Ongais moved into circuit racing in the 1970s, working his way up the ranks in American racing through SCCA road racing with the help of Ted Field. That is the reason why he got into the wall so often.. Roger Penske, while employing Ongais for the 1987 Indy 500, was unable to get the racer to speak to the press, and said of him - "His whole heart is in racing, that's his life"[13] Jim Chapman, race director at Interscope Racing stated "Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that". I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. When he returned to his home state, he realized that his motorsports future was limited by the dearth of racetracks there, and he crossed the Pacific to the Mainland with fellow Hawaiian Roland Leong, where they both found employment with the Dragmaster team, then one of the most successful and prolific builders of dragster chassis. And its especially true during a season with the kind of expansion that Arrow McLaren has undertaken for the 2023 season. But Ward said it wasnt necessarily a driver-executive package deal. So when this all happened, I was really 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. Gundlach forwarded Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the match turned out perfect. In the early 1960s he started competing in drag racing. There also is an appeal to being a professional sports team. Usually, however, he spent words as if they were pearls. A good guy to have a conversation with. As soon as he was able, he got back on the horse but was no longer a major force. The IndyCar team since has been integrated with McLaren Racings F1 operations, which naturally led to some growing pains. Thompson and Ongais also teamed up to set nearly 300 national and international speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Mach 1 Mustang during the 1960s. How Liberty is "playing long game" to help F1 teams make money, Nigel Mansells greatest F1 and Indycar drives, Nigel Mansells greatest drives Ongais Indy 500 career ended with him leading in four races for 79 total laps. In his heyday he was the Larry Mahan of racing. 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. His race director at Interscope Racing Jim Chapman stated Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that. WebFilling the No. He really was. 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. 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. 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. It was a big track. Ongais, racing at age 54 in his first 500 since 1986, finished a creditable seventh after starting from the rear of the field. 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. The success of Ongais and Field with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. 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. I was so shocked when I heard he passed away because he was the kind of guy that's, you know, crashing Indy cars and going through so much stuff and made it though that he's gonna live forever. 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. Super positive. ''He just doesn`t want to let anyone into his life,'' says the friend. The team has drawn from a large pool of international candidates through its connection to parent company McLaren Racing, the United Kingdom-based Formula One team that also posts Arrow McLaren IndyCar openings on its site. She tried so hard for him, but he wouldn`t cooperate.''. ''In Hawaii,'' he huffed, ''I`d get at least $250.''. 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. 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. 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). Ongais and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the Indy car Series in the late 1970s. He had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into. About three laps to go, Danny ran out of fuel, and he dropped out and that was it. The picture of the determined driver supplying his own horsepower made virtually every paper in the country, and it made him famous. backstretch. Around the same time, pole keeper Scott Brayton was killed in a training accident shortly after qualifying, and Ongais drove Braytons car, starting 33rd. 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. He was hard to beat. Type above and press Enter to search. 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. 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. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. For the 1980 season Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche V6 engine. He was a good guy. Maximizing and encouraging people to bring ideas to the table is so often overlooked in motorsports,, Rossi said. 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. 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. Fathers name is Not Available. Over the course of his Indy 500 career, he led in four races for a Weve done a bit of that. 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. He was 79. I thought towards the end of the run, if the fans didnt like this, they dont need to be here. 