A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. But the fact that he could finish only eighth in the championship attests to the cars poor finishing record. Danny was a great guy. In his heyday he was the Larry Mahan of racing. Daniel was born on June 10, 1938 and passed away on Friday, October 11, 2019. Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. He didnt talk, but he let the car speak for him.. No ones ever going to say weve got everything figured out. 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. His first Indy-car race came at Ontario, Calif., late in 1976. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. How much does an F1 car weigh in 2023 and what's included in the limit? It is his and his alone. He quickly showed he could drive those cars as fast as anyone. ''He could take a car that was unmanageable and make it do what he wanted,'' says one observer. The car went to Al Unser Sr who went on to win a record-tying 4th Indianapolis 500. Gundlach forwarded Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the match turned out perfect. So its been a challenge, but Im really happy with how we managed to hit it in a short period of time. [15] His former Indy car competitors remembered him well after his passing, with Mario Andretti calling him that quiet lion.[16], (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position). The IndyCar team since has been integrated with McLaren Racings F1 operations, which naturally led to some growing pains. Obviously, were very happy with what weve managed to pull together in recruiting talented people at a time where its a scrap for talent out there. A look at seven decades of wild, wheelstanding crowdpleasers, Altered States, Part 2: Breakage, tears, and fears, but ultimately a success story, Altered States: Fear and loathing (and a lot of thrills) on the quarter-mile, Ed 'the Outlaw' Jones: Living life on two wheels for more than 45 years, You never know with nitro: A look back at seven great Funny Car upset wins, Everyone loves an underdog: Here's a list of five great Top Fuel upsets, 30 years ago: The 1992 NHRA season was a year full of historic firsts, Female Pro Stock pioneer Shay Nichols: A life well lived (and then some), Magnificent Seven: A history of female racers in NHRA Pro Stock competition, On the Gas: The drag racing life and times of Danny Ongais, By The Numbers: Pro Stock readies for 900th event 'birthday' in Pomona, That was then, this is now: A look back at the NHRA season 50 years ago. 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 really wanted to be here. he asked Ongais, who was not badly hurt. Its like nothing Ive ever seen before.. He has also interviewed a plethora of sporting personalities. ''That`s his life, racing.''. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was out there. He was a racer. We want to pull the best of the world of motor racing and beyond. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. That earned him such nicknames as The Flyin Hawaiian and Danny On-The-Gas.. 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 If you love what you are doing, it makes it a lot easier to get back in the car. I personally liked the On the Gas nickname more because it was a play on his last name, and more importantly, that was the way he drove. He loved what he was doing. Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s. For the 1980 season Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche V6 engine. We come back between most races. Three pole positions swiftly followed, but the Interscope Parnelli-Cosworths unreliability prevented further triumphs. The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. Ongais had no fear. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. The Cosworth was hugely powerful, Ongais regularly appearing to dance the car on the rim of disaster on his way to eight pole positions, and when it hung together he tended to win: he racked up five triumphs that year. 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. 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. 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. 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 There are no visitors to Danny Ongais` world. Click to reveal Nigel Mansells greatest F1 and Indycar drives, How Marcus Ericsson finally unlocked his potential in IndyCar, How Ericsson unlocked his potential For reasons of his own, Ongais has done it his way, and it has all but destroyed his career. Two years later he qualified on the front row and led for four laps before crashing again. Around the same time, pole keeper Scott Brayton was killed in a training accident shortly after qualifying, and Ongais drove Braytons car, starting 33rd. Ongais calmly drove it around to the pits where the fire was extinguished. 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). Ongais had a couple of nicknames, including the Silent Hawaiian and On the Gas. He got the name Silent Hawaiian because he did not like to give interviews to the media and kept pretty much to himself. What a likable guy in every way. Over the course of his Indy 500 career, he led in four races for a Pole sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. Though casting a wide recruitment net dovetails with McLarens progressive outlook, Ward said its also by necessity because for sure, the whole paddock has been in a fight to get the best people.. Hills, California, from congestive cardiovascular collapse, but not because of any accident. Tommy Ivo and the five-second Top Fuel run that ignited a controversy, Wheelie neat! Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Ongais stayed active in drag racing until 1974, when he began to heavily pursue a road racing/Indy 500 career. Danny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at the age of 79. There have been other athletes who have taken a vow of silence, most notably baseball`s Steve Carlton. [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. The head count was up to 94 by mid-February and is expected to be at least 100 by the end of March. Rest in peace, Danny Ongais.. Sleek, swift and deadly, they could suddenly turn around and bite a man. F4 Thailand Boys Over Flowers Season 1 Episode 13 Release Date and Time, Countdown, When Is It Coming Out. He was a racer, and he loved what he was doing, so it was easier for him to get back in the car.. As I have posted roles throughout this last year, Ive found a large number of youths all around the world thats interested in getting into motorsports. For the 1984 season Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the #25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth DFX. At his first race of the season, the Indianapolis 500 Ongais started 16th and finished 7th. His race director at Interscope Racing Jim Chapman stated Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that. 