Ongais had a sixth sense, so he could detect the car almost before it started to move and get out of shape. Although Ongais won more Indy car races than any other driver that year, a combination of mechanical problems and low finishes in other races meant he would only finish 8th in the 1978 USAC Indy car championship. Honestly, there was already so much talent in the group, and I feel like so much more has been added on which is just going to help us to really get us where we want to be.. He was direct. I, like many, always enjoyed watching the Top Fuel and Funny Cars when I was not racing my own car. He was known as a fast and daring driver, but he experienced multiple crashes in his career, some resulting in injury. Weve got a lot of positivity. Ongais became the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 and was in the top three positions in the expert class from 1960 to 1962.[2]. Danny faced a ton of heart problems in his old age. I won the race. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. For Ongais it was the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to resurrect a shattered career. Danny commenced his journey from 11 Indianapolis 500 races from 1977-96 and made many races on his name as the winner. That 1978 season also included Ongais starting in the middle of the first all-200-mph front row at Indianapolis, between pole sitter Tom Sneva and rookie Rick Mears, but his best finish in his 11 starts at the Speedway was a fourth in 1979. Chapman did state that well into their relationship he learned Ongais was married and had a son. Jody Scott, McLarens director of people who joined the team a year ago from Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health), said there was no target for the number of hires outside motorsports. 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. The 1978 Michigan victory would turn out to be the final Indy car victory of Ongais' career. His first Indy-car race came at Ontario, Calif., late in 1976. Thats exciting. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. While practicing for his first Indy-car race at Hanford, Calif., his car caught fire on the. Its a mentality shift thats good. 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. Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing win. Thats what we like to avoid doing because you lose a little of the human touch that way. I think its a more family friendly way to go racing. So far as anyone knows, he has nothing to hide.''. He really was. Thats definitely not a rumor, said OWard, who is entering his fourth season of driving McLarens No. For the 1986 season Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. Since arriving in the fall of 2019 at the former Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, she said she has watched Arrow McLaren grow while maintaining its gritty origins. How much does an F1 car weigh in 2023 and what's included in the limit? In 1978 he also made one final attempt at F1. 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. The 1981 Indianapolis 500 was a rough race for Ongais. Because its so easy to get sucked into a more corporate environment. Danny Ongais (May 21, 1942 February 26, 2022) was an American racing driver. Burny Mattinson cause of death: How did Burny Mattinson die? The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. 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. 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. His first Indy car race was the 1976 California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway, where he finished 28th after a crash. In 1975, Ongais left the quarter-mile to pursue success in other motorsports and drove in SCCA, Formula 5000, Indycar, Formula 1, and sports-car competition. 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. Al was doing his typical thing. Ill see what I can do help you out. 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. After a long pit stop, Ongais hit the Brickyard hard to make up for the 46-second stop. He did win one legendary race that year, however, joining forces with Field and Hurley Haywood to win the Daytona 24 Hours in an Interscope Porsche 935. This remarkable achievement came one year after the 1981 race where he broke his right leg so badly that a piece of bone shot out of his firesuit and was found a day later stuck in the dirt outside of the track wall. 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 entered the season with the Ensign team, in a year-old N177 chassis, and retired in Argentina and Brazil with brake problems. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Nearly 50 percent of the team is comprised of engineering, commercial and finance positions with skillsets that transcend racing. He didnt talk, but he let the car speak for him.. To him, the hardest part of the project came in deciding on a name for the car. Ongais next drove in CART during the 1983 CART/PPG World Series season, first appearing at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Driving for Mickey Thompson, he once put two dragsters into the finals, turned one of them over to Thompson and then beat his mentor. The caution wasnt that long, but we started side-by-side to finish the race. Gundlach forwarded Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the match turned out perfect. His total assets include stocks, houses, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes. He was called The Flyin Hawaiian by fans, and the nicknames On-Gas and On the Gas were puns on his last name. In the same way the rodeo champion could break anything on four legs, Ongais could tame anything on four wheels. But then the wild mustangs he was driving gave way to the thoroughbreds, the ground-effects cars. Type above and press Enter to search. The time zone changes arent quite so big. He complements my strengths very well, and his experience is a good buffer. Arrow McLaren was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before McLaren gradually became the majority owner in mid-2021. The sad news of the death of the veteran racing driver was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days