Its collegiate students wanting to grow a career. 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. Our car experts choose every product we feature. For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. 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. All logos and images are reserved. 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. 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. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. We were running a race and about 25 laps from the end, there was a caution. He really wanted to be here. Danny Ongais, a Hawaii native, died Saturday of heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 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. Visitation from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Wake service at 7 p.m. Visitation from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Celebration of Mass at 10:30 a.m. Burial at East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. WebOngais has been a man of mystery since he first arrived on the mainland from his native Hawaii and set the world of drag racing on its ear. It was always wide-open throttle. Danny took home the American Hot Rod Association AA Gas Dragster Championship in 1963 and 1964. ), Danny Ongais stepped up when @INDYCAR & I needed him most. I messaged her on Instagram, Hey, I think youre super cool, youre really killing it, and if you ever want to work in IndyCar, let me know, Gundlach told NBC Sports. His racing career was paused as he served a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he became an elite Airborne paratrooper. 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. The car broke in two and his legs were hanging out. What you saw is what you got. Weve done a bit of that. The team overhauled its total rewards package (which includes benefits and incentivized bonus plans) to stay competitive with other IndyCar teams as well as the other high-tech and Fortune 500 companies in the Indianapolis, Indiana, region (home to roughly 2 million) where Arrow McLaren is based. 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.). 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. Hardwick slams flawed IMSA BoP, announces WEC plans, Honda reveals Civic Type R pace car for IndyCar events, Honda's new Civic Type R pace car 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 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. Except Ongais, and he wasn`t talking. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. ''What happened?'' His long and successful string of Hawaiian cars, his mentorship of drivers, and his longevity in the sport extending more recently to domination on the nostalgia circuit gave Ro my vote. He quickly showed he could drive those cars as fast as anyone. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. Danny Ongais, by any measure, was one of the all-time greatest race car drivers! 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. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. 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. Ricou Browning cause of death: How did Ricou Browning die? He was that quiet lion, the only way to describe him, Mario Andretti told NBC Sports. There are no visitors to Danny Ongais` world. 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 fearless, Mears said. Nigel Mansells greatest F1 and Indycar drives, How Marcus Ericsson finally unlocked his potential in IndyCar, How Ericsson unlocked his potential When he got his chance, he did not disappoint anyone. Usually, however, he spent words as if they were pearls. Yet he hides everything. People are hungry and people feel like were out here to do damage.. Burial site and Find a Grave details, Ricou Browning funeral, burial service, pictures, date, time, venue. 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. We come back between most races. ''He has a good brain,'' says a friend, ''and in a social circumstance can be witty. He had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into. Ongais was the only native Hawaiian to compete in the Indianapolis 500. ''He says he doesn`t want to talk,'' said Penske, after making a personal plea to Ongais to grant an interview. He also raced in Formula One, in 1977-78, in six Grands Prix, recording a best result of seventh. It takes some investment.. Ongais scored a best finish of 5th place at the Escort Warning Radars 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. he asked Ongais, who was not badly hurt. (Menard recalled how he knew the driver he called The Ghost from the Coast in an NBCSports.com interview last year. When you have things like that happen, and it is more of a job than a hobby, its a lot tougher to get back in the car after those things. 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. When he was 14, he already was speeding around on motorcycles. Our leadership team was just looking for the best, Scott, who also worked at Stanley Black & Decker, told NBC Sports. But then Brian is a great resource for me, for the team. 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 a racer. While practicing for his first Indy-car race at Hanford, Calif., his car caught fire on the. ''You`ll be lucky to win $250 the whole season here,'' he was told. There probably has never been a driver who hit the wall harder more often and was able to survive than Danny Ongais (who died earlier this year). At the age of 18, he earned a Hawaiian state title in motorcycle racing, and he went on to become a drag racing ace. And its especially true during a season with the kind of expansion that Arrow McLaren has undertaken for the 2023 season. If he was running at the end, you couldnt count him out. He crashed again in 1982, and then came Thursday`s wrenching collision with the wall. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. It is a fun group. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. Penske looks for three things when hiring a driver, and the ability to go fast is the last of the three. Danny Ongais Wife: Who Is She? His first Indy-car race came at Ontario, Calif., late in 1976. For the 1980 season Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche V6 engine. A semi-serious look at the points battles heading to Pomona, T.V. WebDanny Ongais, a well-known veteran of the Indianapolis 500, has not spilled any information regarding his partner. The mothers name is Not Available. The engineering is growing more slowly but continuously. He proved it again in that race and got the job done.. 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. For Penske the hiring of Ongais was an aberration, a minor breach of his own immutable rules. The group of people that are in charge (of) who joins the team, I think they know exactly what we need, and I trust theyre going to make the right decisions. Wife: The blogger is not married. Its a mentality shift thats good. Russian Colonel Alexander Bespalov cause of death cause of death, wife, children, net worth, funeral, obituary, Cathal Coughlan cause of death, wife, children, Microdisney and The Fatima Mansions. ''In Hawaii,'' he huffed, ''I`d get at least $250.''. "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? 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. Just like the U.S. business world since the Great Resignation of 2020-21, one of the loudest narratives in racing has been the difficulty of hiring and keeping strong personnel since the COVID-19 pandemic upended the worlds workforce. Phil Burgess can be reached at[emailprotected], Hundreds of more articles like this can be found in theDRAGSTER INSIDER COLUMN ARCHIVE, Or try theRandom Dragster Insider story generator, Long 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. Sometimes its easy to forget that, but I think were doing a good job here. I, like many, always enjoyed watching the Top Fuel and Funny Cars when I was not racing my own car. Gracie is a rock star and can do anything, Gundlach said. I got down off the stand and went down to meet him. He decided to remain private regarding her life and Now, his relationship is perfect. I think we want people who want to be with the team, so its not so much about trying to headhunt people, he said. They required not breaking, but gentling. Virtually all that is known of Ongais is a matter of public record. At the 1981 Indianapolis 500, he was involved in a near-fatal accident that caused him to miss almost a year of racing. WebDaniel Ongais passed away on October 11, 2019. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. Ongais made 11 Indy 500 starts between 1977 and 1996 and placed in the top 10 a total of four times. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. 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. In Sundays Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Gundlach and Hackenberg (a damper specialist who also works on pit stops) will begin their third year together in the engineering department of Arrow McLaren as the team enters its most critical season yet in trying to become a perennial powerhouse championship contender. For those of us who saw Ongais race, he was a man who thrived on sheer, raw speed. Although he was clipped on the chest by a flying tire from his wrecked racer and confined to Methodist Hospital in fair condition with a concussion, Ongais was hoping to be ready to remount in time to qualify on the second weekend. Ongais scored another 4th-place finish at the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International and finished in 6th place in points. He has also interviewed a plethora of sporting personalities. 1 mechanic out of F1. Chapman did state that well into their relationship he learned Ongais was married and had a son. Thats definitely not a rumor, said OWard, who is entering his fourth season of driving McLarens No. His expansive Rolodex comes in handy but hasnt been key in expanding to a third car. pic.twitter.com/wWOurQyhjT, nascarman (@nascarman_rr) April 4, 2022. The time he hit the wall in the third turn. His race director at Interscope Racing Jim Chapman stated Nobody really knew much about him where he lived, his family, stuff like that. 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. 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). Ongais also made a single start for AMI Racing driving the #43 Armstrong Mould Orbiter 80C-Cosworth DFX at the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, finishing 11th. They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. Hes happy to be here; were happy to have him.. THE racing world is mourning the passing of American star Danny Ongais who has died at the age of 79. Has a good job here quiet lion, the only way to describe him, Mario Andretti told Sports! 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