As a statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway pointed out, Ongais was known not only for his huge speed, but also surviving some violent crashes. Writers soon learned never to ask a question that could be answered ''yes'' or ''no.'' I think its a more family friendly way to go racing. I feel like its been so hard to find people in all departments. His death was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days later. We came together with a big hug. 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). WebFilling the No. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. Its a mentality shift thats good. Ongais` life took a wrong turn up a one-way street Thursday, when he destroyed his most precious possession. [8] Later in the season, Interscope Racing set up a partnership between themselves and Patrick Racing giving Patrick March 83C-Cosworth DFXs. 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 [4], In 1977, Ongais ran his first full season in Indy cars. 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. [2], Ongais was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 21, 1942. He was 79. His best years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Interscope Racing and its eye-catching No. No matter how fast Ongais drove his race car, he always wanted to go even faster. The 1978 Michigan victory would turn out to be the final Indy car victory of Ongais' career. The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. 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. "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. He decided to remain private regarding her life and relationship. ''He has a good brain,'' says a friend, ''and in a social circumstance can be witty. Your IP: He was fearless, Mears said. [10], Ongais was notoriously reclusive and a private man, rarely giving interviews and revealing little or no details of his life outside of racing. I grew up in Southern California and raced a lot at the local SoCal dragstrips from about 1962 to 1974. What it has done to his life no one could say. He had refused all requests for interviews this week, and Penske himself could not get his driver to relent. 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. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Getting out of the car, Ongais pushed it the length of the quarter-mile dragstrip to claim the championship. That earned him such nicknames as The Flyin Hawaiian and Danny On-The-Gas.. 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. 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 known as a fast and daring driver, but he experienced multiple crashes in his career, some resulting in injury. He defeated Don Prudhomme at the 1966 HHRA Nationals Top Fuel semifinals. Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s. 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. Ongais is the main Hawaiian to compete in Hustlings Greatest Show. Its collegiate students wanting to grow a career. 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. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. By 1963, Ongais had his own gas dragster, a supercharged 371 Chevy-powered budget machine cobbled together from castoff parts from other teams and manufacturers and won the AHRA Winter Championships in both 1963 and 1964. Our car experts choose every product we feature. and he has been married to his wife Focusing on more diversity through a Path to the Pits internship program that identifies future talent, Scott has been struck by the interest from youth. Known as the 'Flyin' Hawaiian', Ongais' long career saw him excel in Indy cars, F1 and drag racing. And wants to make this something special. In 1978 he also made one final attempt at F1. Gundlach forwarded Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the match turned out perfect. (Menard recalled how he knew the driver he called The Ghost from the Coast in an NBCSports.com interview last year. 5 Dallara-Chevrolet. There is one way in which Arrow McLarens transformation is noticeable. Shes a complete unicorn and super hard worker. 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. They soon began taking chunks out of Danny Ongais` hide. Danny commenced his journey from 11 Indianapolis 500 races from 1977-96 and made many races on his name as the winner. His expansive Rolodex comes in handy but hasnt been key in expanding to a third car. 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. Thats racing. Ongais had no fear. So we just have to keep that, and well be all right.. The IndyCar team since has been integrated with McLaren Racings F1 operations, which naturally led to some growing pains. He dominated six races in USAC-sanctioned single-seater racing and finished eighth in the title. I think thatll grow into a bigger, better version of a big team than there is. Whether its grabbing a badass mechanic out of World of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar. He might show up and talk to you for a while and then youd look around and hed be gone. Thats the way he drove, too. The time he hit the wall in the third turn. This time they carried him away, his body broken almost beyond repair. The time he spent with me was invaluable. In 1981 at the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. He won the American Hot Rod Association AA Gas Dragster Championship in 1963 and 1964, and in the National Hot Rod Association AA Dragster championship title in 1965. I think the vibe is fantastic. NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch, NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch Arrow McLaren still has done much of its hiring through the paddocks traditional word of mouth manner. I think the general direction of the team, just kind of goals and ambitions, you can feel that everyones targeting something different than they did two years ago. In 1978 he won five races and was the hottest driver on the circuit. Maximizing and encouraging people to bring ideas to the table is so often overlooked in motorsports,, Rossi said. He was that talented. 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. In this week's Dragster Insider, friends and fellow racers remember the guy nicknamed On the Gas.. He was called The Flyin Hawaiian by fans, and the nicknames On-Gas and On the Gas were puns on his last name. Despite having to start from 33rd and last and despite having retired from Indy car competition nine years earlier, Ongais drove his way to seventh. Burny Mattinson cause of death: How did Burny Mattinson die? 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. [7] He missed the rest of the CART year to recover in rehabilitation. Danny completed 10th place in his last race in 1996. A driver cannot let skill alone speak for him. 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. 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. Penske looks for three things when hiring a driver, and the ability to go fast is the last of the three. His total assets include stocks, houses, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes. Its really exciting to be part of a group that still has ties to everyone being very hungry and ambitious and could do all sorts of roles and do whatever needed to be done. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. 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. Pole sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. He then competed at the Gould Twin Dixie 125 however bad luck hit Ongais in both races. His first Indy-car race came at Ontario, Calif., late in 1976. THE racing world is mourning the passing of American star Danny Ongais who has died at the age of 79. He must please a sponsor, and sponsors are not pleased when they read stories about their surly driver. Burial site and Find a Grave details, Ricou Browning funeral, burial service, pictures, date, time, venue. View their obituary at Legacy.com flowers and lei are welcomed He is survived by wife, Patricia P. Ongais of Keaau; 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. Away, his body broken almost beyond repair giving Patrick March 83C-Cosworth.. Nicknamed on the circuit suffered serious injuries in a very serious accident on lap 63 March 83C-Cosworth DFXs the Indy. 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