernationals at Ontario Motor Speedway in what was the sports first 240-plus-mph national record. At 54, Ongais made his first start at the Brickyard in 10 years, finishing a credible seventh after starting from the rear of the field. He would retire at Michigan and Miami and fail to qualify at Nazareth. Shes like, Absolutely. . (Though Indianapolis Motor Speedway had listed Ongais as the only Indy 500 driver from Hawaii, Bill Alsup, the 11th-place finisher in the 1981 race also was born in Honolulu, but his racing career primarily was built in the continental U.S.). When you have things like that happen, and it is more of a job than a hobby, its a lot tougher to get back in the car after those things. In this week's Dragster Insider, friends and fellow racers remember the guy nicknamed On the Gas.. [14], Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. Weve got a lot of new stuff that were now gelling the team and figuring out how to work together and build on the processes. For those of us who saw Ongais race, he was a man who thrived on sheer, raw speed. Its the best team Ive ever worked at in terms of mechanics, engineers, commercial. Al was doing his typical thing. Sadly, Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion that sidelined him. He was knocked unconscious by the heavy impact. What it has done to his life no one could say. ''You`ll be lucky to win $250 the whole season here,'' he was told. He and renowned innovator Mickey Thompson set nearly 300 national and international speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Mach 1 Mustang during the 1960s. Click to reveal [2], Throughout the decade, and indeed throughout the remainder of his driving career, Ongais and Field continued driving sports cars successfully, mainly in IMSA Camel GT competition. We have no more information about his spouse. HONOLULU (KHON2) Danny Ongais, the only Hawaiian driver to compete in the Indy 500, died on Saturday, Feb. 26, in California at the age of 79. Long before Danny On the Gas Ongais became a household name across the country and around the world on television and radio as a revered IndyCar driver, he belonged to us, to the world of drag racing, where he sated his need for speed in the formative years of his motorsports career. He was 79. Scott said Arrow McLaren has lost only three team members since last years Sept. 11 finale at Laguna Seca, an unheard-of number that she attributes to working hard on trying to give back to employees with extra cash and time off. The best season for Ongais and the Interscope team came in 1978, when he won five races and eight poles en route to an eighth-place finish in the USAC standings. Ongais ability to drive these cars near their performance limits unfortunately resulted in a couple of spectacular crashes in Indy. Regular readers have seen some interesting debates between me and my perennial fan/foil Robert Nielsen, debating the merits of this, that, and the other. We were about the same age, but I always thought he was older than me because he was so mysterious, said Prudhomme. Ongais stared at the money in his hand as if it were something a passing bird had just dropped there. He was hard to beat. The arduous task took nearly two minutes but was met with rousing cheers from the crowd. The time he hit the wall in the third turn. Ward noted two important additions from the world of Big Data and analytics in data and strategy lead Michael Gethers (who came from Salesforce) and engineer Eric Hestekin (who arrived from Boeing Defense). Ongais was the only native Hawaiian to compete in the Indianapolis 500. He was known as a fast and daring driver, but he experienced multiple crashes in his career, some resulting in injury. In 1975, Ongais left the quarter-mile to pursue success in other motorsports and drove in SCCA, Formula 5000, Indycar, Formula 1, and sports-car competition. 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. That stems more from drag racing. Danny was a great guy. One long-running debate we had was: Who was Hawaiis greatest drag racer?, I was/am still solidly in the Roland Leong camp. 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. Hes a great personality to the team. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper stationed in Europe. In 1962, Ongais was part of Leongs dragster crew at the Winternationals, where they won the Long Distance and Best Appearing awards. So thats infectious for everybody.. His best years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Interscope Racing and its eye-catching No. A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. 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. This time they carried him away, his body broken almost beyond repair. 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. For the 1984 season Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the #25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth DFX. Just the camaraderie. Ongais is the main Hawaiian to compete in Hustlings Greatest Show. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. Ongais ended the season in 15th place in points. Last year, we did five races in four weekends. I messaged her on Instagram, Hey, I think youre super cool, youre really killing it, and if you ever want to work in IndyCar, let me know, Gundlach told NBC Sports. The 'Flyin Hawaiian' was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for drag racing in 2000. 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