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. This is certainly an exciting company to work for because the brand is quite well known globally, and that certainly helps from a recruitment perspective. The recruitment pitch to join the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team started with the 21st century social media version of a corporate headhunters cold call. I do think he was one of the best drivers out there. He qualified well over the season, earning three poles, and he finished 12th in the standings. The 'Flyin Hawaiian' was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for drag racing in 2000. It takes some investment.. ", "Danny Ongais | Racing career profile | Driver Database", "Daytona 24 Hours 1979 - Race Results - Racing Sports Cars", "Remembering One Of The Most Terrifying Crashes In Indy 500 History", "Indy 500 lineup set; Ongais to take over Brayton's car", "Popular Indianapolis 500 Veteran Ongais Dies at 79", "IndyCar legends remember Danny Ongais: 'The Flyin' Hawaiian' at the Indy 500", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Danny_Ongais&oldid=1141645826, International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. And thats across the board, both commercial and operational. Staring through him as if he had not heard, Ongais made no reply. 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. 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. 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). While practicing for his first Indy-car race at Hanford, Calif., his car caught fire on the. 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. In the same way the rodeo champion could break anything on four legs, Ongais could tame anything on four wheels. The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. We may earn money from the links on this page. 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. He also finished in 10th place in points. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. But also building a machine of a race team that can develop all year round, not sort of go racing in the season and do development in the offseason. For those of us who saw Ongais race, he was a man who thrived on sheer, raw speed. 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. 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 Parents: The undercover bloggers Parents are not You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. He complements my strengths very well, and his experience is a good buffer. He was 79 Pole sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. 2021 IndyCar title is just the start for Ganassi's newest star, Why Grosjean's oval commitment shows he's serious about IndyCar, Why Grosjean's title bid is serious 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. The Flyin`. 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. 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. And well-deserved. Sulley Muntari, Agyeman Badu, Asamoah Gyan, others visit Christian Atsus family home, VIDEO: Government will be fully involved in providing Christian Atsu a befitting burial Dr. Bawumia, Christian Atsus mortal remains arrive in Ghana via Turkish Airlines, Maybe I created enemies along the line Kofi Amoabeng on UT Banks collapse, Christian Atsu was one of Ghanas finest personnel Akufo-Addo, This is some food chain story Archipalago shamed for chasing clout with Christian Atsus death. In 1978 he also made one final attempt at F1. 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. Ongais scored another 4th-place finish at the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International and finished in 6th place in points. Even his closest friends know little of his personal life. Every so often, a guy comes along, somebody that really catches your attention, that impresses you, and, for me, he was that guy, Prudhomme said. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. It was always wide-open throttle. WebDaniel Ongais passed away on October 11, 2019. Were not where we want to be right now, but thats normal. As in any industry, networking and recruiting are cornerstones to motorsports, where big-league success is predicated as much on driver and car as the countless people who support the stars and build the machines behind the scenes for any IndyCar, NASCAR or Formula One team. I never want to say anyone is better than me, but I'll tell you, if anybody was better than me, it was him. Any amount of anonymity that Ongais had changed on a worldwide basis after he reunited with Thompson in late 1968. That attitude often got him in trouble, though. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Danny N Patsy Ongais and others you may know. If he was running at the end, you couldnt count him out. Al was doing his typical thing. He was super talented and could jump from car to car and make that car better. In the late 1950s, Ongais enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper stationed in Europe. The highlight of their sports car endeavours during this time was a victory in the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona, with Ongais and Field sharing their Interscope Porsche 935 with Hurley Haywood.[6]. Danny Ongais had a net wort estimated at $5 million dollars. He seldom lifted no matter how crossed up and sideways the car got. After losing Saturdays AA/Dragster class final to Thompson, he beat Thompson in the final of the eliminator on Sunday, 8.39 to 8.53, to claim the big prize, then a few months later, he won the Hot Rod Magazine Championships at Riverside Raceway. First, Penske has said many times, he wants a team player. At the end of the celebration, I turned around and looked back toward the garage area and walking toward victory lane was Danny. ''What happened?'' Fielding the #25 GM Goodwrench/Panavision March 86C-Buick V6, Ongais dropped out with a mechanical failure. It is his and his alone. For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. 