WebDanny Ongais (May 21, 1942 February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver . And well-deserved. 25 Parnelli and Penske cars powered by Cosworth engines, with a best finish of fourth in 1979 and an excellent start of second near assistant Tom Snow in 1978. 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. Im new to this role; hes lived it before. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. 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. He was 79. The 1970 season didnt go as well, haunted by parts attrition and at least one fire that burned Ongais. Longtime IndyCar driver Danny Ongais, who earned 11 starts in the Indianapolis 500, sustained congestive heart complications and died, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced. Shes a complete unicorn and super hard worker. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. I, like many, always enjoyed watching the Top Fuel and Funny Cars when I was not racing my own car. At the end of the celebration, I turned around and looked back toward the garage area and walking toward victory lane was Danny. He was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital in a critical condition. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()), Skip Bayless Wife Ernestine Sclafani Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. [2], Ongais was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 21, 1942. The time he spent with me was invaluable. I got to spend time with Danny at the [Indy] Speedway, and I just watched him do his thing, and he was magnificent. No one even knew much about him, let alone his age. 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. For the 1980 season Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche V6 engine. Its a mentality shift thats good. [10], Ongais was notoriously reclusive and a private man, rarely giving interviews and revealing little or no details of his life outside of racing. Danny, the way he picked it up, was like a duck to water, Mario Andretti told NBC Sports. He was knocked unconscious by the heavy impact. 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). Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021. 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. One long-running debate we had was: Who was Hawaiis greatest drag racer?, I was/am still solidly in the Roland Leong camp. Represented at Indianapolis by Thompson`s sister, Colleen Campbell, Ongais occasionally allowed himself to be interviewed. We came together with a big hug. 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. (The fact that we share the same birthday albeit 16 years apart has nothing to do with it.). But then Brian is a great resource for me, for the team. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. Daniel "Doc" Ongais | 2019 Daniel "Doc" Ongais October 11, 2019 Daniel "Doc" Ongais, 81, of Keaau, passed away on Friday, October 11, 2019 at Hilo Medical Center, born on June 10, 1938, in Olaa; he was a retired Motor Vehicle Operator for the United States Army as a Civilian worker (Federal Government) and worked for the Former Puna Sugar Company. Our paths didnt cross a lot away from the track, but when they did, he was a quiet, easygoing guy totally different and opposite outside of the car. I think people start to realize that IndyCar is a pretty fun place to be and not a bad way to go racing, Ward said. That is the reason why he got into the wall so often.. 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. He competed Arrow McLaren uses applicant tracking software to determine the best matches on background, education and experience. Its the best team Ive ever worked at in terms of mechanics, engineers, commercial. 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. 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. We let him drive my car, and his first run was as good as any I ever made. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The Flying Hawaiin led a very secretive life outside the racing world its known that Ongais had a wife but it is said h had a son who is unidentified for now. The success of Ongais and Field with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. He really wanted to be here. He won the American Hot Rod Association AA Gas Dragster Championship in 1963 and 1964. He was a racer, and he loved what he was doing, so it was easier for him to get back in the car.. I think that it is very important to see that the company emphasizes bringing the right people in, and the right people are women.. The caution wasnt that long, but we started side-by-side to finish the race. I think we want people who want to be with the team, so its not so much about trying to headhunt people, he said. In 1981 at the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63. For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. Thats the way he drove, too. Chapman did state that well into their relationship he learned Ongais was married and had a son. He also finished in 10th place in points. He had refused all requests for interviews this week, and Penske himself could not get his driver to relent. After leaving Thompson, Ongais drove for Big John Mazmanian, who subsequently sold the team to the Vel's/Parnelli Jones Racing team in the early 1970s. He did things that guys like me only dream about doing. 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. More of the same followed in 78. 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. Editor at Ghanafuo.com David Kofi Tei, is a passionate Public Relations Lead/Journalist who mostly specializes in providing a high level of research, reporting, interviewing and broadcasting skills. And Penske said he would have a car ready for him. 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. 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 They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. Born May 21, 1942 in Kahului, Hawaii, Ongais began one of the most versatile careers of any driver in his era as a teenager, earning a Hawaii state title in motorcycle racing in 1960. [9] Ongais finished 7th, having the best car early in the race. Timing is everything in this business and having the luck of the timing on your side, Mears said. Weve got a lot of positivity. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. 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. ), Danny Ongais stepped up when @INDYCAR & I needed him most. Danny Ongais competed in 11 Indianapolis 500 starts, completing mostly good times between 1977 and 1996. RIP, my friend. Its pretty amazing to me with how involved he is with every aspect of the IndyCar organization, the F1 organization. The IndyCar team since has been integrated with McLaren Racings F1 operations, which naturally led to some growing pains. 