Danny Ongais competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing.
41 Facts About Danny Ongais
2.
Danny Ongais was known as a fast and daring driver, but he experienced multiple crashes in his career, some resulting in injury.
3.
Danny Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
4.
Danny Ongais was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 21,1942.
5.
Danny Ongais was later discharged and returned to Hawaii for motor racing.
6.
Danny Ongais became the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 and was in the top three positions in the expert class from 1960 to 1962.
7.
Danny Ongais 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.
8.
Danny Ongais defeated Don Prudhomme at the 1966 HHRA Nationals Top Fuel semifinals.
9.
Danny 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.
10.
In 1977, Danny Ongais ran his first full season in Indy cars.
11.
Danny Ongais had a 7th at Ontario and 5th at Phoenix and then he won his first Indy car race at Michigan International Speedway.
12.
Danny Ongais crashed out on a wet track at Watkins Glen after moving up early but managed a 7th place in Canada in what would be his best finish in F1.
13.
In 1978, his most successful year in Indy car racing, Danny Ongais won five more races, at Ontario Motor Speedway, Texas World Speedway, Mosport, the Milwaukee Mile, and again at Michigan.
14.
Danny Ongais entered the season with the Ensign team, in a year-old N177 chassis, and retired in Argentina and Brazil with brake problems.
15.
Danny Ongais then competed at the Gould Twin Dixie 125 however bad luck hit Ongais in both races.
16.
At the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais crashed in practice and this put Danny Ongais in jeopardy of not being able to compete.
17.
Danny Ongais scored another 4th-place finish at the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International and finished in 6th place in points.
18.
At his first race of the season, the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais started 16th and finished 7th.
19.
Danny Ongais endured a tough season highlighted by a 3rd-place finish at Watkins Glen.
20.
In 1981 at the Indianapolis 500 Danny Ongais was involved in a very serious accident on lap 63.
21.
Danny 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.
22.
Danny Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall.
23.
Danny Ongais was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital in a critical condition.
24.
Danny Ongais suffered a concussion, compound fractures in both legs, a broken arm and a 6-inch tear in his diaphragm.
25.
Danny Ongais missed the rest of the CART year to recover in rehabilitation.
26.
Danny Ongais piloted a new Interscope IP-1 chassis, qualifying 9th and leading several laps before crashing out on lap 62 when running 5th.
27.
Danny Ongais started in 21st place and retired with mechanical problems.
28.
Danny Ongais scored a best finish of 5th place at the Escort Warning Radars 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
29.
Danny Ongais finished the season in 20th place in points.
30.
Danny Ongais finished in 3rd place at the Detroit News Grand Prix at Michigan International Speedway.
31.
Danny Ongais 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.
32.
Danny 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.
33.
Danny Ongais would retire at Michigan and Miami and fail to qualify at Nazareth.
34.
Danny Ongais was the oldest driver to compete in that field, at age 54.
35.
Danny Ongais finished 7th, having the best car early in the race.
36.
Danny Ongais ran his last Indy Car race the next year, in the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, with Chitwood Motorsports, where he finished 13th.
37.
Danny Ongais was notoriously reclusive and a private man, rarely giving interviews and revealing little or no details of his life outside of racing.
38.
Chapman did state that well into their relationship he learned Danny Ongais was married and had a son.
39.
Danny Ongais died from congestive heart failure in Anaheim Hills, California, on February 26,2022, at the age of 79.
40.
Danny Ongais's death was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days later.
41.
Danny Ongais was survived by his long time partner Patricia Soldano, as well as his three children and 5 grandchildren.