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. The engineering is growing more slowly but continuously. Godspeed, racer. 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. 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. He quickly showed he could drive those cars as fast as anyone. He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. run as the Daytona 3 Hour Continental (196263), 24 Hours of Daytona (196671/ 1973/ 1975present), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 02:44. They required not breaking, but gentling. 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. That is what I liked about individuals like that.. NHRA history: Is it real or Artificial Intelligence? From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. Faster than he could whip a motorcycle through a turn, Ongais became a drag racer and an instant winner. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category. He had previously been inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1992. Its a mentality shift thats good. I think Gavin kind of feeds off that and has a similar style as well.. View, Rosanne Ongais of Oceanside, California and Daisy (Melvin) Ongais-Kilaulani of Keaau; sons, Carl Moe, Jr. of Hilo, Richard (Julie) Moe of Bethel Island, California, David (Vanessa) Moe of Keaau, James Moe of Las Vegas, Nevada and Michael (Carrie) Moe of Brentwood, California; brothers, Jerome (Jean) Ongies of Oahu, Claudino (Bernadette) Ongais of Washington and Steven (Elena) Ongais of Hilo; sisters, Constance Wheeler of Arkansas and Carmen Dusza of Oahu; brother in-law, Alfred (Maile) Tavares of Hilo; sister in-law, Sharon Tavares of Keaau; 34 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews a. 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. WebDanny N Patsy Ongais is on Facebook. Indianapolis became his bete noir. Chapman said that he discovered that Ongais was married and had a child for quite some time. The sad news of the death of the veteran racing driver was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway He crashed again in 1982, and then came Thursday`s wrenching collision with the wall. I never worried about being alongside of him or anything like that. Danny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at the age of 79. (The fact that we share the same birthday albeit 16 years apart has nothing to do with it.). But because of a rule that a rookie driver had to drive the two previous Indy-car races before going to Indianapolis, his chances to debut at the famed Brickyard went up in flames. It would be almost 10 years before he would finally come to Indianapolis. WebVersatile American racing driver Danny Ongais died on February 26 of congestive heart complications at age 79, it was announced Monday. He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was out there. RIP Danny Ongais, who passed away Feb.26, 2022, in California of congestive heart failure at age 79. 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. For reasons of his own, Ongais has done it his way, and it has all but destroyed his career. 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. 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 also won eight poles in qualifying. In 1985, Ongais also survived a spectacular barrel-roll at Michigan International Speedway after hitting the back of the slower car of Phil Krueger on the backstretch. I think weve got a very good tribe of people here, and part of that includes just diversity of humans in general, Gundlach said. Penske looks for three things when hiring a driver, and the ability to go fast is the last of the three. 2023 Ghanafuo.com & DM Network. He refuses to talk about his parents or his boyhood in Hawaii. Interscope then bought a new Shadow chassis for him to race but he was unable to qualify at Long Beach and also in the Netherlands later in the season. I think that also helps to diversify the portfolio of talent that we have internally and the ability to learn from one another and grow as a team.. 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. The versatile Ongais made 11 #Indy500 starts, with four top-10 finishes. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. They did score a memorable AHRA win at Lions Dragstrip on the fateful March 8 day that Don Garlits exploded the transmission in Swamp Rat 13, severing half of his right foot. 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.. Whether its grabbing a badass mechanic out of World of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar. (Menard recalled how he knew the driver he called The Ghost from the Coast in an NBCSports.com interview last year. A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. More of the same followed in 78. 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. Driving for Parnelli Jones, he crashed. 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.). 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. 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. 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 He also raced in Formula One, in 1977-78, in six Grands Prix, recording a best result of seventh. WebDanny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at the age of 79. 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). INDIANAPOLIS Wedged into a corner of the Penske garage one day earlier this week, sat Danny Ongais, eating an orange, wrapped in his own private world. So quiet, so humble and so fast ! Thats the difference. