''That`s his life, racing.''. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. Racing teams typically face double-digit turnover after the season. He was a good guy. 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. ''He studies everything he says,'' says one friend, ''but why? All logos and images are reserved. 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. He was a racer. But the fact that he could finish only eighth in the championship attests to the cars poor finishing record. He made a late pass going into turn 3. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. 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. 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. ''You`ll be lucky to win $250 the whole season here,'' he was told. 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. How much he loves IndyCar. For the 1987 season Interscope Racing teamed up with Team Penske getting Ongais in the #25 Panavision Penske PC-16-Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 for the Indianapolis 500, however Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion. Weve got a lot of positivity. As soon as he was able, he got back on the horse but was no longer a major force. Danny Ongais, by any measure, was one of the all-time greatest race car drivers! Linda Vaughn presented him with a diamond-studded belt buckle. 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. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. But no one could deny his talent. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of young media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. 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 must please a sponsor, and sponsors are not pleased when they read stories about their surly driver. ''In Hawaii,'' he huffed, ''I`d get at least $250.''. 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. Did Danny Ongais have children? Two years later he qualified on the front row and led for four laps before crashing again. 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He was a motorcycle champion in Hawaii when he decided to come to the mainland United States and go racing. 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. Under qualifying rules he had to start 33rd. We have an ethos here where we dont necessarily want to do things the way theyve always been done in the IndyCar world. 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). He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. Kiels team president role essentially was split between Ward and other managers. As the season progressed the Parnelli 6C (which was already a two-year-old car) started to struggle due to its age. Funny Car icon Bruce Larson: NHRA's original triple-threat Pro driver, Frank Mancuso: Some good trips and some bad ones for the 'Travel Agent' driver. Nearly 50 percent of the team is comprised of engineering, commercial and finance positions with skillsets that transcend racing. He loved what he was doing. 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 The tragic circumstances of an accident also led to Ongais final start at Indianapolis, in 1996. That is still here fueling this and educating all the new people coming in to continue that mentality. A sense of humor. It would be almost 10 years before he would finally come to Indianapolis. Getting Zak more plugged into the team has been a fantastic side effect of this change, Ward said. He also won eight poles in qualifying. He also raced in Formula One, in 1977-78, in six Grands Prix, recording a best result of seventh. But then Brian is a great resource for me, for the team. Since the outset of the Russian Troop’s invasion of Ukraine, Valery has run a blog in which he details how Kherson lives and volunteered. All we can do is look across what corporations and companies are doing when people tell us we could do better in one space or another, she said. 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. 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. He was the oldest driver to compete in that field, at age 54. Burial site and Find a Grave details, Ricou Browning funeral, burial service, pictures, date, time, venue. "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? That is what I liked about individuals like that.. WebChapman did state that well into their relationship he learned Ongais was married and had a son. Jim Nelson once said that what he could tell about Ongais was that "all he wanted to do was race. Driving for Mickey Thompson, he once put two dragsters into the finals, turned one of them over to Thompson and then beat his mentor. It was always wide-open throttle. Ongais started in 21st place and retired with mechanical problems. 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. 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. 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. Danny Ongais passed away on February 26, 2022 at the age of 79. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. 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. Indianapolis became his bete noir. But he was not an idiot going around and doing stupid things. He and renowned innovator Mickey Thompson set nearly 300 national and international speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Mach 1 Mustang during the 1960s. Its the best team Ive ever worked at in terms of mechanics, engineers, commercial. That is the reason why he got into the wall so often.. Even with a short 10-year stint in drag racing, Ongais was still so well regarded that he was voted No. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th. The 1970 season didnt go as well, haunted by parts attrition and at least one fire that burned Ongais. He was that talented. 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. 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. How Harvey found his dream team A writer who had followed his career closely and thought he knew Ongais fairly well visited him in the track hospital. Ongais was a man of few words but drove a race car with the right foot of an elephant on the accelerator. Field was part of the famed Marshall Field family, the famed owners of the department store chain in Chicago. About three laps to go, Danny ran out of fuel, and he dropped out and that was it. For the 1984 season Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the #25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth DFX. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. The rides with major teams that could have been his went to less talented but more malleable men. Over the past year, the team has received tens of thousands of resumes sometimes hundreds specifically for an open position while transforming its staff. She tried so hard for him, but he wouldn`t cooperate.''. At the 1964 Winternationals, his dragster defeated a field that included heavyweights like Thompson, the Peters & Frank Freight Train, and Earl Poage. Driving for Parnelli Jones, he crashed. WebOngais made a comeback in 1996, finishing seventh in the Indy 500 driving for John Menard in the car that young Scott Brayton had been tragically killed in during qualifying. Fielding the #25 GM Goodwrench/Panavision March 86C-Buick V6, Ongais dropped out with a mechanical failure. For a few years Ongais had an uneasy truce with the press, but even that evaporated when Colleen Campbell left him. 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. READ ALSO: Danny Ongais Wife - Was Danny Ongais Married? I think that it is very important to see that the company emphasizes bringing the right people in, and the right people are women.. 5 Dallara-Chevrolet. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Ongais was the only native Hawaiian to compete in the Indianapolis 500. His best years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Interscope Racing and its eye-catching No. WebFilling the No. Ongais had some of the biggest, hardest crashes in Indianapolis 500 history. 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. 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. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital in a critical condition. 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. He refuses to talk about his parents or his boyhood in Hawaii. He was a racer, and he loved what he was doing, so it was easier for him to get back in the car.. Thompson, the onetime land speed record-holder, was campaigning a team at Indianapolis and promised to give Ongais a ride. 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