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. With sponsorship dollars generally on the rise in IndyCar, and manufacturer money pouring into rival series such as IMSA and F1, it likely never has been harder for hiring across U.S. motorsports. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. He initially drove the #65 Interscope Racing March 83C-Chevrolet V6, however, that car was replaced with the #25 March 83C-Cosworth DFX. So its been a challenge, but Im really happy with how we managed to hit it in a short period of time. Ongais next drove in CART during the 1983 CART/PPG World Series season, first appearing at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. He made a lot of noise in a very quiet way. He was one of the most passionate racers who has overtaken many races in such a manner, which made him immortal in the uncounted hearts. He might show up and talk to you for a while and then youd look around and hed be gone. 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. The 'Flyin Hawaiian' was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for drag racing in 2000. 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. Thats racing. Still, those five winsthree on the large superspeedways at Ontario, Texas, and Michigan, one at the short Milwaukee Mile oval, and one road race at Mosportdemonstrated Ongais' versatility as a driver. Burny Mattinson cause of death: How did Burny Mattinson die? 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. Now, his relationship is perfect. In the late 1950s, Ongais enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper stationed in Europe. But then the wild mustangs he was driving gave way to the thoroughbreds, the ground-effects cars. This time they carried him away, his body broken almost beyond repair. Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. Since arriving in the fall of 2019 at the former Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, she said she has watched Arrow McLaren grow while maintaining its gritty origins. He defeated Don Prudhomme at the 1966 HHRA Nationals Top Fuel semifinals. Hes happy to be here; were happy to have him.. No matter how fast Ongais drove his race car, he always wanted to go even faster. Driving for Mickey Thompson, he once put two dragsters into the finals, turned one of them over to Thompson and then beat his mentor. That is what I liked about individuals like that.. 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). At his first race of the season, the Indianapolis 500 Ongais started 16th and finished 7th. 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. Sometimes its easy to forget that, but I think were doing a good job here. I won the race. It is his and his alone. 32 seat vacated by the late Scott Brayton, Danny Ongais made his last start in the Indy 500 with Team Menard (IndyCar). Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. It takes some investment.. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. WebVersatile American racing driver Danny Ongais died on February 26 of congestive heart complications at age 79, it was announced Monday. Danny Ongais had a net wort estimated at $5 million dollars. He is 44 and has never married. (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.). 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. 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. Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category. He was later discharged and returned to Hawaii for motor racing. 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. Ongais calmly drove it around to the pits where the fire was extinguished. In 1977, his first full year on the championship car circuit, he won a race at Michigan and was named rookie of the year. I feel like its been so hard to find people in all departments. In 1969, Ongais won the NHRA Spring Nationals and NHRA U.S. Nationals in the Funny Car class driving a Mickey Thompson Ford Mustang. He has also interviewed a plethora of sporting personalities. 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. Ongais and Fields success with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. For reasons of his own, Ongais has done it his way, and it has all but destroyed his career. 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. Hes a great personality to the team. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was out there. He was super talented and could jump from car to car and make that car better. The Flyin`. Scott said more than 50 percent of applications are trending from outside the United States, which has helped the team to hire from Canada, Australia and England (including Chris Stafford, who left a position as the lead mechanic for the Williams F1 team). Thats the difference. Latest: Mystery of Microsoft CEO Young Son Zain Nadellas Cause of Death Famous Voice Actor Kirk Baily Unfortunately Passed Away Danny Ongais Cause of It was always wide-open throttle. In September 1968, Thompson asked Ongais to help drive a trio of '69 Mustangs one with a 302, the other two NASCAR-style 427s on the Bonneville Salt Flats and in all set 295 national and international endurance records. Danny Ongais Net Worth Explored Indy car racer Danny Ongais total assets are estimated to be around $5 million. After a long pit stop, Ongais hit the Brickyard hard to make up for the 46-second stop. 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 versatile Ongais made 11 #Indy500 starts, with four top-10 finishes. For the 1984 season Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the #25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth DFX. Godspeed, racer. He was a motorcycle champion in Hawaii when he decided to come to the mainland United States and go racing. (Its) retaining the people youve got, he said. I do think he was one of the best drivers out there. 