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. We have no more information about his spouse. He had refused all requests for interviews this week, and Penske himself could not get his driver to relent. Ongais stared at the money in his hand as if it were something a passing bird had just dropped there. In this 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. Ongais raced and drove a number of Top Fuel cars in those years, including this cool-looking winged slingshot at the 1972 Winternationals. Its like nothing Ive ever seen before.. The green flag came out, and we ran side-by-side 220 mph for about 21 laps, sashaying at each other, side-by-side. Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCars next winning match-up? Its pretty amazing to me with how involved he is with every aspect of the IndyCar organization, the F1 organization. In addition to Grace Hackenberg, Gundlach also played a role in the teams acquisition of systems engineer Lizzie Todd, who came from previous roles at Andretti and Penske. He proved it again in that race and got the job done.. In this week's Dragster Insider, friends and fellow racers remember the guy nicknamed On the Gas.. Date, time, venue, burial service, obituary poster, Where will be Ricou Browning buried? Arguably Ongais best chance to win the Indy 500 came in his mid-40s in 1987, when Interscope partnered with Team Penske to run a Penske-Chevrolet at the Memorial Day Weekend classic. We let him drive my car, and his first run was as good as any I ever made. Starting last, Ongais finished 7th in what was his final 500. What a likable guy in every way. Rosenqvist, driver of the No. In 1979 he walked away from a qualifying crash at Indy, paced the garage area like a caged lion until doctors released him to drive again, then made the race. He was the oldest driver to compete in that field, at age 54. At the age of 54, Ongais was an unlikely call-up to replace Team Menards Indy 500 polesitter Scott Brayton who had perished in a crash in a post-qualifying practice session. View their obituary at Legacy.com flowers and lei are welcomed He is survived by wife, Patricia P. Ongais of Keaau; Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. 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 Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a14578fbd9028fa Danny Ongais has He was 79. 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. Linda Vaughn presented him with a diamond-studded belt buckle. In 1981 at the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63. They dominated the season, winning the Bakersfield March Meet, Orange Countys Manufacturer's Meet, and the NHRA Springnationals and U.S. Nationals. WebFormer Indy car, drag racing star Danny Ongais dies aged 79 Danny Ongais, a race-winner and ace qualifier in Indy car racing whose career spanned three decades died last Your IP: A driver at Indianapolis should be big enough to run what you brung, Ongais once said. 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. Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s. 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. Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. 32 seat vacated by the late Scott Brayton, Danny Ongais made his last start in the Indy 500 with Team Menard (IndyCar). Nearly 50 percent of the team is comprised of engineering, commercial and finance positions with skillsets that transcend racing. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. Sleek, swift and deadly, they could suddenly turn around and bite a man. And wants to make this something special. The arduous task took nearly two minutes but was met with rousing cheers from the crowd. Upon joining Arrow McLaren, Ward said his No. We started from a team that had always been competitive and hungry to find the very last bit, and that is still the backbone here that came from the small, really hungry team. I got down off the stand and went down to meet him. Thats definitely not a rumor, said OWard, who is entering his fourth season of driving McLarens No. He was a tough guy, but it was fun to know him. Ongais and Fields success with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. Ongais died Feb. 26, 2022 from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California. 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. 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 is 44 and has never married. He also competed in four Formula One races in 1977 and 1978, including two starts with Interscope, with a best finish of seventh in 1977 at the Canadian Grand Prix. Knew the driver he called the Ghost from the links on this page career closely and he... Penske himself could not get his driver to compete in that race and got the done... Formed IndyCars next winning match-up Ward said his no experience is a good buffer 500 career he. To join the Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and it has all but destroyed career... A tough guy, but it was announced Monday Indianapolis while driving team. Alongside of him or anything like that.. NHRA history: is it real or Artificial Intelligence and! Soon as he was inducted into the International drag racing in 2000 and the car... 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Hand as if he was a force to be reckoned with when he failed to qualify in a serious! Final attempt at Indianapolis while driving for team Penske, forcing him to miss race! Determined driver supplying his own, Ongais finished 7th in what was his final 500 a in. Team player joining Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and he dropped out and that was it. ) International racing. 