READ ALSO: Danny Ongais Wife - Was Danny Ongais Married? "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? 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Danny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver admired for his speed and bravery in an #Indy500 career spanning three decades, died Feb. 26 in Anaheim Hills, California at 79. 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. 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. Thats the difference. I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. There have been other athletes who have taken a vow of silence, most notably baseball`s Steve Carlton. Danny was a super guy, but he also got himself in a lot of trouble, Indy 500 legend AJ Foyt told NBCSports.com. The 'Flyin Hawaiian' was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for drag racing in 2000. Getting out of the car, Ongais pushed it the length of the quarter-mile dragstrip to claim the championship. There also is an appeal to being a professional sports team. We were running a race and about 25 laps from the end, there was a caution. But auto racing is unlike any other sport. He has also interviewed a plethora of sporting personalities. Ongais made his CART debut during the 1979 season driving the #25 Panasonic/Interscope Racing Parnelli 6C-Cosworth DFX. But no one could deny his talent. The Arrow McLaren organizational hierarchy was restructured with last years departure of Taylor Kiel (who left to become team manager for Ganassi). Went to victory lane and did all the smiling and pictures. 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. 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. Hills, California, from congestive cardiovascular collapse, but not because of any accident. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. 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. He was as smooth they get. [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). So we just have to keep that, and well be all right.. In the early 1960s he started competing in drag racing. ''He just doesn`t want to let anyone into his life,'' says the friend. 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. Usually its me calling him for comment on someone whos passed, but this time he called me (he was, in fact, the first person to tell me of Ongais passing). That is what I liked about individuals like that.. In the 1970s he moved to competing in sports cars and Indy cars, winning races in both types, including the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979 and several Indy car races in 1977 and 1978. Type above and press Enter to search. A fearless figure on the racing circuit, Ongais was nicknamed "On-Gas" and "The Flyin' Hawaiian."[1]. Super positive. 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]. Ongais started in 21st place and retired with mechanical problems. It takes some investment.. Ongais stared at the money in his hand as if it were something a passing bird had just dropped there. Im really happy to be working with (Todd) because its a different culture for her. 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. Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s. Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall. The best season for Ongais and the Interscope team came in 1978, when he won five races and eight poles en route to an eighth-place finish in the USAC standings. Ongais 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. Ongais hadnt raced since the 1986 Indy 500. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. And well-deserved. Ongais' outings in the various Vel's/Parnelli Jones Funny Cars were a little less successful but very exciting. Ongais had no fear. Plus, the tracks were not prepared with traction compound like they are today, making them a lot more slick and tougher to drive on. And thats across the board, both commercial and operational. For reasons of his own, Ongais has done it his way, and it has all but destroyed his career. Hes happy to be here; were happy to have him.. 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. 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. A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. Our car experts choose every product we feature. WebVersatile American racing driver Danny Ongais died on February 26 of congestive heart complications at age 79, it was announced Monday. Ward noted two important additions from the world of Big Data and analytics in data and strategy lead Michael Gethers (who came from Salesforce) and engineer Eric Hestekin (who arrived from Boeing Defense). Get email updates about Daniel Ongais delivered directly to your inbox. But when you look back, I think obviously marketing and that kind of stuff is becoming pretty huge in our team. Facebook gives people the power to share and 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. Our leadership team was just looking for the best, Scott, who also worked at Stanley Black & Decker, told NBC Sports. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. 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. ''He ran her off the speedway. As the season progressed the Parnelli 6C (which was already a two-year-old car) started to struggle due to its age. Ongais ended the season in 15th place in points. Danny Ongais, a Hawaii native, died Saturday of heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tommy Ivo and the five-second Top Fuel run that ignited a controversy, Wheelie neat! He finished the season in 20th place in points. WebINDIANAPOLIS 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. I think we want people who want to be with the team, so its not so much about trying to headhunt people, he said. Indianapolis became his bete noir. 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. The engineering is growing more slowly but continuously. 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 come back between most races. Known as the 'Flyin' Hawaiian', Ongais' long career saw him excel in Indy cars, F1 and drag racing. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. 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. 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. They teamed up with the legendary Hurley Haywood to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1979 in the Interscope Porsche 935 prototype. Arrow McLaren was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before McLaren gradually became the majority owner in mid-2021. Over the past year, the team has received tens of thousands of resumes sometimes hundreds specifically for an open position while transforming its staff. 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. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. He proved it again in that race and got the job done.. He crashed again in 1982, and then came Thursday`s wrenching collision with the wall. He did his own thing. In 1964 at the first Hot Rod Magazine drag championships, Ongais reached the final in the top gas-dragster division. Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCars next winning match-up? She tried so hard for him, but he wouldn`t cooperate.''. 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 He was easy going outside of the car, didnt say much and kept to himself but when he got in the car and put a helmet on, it was like he flipped the switch and stood on the gas.. I always wanted to be like him. 4. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. If you embrace it for what it is, the American culture and the IndyCar experience, its a neat option for these guys. pic.twitter.com/X4ZqLkQY4w, Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) February 28, 2022. Even with a short 10-year stint in drag racing, Ongais was still so well regarded that he was voted No. Timing is everything in this business and having the luck of the timing on your side, Mears said. 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. 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. 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. His total assets include stocks, houses, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes. 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