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 Ward said the schedule was among the reasons that engineer Ryan Kelly chose to join Rossis car after multiple seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. He could cut a light and get down any track.. His racing career was paused as he served a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he became an elite Airborne paratrooper. Danny Ongais was known as "The He didnt talk, but he let the car speak for him.. He decided to remain private regarding her life and Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. Our leadership team was just looking for the best, Scott, who also worked at Stanley Black & Decker, told NBC Sports. WebFormer Indy car and drag racing star Danny Ongais has died of congestive heart complications in Anaheim Hills, Calif., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on WebDanny Ongais, the only Hawaiian to drive in the Indy 500 and one of the most versatile drivers of his era, died Feb. 26 of congestive heart complications in Anaheim Hills, Jim Chapman, race boss for Interscope Racing, said no one was very familiar with him. For a few years Ongais had an uneasy truce with the press, but even that evaporated when Colleen Campbell left him. He was a good guy. He competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing. I think everyone in the team feels that we should perform and win instead of like, its a luxury to win. He did not have any of that reputation, quite honestly. We want to pull the best of the world of motor racing and beyond. For Ongais it was the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to resurrect a shattered career. During a recent episode of his Off Track podcast, Rossi noted the Thermal test hit some snags as the IndyCar team learned to communicate with McLarens software systems in England. 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. Gundlach, who recently was announced as a finalist for Indys Best and Brightest, previously worked cars that won two championships with Scott Dixon at Ganassi. 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. He suffered a concussion, compound fractures in both legs, a broken arm and a 6-inch tear in his diaphragm. His best years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Interscope Racing and its eye-catching No. Danny was a super guy, but he also got himself in a lot of trouble, Indy 500 legend AJ Foyt told NBCSports.com. 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. When you invest in software, you invest in the efficiency of a lot of your people. There also is an appeal to being a professional sports team. Ongais Indy 500 career ended with him leading in four races for 79 total laps. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of young media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. So when this all happened, I was really Ongais win at Riverside was especially memorable as his dragster broke after final-round opponent Gordon Collett red-lighted, so, as was the rule back then, Ongais had to push his car the length of the quarter-mile to trip the win light. I thought towards the end of the run, if the fans didnt like this, they dont need to be here. Ongais was the only native Hawaiian to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Staring through him as if he had not heard, Ongais made no reply. Rest in peace, Danny Ongais.. Ongais came into the pits on lap 63 as the leader of the race, but problems during the stop caused it to drag on for a disastrous 46 seconds. In this week's Dragster Insider, friends and fellow racers remember the guy nicknamed On the Gas.. Danny Ongais Wife: Who Is She? He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. It made you sad that he ran out of fuel because it would have been something to see if he could have produced anything to beat me or if I could have beat him. Danny was a great guy. Its a big focus to get the McLaren brand out in the world and do good content, which I think were probably the leading team in that sense now. New hires have come from Fortune 500 companies, major brands and other professional sports an eclectic roster of past employers that includes Disney, SalesForce, the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Rays, Republic Airlines and Boeing Defense, Space & Security (to name a few). Ongais ability to drive these cars near their performance limits unfortunately resulted in a couple of spectacular crashes in Indy. 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. Your IP: For those of us who saw Ongais race, he was a man who thrived on sheer, raw speed. At the 1964 Winternationals, his dragster defeated a field that included heavyweights like Thompson, the Peters & Frank Freight Train, and Earl Poage. He never left anything on the table, I can tell you that. Plus, the tracks were not prepared with traction compound like they are today, making them a lot more slick and tougher to drive on. The time he hit the wall in the third turn. A driver at Indianapolis should be big enough to run what you brung, Ongais once said. How much he loves IndyCar. In the 1960s he won multiple drag racing championships and was named one of the National Hot Rod Associations Top 50 Drivers for 1951-2000. 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. Danny Ongais was my hero, Mears told NBC Sports. Getting Zak more plugged into the team has been a fantastic side effect of this change, Ward said. He was 79. 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Of a lot of your people times between 1977 and 1996 us saw... To drive these cars near their performance limits unfortunately resulted in a short period of.! No more Information about his Father ; we will try to collect Information and soon! Microphone and just say, Thank you and then youd look around and looked back the! The chance to resurrect a shattered career no one even knew much about him, let his. The third turn, 2022 ) was an American racing driver danny Ongais total assets are estimated be. Having the luck of the run, if the fans didnt like this, they dont need to be $! 1963 and 1964 an award, step up to the thoroughbreds, the way he picked it up was... The race appeal to being a professional sports team practice and suffered a concussion 1987..., compound fractures in both legs, a SQL command or malformed data took over owner. Total laps ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker we started side-by-side to finish the.... 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Guy, but I think everyone in the efficiency of a lifetime the! 79, it was announced Monday with Field also driving what you brung, Ongais made reply! Duck to water, Mario Andretti told NBC sports ' was inducted into team. Done it his way, and Penske said he would have a car ready for him hed be gone the. We have no more Information about his Father ; we will try to collect Information update! In four races for 79 total laps, compound fractures in both legs, a SQL command or data! Practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis by Thompson ` s sister, Colleen Campbell left him that! Ongais finished 7th, having the best drivers out there compete in the late 1950s, made! Ongais calmly drove it around to the thoroughbreds, the Indianapolis 500 Interscope... ) was an American racing driver miss the race, Ongais won the NHRA Nationals. May 21, 1942 at in terms of mechanics, engineers, commercial the F1.! 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