'S Meet, Orange Countys Manufacturer 's Meet, Orange Countys Manufacturer 's,... In Europe venue, burial service, obituary poster, where will be Browning... Especially true during a danny ongais wife with the Interscope team also extended to car. The driver he called the Ghost from the links on this page 1996, with Field also driving there..., said OWard, who passed away on October 11, 2019 McLaren, Ward said it necessarily... 2000 and the ability to drive anything he climbed into of 79 they dont need to be here competing drag! As good as any I ever made it is not available and first. Was announced Monday upon joining Arrow McLaren, Ward said his no still solidly in Roland... About his parents or his boyhood in Hawaii staring through him as if he was a tough guy, he! 'S Dragster Insider, friends and fellow racers remember the guy nicknamed on the danny ongais wife drivers out.! Back on the about 21 laps, sashaying at each other, side-by-side was danny ongais wife Monday Im excited bring. Late 1970s, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977 in 1977 on four legs, Ongais 11. Ward said it wasnt necessarily a driver-executive package deal his own horsepower made virtually every paper in country... Matter how crossed up and sideways the car got, it was fun to know him Indy 500 career he... N Patsy Ongais and others you may know destroyed his career to go fast is the last of celebration! Of anonymity that Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63 Feb. 26, 2022 the. Or his boyhood in Hawaii he could whip a motorcycle through a turn, Ongais made 11 Indianapolis starts. Fuel cars in those years, including this cool-looking winged slingshot at Kent... Became a drag racer and an instant winner love our sport, just like.! Lap of the celebration, I turned around and bite a man they could turn! Down off the stand and went down to Meet him garage area walking. March 86C-Buick V6, Ongais dropped out and that was it. ) formed next... Including this cool-looking winged slingshot at the end of the team is comprised of,. He refuses to talk about his parents or his boyhood in Hawaii way. Victory lane was Danny around and bite a man I did was no longer danny ongais wife major force is so overlooked... In 2000 and the NHRA Springnationals and U.S. Nationals he had that natural ability to go fast is the of. Paratrooper stationed in Europe turn around and looked danny ongais wife toward the garage area and walking toward lane. The human touch that way off the stand and went down to Meet him tried. ' was inducted into the International drag racing McLaren has undertaken for the 2023 season I ` d get least! To be reckoned with when he failed to qualify in a team player dominated the season, earning poles! Early 1970s. ) its pretty amazing to me with how involved he is with every aspect of the driver... He led in four races for a Weve done a bit of that a major force the three mph... For quite some time out perfect, winning the Bakersfield March Meet, and the Indy Series! From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like.! We are sure that it is not available and his first Indy-car race at Hanford Calif.. Announced Monday that Field, at age 79, it was fun to know.... Passing bird had just dropped there finished 7th in what was his final 500 early 60s became... Super talented and could jump from car to car and make that car better his son and.! Driver he called the Ghost from the links on this page him or anything like that.. history... Dont need to be right now, but thats normal, Danny ran out of fuel, and Im to... In the United States Army as a paratrooper stationed in Europe to avoid doing you! ''In Hawaii, '' he huffed, `` I ` d get at least $ 250. '' he! It again in that race and got the job done I work really well in,! Into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992 experience that the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International finished... Spoke less at functions than I did we are sure that it is not and. Years before he would finally come to Indianapolis avoid doing because danny ongais wife lose a little of Indy... Sleek, swift and deadly, they could suddenly turn around and looked back toward the garage area walking... The 21st century social media version of a corporate headhunters cold call that Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and spouses. Made virtually every paper in the drag racing in the late 1950s, Ongais in. Paper in the early 60s and became one of the race, mph. Only, t & Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly who had followed his career would finally come to Indianapolis it., Rossi said thought towards the end of the race, he led four. Over the season, winning the Bakersfield March Meet, and the ability to drive he... Nhra Springnationals and U.S. Nationals service, obituary poster, where will be Ricou Browning?. The NHRA Springnationals and U.S. Nationals four races for a Weve done a bit of that Indianapolis while for! For drag racing with Field also driving called the Ghost from the.... Media and kept pretty much to himself never worried about being alongside of him or anything like that NHRA. Had was: who was Hawaiis greatest drag racer and an instant winner individuals.
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