Danny Ongais

 ( 1942 Births ) 

In the early 1960s, Ongais started competing in drag 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. He defeated Don Prudhomme at the 1966 HHRA Nationals Top Fuel semifinals. In 1969 he won the NHRA Spring Nationals and NHRA U.S. Nationals in the Funny Car class driving a Ford Mustang for Mickey Thompson.

In 1977, Ongais ran his first full season in Indy cars. He had a seventh at Ontario and fifth at Phoenix and then he won his first Indy car race at Michigan International Speedway. He qualified well over the season, earning three poles, and he finished twelfth in the standings.

That year, Ongais 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. He crashed out on a wet track at Watkins Glen after moving up early but managed a seventh place in Canada in what would be his best finish in F1.

His most successful year in Indy car racing came in 1978. Ongais won five races: at Ontario, Texas World, Mosport, the Milwaukee, and again at Michigan. He also won eight poles in qualifying. Ongais started in the middle of the front row at the 1978 Indianapolis 500, and dominated the early stages of the race. After leading 71 laps, he dropped out with a blown engine while running in second position on lap 145.

The 1978 victory at Michigan would turn out to be the final Indy car victory of Ongais' career. Although Ongais won more Indy car races than any other driver that season, a combination of mechanical problems and low finishes in other races meant he would only finish eighth in the 1978 USAC Championship. Still, those five wins—three on the large superspeedways at Ontario, Texas, and Michigan, one at the short Milwaukee Mile oval, and one road race at Mosport—demonstrated Ongais' versatility as a driver.

In 1978, Ongais also made one final attempt at F1. He entered the season with the Ensign team, in a year-old N177 chassis, and retired in Argentina and Brazil with brake problems. 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.

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. 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.

For the 1980 season, Interscope was intending to use their own chassis with a Porsche engine. The car was disallowed and Interscope brought out their Parnelli-Cosworth. At his first race of the season, the Indianapolis 500 Ongais started sixteenth and finished seventh. Ongais endured a tough season highlighted by a third place finish at Watkins Glen. Ongais also made a single start for AMI Racing driving the #43 Armstrong Mould Orbiter 80C-Cosworth at the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, finishing 11th. Ongais ended the season in 15th place in points.

In 1981 at the Indianapolis 500, Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63. 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. After finally leaving the pits, Ongais approached a slower car at the end of the backstretch. He made a late pass going into the third turn. Carrying too much speed out of the turn, the car drifted out into the grey and the back end began to slide. 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 knocked unconscious by the heavy impact. Officials had to cut open the car to help Ongais out. He was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital in a critical condition. By the time the broadcasting of the race ended at 11:30 PM, Ongais's condition had improved and his condition was updated to stable. He suffered a concussion, compound fractures in both legs, a broken arm and a 6-inch tear in his diaphragm. He missed the rest of the CART year to recover in rehabilitation.

In 1982, Ongais ran on only one Indy car race, the Indianapolis 500 (which was still sanctioned by USAC). He piloted a new Interscope IP-1 chassis, qualifying ninth and leading several laps before crashing out on lap 62 when running fifth. The rest of the year he raced only sports cars.

Ongais next drove in CART during the 1983 CART/PPG World Series season, first appearing at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. He initially drove the No. 65 Interscope Racing March 83C-Chevrolet, however, that car was replaced with the No. 25 March 83C-Cosworth. Ongais started in 21st place and retired with mechanical problems. For the next seven races, Ongais replaced an injured Johnny Rutherford at Patrick Racing, who had been driving the No. 40 Sea Ray Boats Patrick Racing-Cosworth. Later in the season, Interscope Racing set up a partnership between themselves and Patrick Racing giving Patrick March 83C-Cosworth. Ongais scored a best finish of 5th place at the Escort Warning Radars 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He finished the season in twentieth place in points.

For the 1984 season, Ongais took over as owner of Interscope Racing fielding the No. 25 Interscope Racing March 84C-Cosworth. Ongais finished in 3rd place at the Detroit News Grand Prix at Michigan International Speedway. He also finished in tenth place in points.

For the 1985 season, Ongais scored a best finish of 6th at the Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park and finished in 24th place in points. 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.

For the 1986 season, Ongais only ran the 1986 Indianapolis 500 for Interscope Racing. Fielding the No. 25 GM Goodwrench/Panavision March 86C-Buick, Ongais dropped out with a mechanical failure.

For the 1987 season, Interscope Racing teamed up with Team Penske getting Ongais in the No. 25 Panavision Team Penske-Ilmor-Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500, however Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion. The car went to Al Unser Sr who went on to win a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500. Ongais later attempted to race at the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway, the Nissan Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park, and the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth Speedway. He would retire at Michigan and Miami and fail to qualify at Nazareth.

• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. Danny Ongais at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
• On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, he was ranked 39th.
• He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26, 2022, at the age of 79. His death was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days later. He was survived by his long time partner Patricia Soldano, as well as his three children and five grandchildren. His former Indy car competitors remembered him well after his passing, with Mario Andretti calling him “that quiet lion.”