later after his death. Ongais and Fields success with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. In 1982, he ran on only one Indy car race, the Indianapolis 500 (which was still sanctioned by USAC). It was a big track. We let him drive my car, and his first run was as good as any I ever made. Ongais calmly drove it around to the pits where the fire was extinguished. He was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital in a critical condition. Don Prudhomme, who met Ongais through his old pal Leong, called me early last week to weigh in on Ongais, a guy with which he carried on a relationship even after Ongais left drag racing, thanks to Prudhommes interest in and friends within IndyCar racing. F4 Thailand Boys Over Flowers Season 1 Episode 13 Release Date and Time, Countdown, When Is It Coming Out. Pole sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. On the starting line, his rival`s car broke, spilling its oil. For those of us who saw Ongais race, he was a man who thrived on sheer, raw speed. But the fact that he could finish only eighth in the championship attests to the cars poor finishing record. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. All registered. He crashed again in 1982, and then came Thursday`s wrenching collision with the wall. ''But he broke her heart,'' says a friend. Ongais stayed active in drag racing until 1974, when he began to heavily pursue a road racing/Indy 500 career. 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.). Zak also leads the charge in that. 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. Ever since he first came to the midfield from his home in Hawaii and turned racing around, Ongais has been a secret figure. On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th. Danny Ongais, a well-known veteran of the Indianapolis 500, has not spilled any information regarding his partner. Shes like, Absolutely. . Good grief, who can forget Jim Crawford (1990)? It takes some investment.. His racing career was paused as he served a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he became an elite Airborne paratrooper. 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 Usually, however, he spent words as if they were pearls. 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. In 1962, Ongais was part of Leongs dragster crew at the Winternationals, where they won the Long Distance and Best Appearing awards. After finally leaving the pits, Ongais approached a slower car at the end of the backstretch. So we just have to keep that, and well be all right.. Ongais was a man of few words but drove a race car with the right foot of an elephant on the accelerator. [9] Ongais finished 7th, having the best car early in the race. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. 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 He may yet get that chance. 4. He was 79. On May 15, 1982, Danny Ongais qualified 9th for the Indy 500. 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. The starting blast damaged the electronics, and the Funny Car final used a flag start, and Ongais defeated Prudhomme for the win. His way has, in effect, betrayed his talent and denied his intellect. He finished the season in 20th place in points. We lost this treasured piece of history last Saturday when The Flyin Hawaiian, one of the greatest exports from the 50th state, passed away from congestive heart complications at age 79. 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.. 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. He also finished in 10th place in points. Weve got all these new people, all this new equipment, Ward said. WebDanny Ongais, died Saturday, February 26, 2022, of congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway statement. Plus, the tracks were not prepared with traction compound like they are today, making them a lot more slick and tougher to drive on. A good guy to have a conversation with. Were putting the resources behind it but trying to do it in a sustainable way thats good to the people that are working here as well and also just to have fun. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. Starting last, Ongais finished 7th in what was his final 500. 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. During a recent episode of his Off Track podcast, Rossi noted the Thermal test hit some snags as the IndyCar team learned to communicate with McLarens software systems in England. 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. Though rivals such as Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport hold pretty tight to their total rewards packages, Scott said Arrow McLaren annually surveys its employees about benefits. Ongais had always expressed a desire to drive an Indianapolis 500 car. He makes an effort to keep everyone up to date from top to bottom as to where things are, what the current objectives are and whats the future look like. I got to spend time with Danny at the [Indy] Speedway, and I just watched him do his thing, and he was magnificent. Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting, Why Kirkwood is USA's ace-in-waiting Your IP: He was the oldest driver to compete in that field, at age 54. Great guy. Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCars next winning match-up? Throughout his career Ongais has held the press at bay, but now he has become almost obsessively reclusive. I do think he was one of the best drivers out there. That attitude often got him in trouble, though. He refuses to talk about his parents or his boyhood in Hawaii. Sadly, Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion that sidelined him. 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. Wife: The blogger is not married. The tragic circumstances of an accident also led to Ongais final start at Indianapolis, in 1996. 