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. 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. But auto racing is unlike any other sport. He checked issues of National Dragster and, noting that almost everyone was running a Chevrolet engine, dubbed his car "Chevy, Too.". He was a motorcycle champion in Hawaii when he decided to come to the mainland United States and go racing. Driver Danny Ongais acknowledges cheers June 10, 1978, after winning the Molson Diamond Indy race at Mosport in Ontario, Canada. Danny let his racing do his talking for him, thats for sure., Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500. 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. At the 1964 Winternationals, his dragster defeated a field that included heavyweights like Thompson, the Peters & Frank Freight Train, and Earl Poage. How Marcus Ericsson finally unlocked his potential in IndyCar, Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing win, Dan Wheldon and his amazing last win He ran his last Indy Car race the next year, in the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, with Chitwood Motorsports, where he finished 13th. Though staffing up still was very difficult, Rossi credited attracting talent to McLarens high-performance reputation (the company also is known for its sleek street cars). I grew up in Southern California and raced a lot at the local SoCal dragstrips from about 1962 to 1974. 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. He never really disparaged anybody. But there are teams in this paddock that have been investing in software heavily for a decade, and now you want to play catch up in a year. WebDanny Ongais (May 21, 1942 February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver . He defeated Don Prudhomme at the 1966 HHRA Nationals Top Fuel semifinals. And wants to make this something special. Ongais became the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 and was in the top three positions in the expert class from 1960 to 1962.[2]. He was 79. I had probably the best race other than the one I had with AJ Foyt in 1974, but Danny and I were racing at Michigan in 1978, Rutherford told NBC Sports. 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. 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. He suffered a lot of serious crashes. I think weve done a great job of that. Thompson, the onetime land speed record-holder, was campaigning a team at Indianapolis and promised to give Ongais a ride. All logos and images are reserved. We may earn money from the links on this page. 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. For a few years Ongais had an uneasy truce with the press, but even that evaporated when Colleen Campbell left him. And well-deserved. READ ALSO: Danny Ongais Wife - Was Danny Ongais Married? And thats across the board, both commercial and operational. The versatile Ongais made 11 #Indy500 starts, with four top-10 finishes. RIP, my friend. INDIANAPOLIS Danny Ongais, the first and highest-finishing Hawaiian starter at the Indy 500, also might have been one of the hardest chargers in the races storied history. He had previously been inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1992. Service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s had exposed Ongais to sportscar racing in Europe, and he eventually switched his focus from dragstrips to ovals and road courses in the mid-70s. He suffered a concussion, compound fractures in both legs, a broken arm and a 6-inch tear in his diaphragm. The Flyin`. Ongais also survived a spectacular barrel roll at the Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway when he ran into the slower car of Phil Krueger on the backstretch. NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch, NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into. 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. He had refused all requests for interviews this week, and Penske himself could not get his driver to relent. In 1982, he ran on only one Indy car race, the Indianapolis 500 (which was still sanctioned by USAC). 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 and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the IndyCar Series in the late 1970s. 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. Ongais died Feb. 26, 2022 from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California. A semi-serious look at the points battles heading to Pomona, T.V. Ongais, racing at age 54 in his first 500 since 1986, finished a creditable seventh after starting from the rear of the field. Another great driver from that era was three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, who recalled one dramatic showdown with Ongais at Michigan International Speedway in the 1978 Norton Twin 200. 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 a good guy. He was hard to beat. 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. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. 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 It is in this last area that Ongais has always failed. What it has done to his life no one could say. [14], Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. Though rivals such as Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport hold pretty tight to their total rewards packages, Scott said Arrow McLaren annually surveys its employees about benefits. 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). Hes a great personality to the team. So when this all happened, I was really In 1978 he also made one final attempt at F1. But when you look back, I think obviously marketing and that kind of stuff is becoming pretty huge in our team. A driver at Indianapolis should be big enough to run what you brung, Ongais once said. 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. Jody Scott, McLarens director of people who joined the team a year ago from Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health), said there was no target for the number of hires outside motorsports. The only native of Hawaii to start the Indianapolis 500, Ongais was nicknamed Danny On-The-Gas and the Flyin Hawaiian for his bravery and commitment in overpowered late 70s Indy cars, but his love of speed had shown itself far earlier. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. I, like many, always enjoyed watching the Top Fuel and Funny Cars when I was not racing my own car. He was 79 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. 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