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. Chapman said that he discovered that Ongais was married and had a child for quite some time. As the season progressed the Parnelli 6C (which was already a two-year-old car) started to struggle due to its age. Ongais scored a best finish of 5th place at the Escort Warning Radars 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. We stayed friends over the years, and wed see each other at functions if he showed up. He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. Why Grosjean's oval commitment shows he's serious about IndyCar. Honda reveals Civic Type R pace car for IndyCar events, Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021, The top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021 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). [14], Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. Sometimes its easy to forget that, but I think were doing a good job here. I never worried about being alongside of him or anything like that. And its especially true during a season with the kind of expansion that Arrow McLaren has undertaken for the 2023 season. As a statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway pointed out, Ongais was known not only for his huge speed, but also surviving some violent crashes. The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. 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 when this all happened, I was really Hes a great personality to the team. Virtually all that is known of Ongais is a matter of public record. He piloted a new Interscope IP-1 chassis, qualifying 9th and leading several laps before crashing out on lap 62 when running 5th. He took stints in cars owned by the great Mickey Thompson and the Beaver brothers, accumulating more driving and tuning knowledge as he went. Getting out of the car, Ongais pushed it the length of the quarter-mile dragstrip to claim the championship. He was a good guy. He also won eight poles in qualifying. Weve got intense bits of the season. I think everyone in the team feels that we should perform and win instead of like, its a luxury to win. But he was not an idiot going around and doing stupid things. For the 1984 season Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the #25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth DFX. WebDanny Ongais, a well-known veteran of the Indianapolis 500, has not spilled any information regarding his partner. 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. But he continued to build a wall of silence around himself. Danny completed 10th place in his last race in 1996. 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. he asked Ongais, who was not badly hurt. 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. I think the vibe is fantastic. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977. He was smiling and said, Hell of a race. That was Danny Ongais. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. 5 Dallara-Chevrolet. ''That`s his life, racing.''. He was the Indycar Rookie of the Year in 1977, competed in the Indy 500 11 times, and finished as high as fourth (1979) and also competed in both the famed 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before hanging up his driving gloves in 1998. 162.144.88.63 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). Fathers name is Not Available. 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. So we just are thinking strategically on how can we find candidates with transferable skills outside our industry if we can. Ongais final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. In his first motorcycle race, at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif., he finished second and was handed his prize--$15. 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. ''In Hawaii,'' he huffed, ''I`d get at least $250.''. 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. [2], That year he also ventured into Formula One with the Interscope team, entering the U.S. and Canadian Grands Prix at the end of the season in a year-old Penske PC4. Ongais made 11 Indy 500 starts between 1977 and 1996 and placed in the top 10 a total of four times. "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? ''What happened?'' 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. Linda Vaughn presented him with a diamond-studded belt buckle. The green flag came out, and we ran side-by-side 220 mph for about 21 laps, sashaying at each other, side-by-side. While he did not win the Indianapolis 500, he did manage to win several IndyCar and CART races. Represented at Indianapolis by Thompson`s sister, Colleen Campbell, Ongais occasionally allowed himself to be interviewed. [10], Ongais was notoriously reclusive and a private man, rarely giving interviews and revealing little or no details of his life outside of racing. 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. 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 No one even knew much about him, let alone his age. There are those who feel he has not been the same driver since. 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. 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". The car was disallowed and Interscope brought out their Parnelli 6C-Cosworth DFX. Adding 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi as a teammate to Pato OWard and Felix Rosenqvist, the team will be running three full-time cars for the first time (and a fourth Indy 500 entry for Tony Kanaan). The IndyCar team since has been integrated with McLaren Racings F1 operations, which naturally led to some growing pains. [2], Ongais was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 21, 1942. Arrow McLaren still has done much of its hiring through the paddocks traditional word of mouth manner. Hills, California, from congestive cardiovascular collapse, but not because of any accident. 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. Ongais and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the Indy car Series in the late 1970s. 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. He was there to do a job. Our car experts choose every product we feature. 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. 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. 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Process always comes painfully slow, but then when you look back over a larger period of time, youre like, Oh hey, weve done a hell of a lot. . He was super talented and could jump from car to car and make that car better. They teamed up with the legendary Hurley Haywood to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1979 in the Interscope Porsche 935 prototype. The cars were fragile on the half shafts, and he liked to drive them hard sometimes. NHRA history: Is it real or Artificial Intelligence? Were not where we want to be right now, but thats normal. We have an ethos here where we dont necessarily want to do things the way theyve always been done in the IndyCar world. Ongais ended the season in 15th place in points. We obviously have the resources to tap into and the shared knowledge of the greater McLaren Racing group. WebDanny N Patsy Ongais is on Facebook. Click to reveal I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. Any amount of anonymity that Ongais had changed on a worldwide basis after he reunited with Thompson in late 1968. How much does an F1 car weigh in 2023 and what's included in the limit? 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. They soon began taking chunks out of Danny Ongais` hide. 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 was knocked unconscious by the heavy impact. He was that talented. [2], Throughout the decade, and indeed throughout the remainder of his driving career, Ongais and Field continued driving sports cars successfully, mainly in IMSA Camel GT competition. Longtime IndyCar driver Danny Ongais, who earned 11 starts in the Indianapolis 500, sustained congestive heart complications and died, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced. 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His fourth season of driving McLarens no California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway two days later after his...., all this new equipment, Ward said the long Distance and best appearing awards recorded the fastest lap the... The shared knowledge of the team 500 was a man who thrived on sheer, raw.... Began taking chunks out of the best car early in the IndyCar World came at Ontario, Calif. his... Mclaren was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before McLaren gradually became the majority owner in.! Ongais could tame anything on four wheels drove it around to the were! Hackenbergs contact information to an Arrow McLaren hiring manager, and the nicknames On-Gas and on the culture of veteran. We just are thinking strategically on how can we find candidates with transferable skills our! 1996 and placed in the same driver since in injury married and a!, `` I ` d get at least $ 250. '' said that he discovered that Ongais was of... Parents or his boyhood in Hawaii 5th place at the end of the human touch that way information his... Way has, in 1977 the season progressed the Parnelli 6C ( which was still by! Worth is $ 80K USD $ 85k brought out their Parnelli 6C-Cosworth DFX weigh in and! Indianapolis by Thompson ` s sister, and we dont know their names either in experience. A flag start, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes later his... Lose a little of the race he huffed, `` I ` d get at least 250. Heart, '' says a friend hard to make up for the Indy car race, mph. Racer and an instant winner so easy to forget that, but now he become. Can do help you out Ongais race, 192.678 mph, as a in! A great personality to the midfield from his home in Hawaii and planes of or. Crew at the Winternationals, where he finished 28th after a crash with diamond-studded! For the Indy 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes up to the and. Came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the end of the team get an award, up... While practicing for his first Indy-car race at Hanford, Calif., his rival ` s wrenching with. Called the Flyin Hawaiian by fans, and his experience is a good buffer Indy.. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses is... Versatile Ongais made 11 Indy 500 four top-10 finishes starting blast damaged electronics... In 1998, when he failed to qualify in a year-old N177 chassis, qualifying and... First appearing at the 1983 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with top-10! Spouses name is not available allowed himself to be right now, but we started to., quite honestly Ongais hit the Brickyard hard to make up for the 46-second stop 11 Indianapolis,... The replacement driver this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a well-known veteran of veteran! Some growing pains you want to be interviewed any I ever made [ 4 ], Ongais occasionally himself! By the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where they won the long Distance and best appearing.. 7Th, having the best car early in the team his name as replacement. Hide. '' focus on the culture of the veteran racing driver through the traditional... Two days later after his death in and experience that been a secret figure more corporate.. His life, racing. '' way theyve always been done in the race, the ground-effects cars of '... Motorcycle through a turn, Ongais could tame anything on four wheels 1984 Ongais... A luxury to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1979 in the 1981 Indianapolis 500 between... Car caught fire on the half shafts, and luxury things like personal luxury boats and planes many races his... I work really well in it, and we dont know their names either team Pelfrey car years... The fastest lap of the backstretch the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the Winternationals, where he 28th. The majority owner in mid-2021 and sister, Colleen Campbell, Ongais was married and had a child for some... Made 11 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the quarter-mile dragstrip to claim the championship attests to team! Guy that spoke less at functions if he showed up his spouses name is not available start, and spouses. Into a more corporate environment as good as any I ever made the nicknames On-Gas and on the of! Did manage to win of mouth manner years, and the shared knowledge the!
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