Category: Auto Racing

A Way Forward for Ovals?

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Bud Denker and Randy Edeker want to help ovals succeed. Denker, Of President of Penske Corporation, and Edeker, chairman and CEO of HyVee. have created a festival surrounding the Indycar double header at Iowa Speedway July 23 and 24. In a conference call with Indycar media yesterday, Denker, Edeker, and Graham Rahal talked about the Iowa weekend, which will feature four concerts, headlined by Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton. \In addition the venue features a village with 75 food trucks, and a kids’ activity area on Saturday.

Ticket sales have been brisk, Denker said.

” We only have about 12,000 to 15,000 tickets to sell each
day because ticket sales have been pretty good so far. I’ve
never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen a lineup like
this before. I’ve been in motorsports for a long time. To
see what they have for that weekend in Iowa, Newton, you
can’t get a hotel. Good luck anywhere around the area.
Some people ahead of time must have known about this so
already secured all the hotels, which is a good thing.”

Iowa Weekend details–

thepitwindow.blog/2022/03/07/hyvee-indycar-weekend-adds-huge-entertainment-package/

I asked Denker if the type of programming planned for Iowa could be a model for other ovals to help draw more fans.
“That’s a real good question because we’re
already thinking about ’23 and ’24 in terms of what we’re
going to do.
We want to have a variety, always have a variety, as long
as we own this series, of the races we have today, the
ovals, short ovals, long ovals, road courses, street courses.
That obviously shows the competitiveness and the world
class nature of our drivers more than any other series in
the world.
The model we’re creating in the urban markets as you’ve
seen in Nashville, Detroit next year, the streets of Detroit.
Whole different model than we have on Belle Isle.
Patterned a lot of what will be done in Nashville, St. Pete,
other markets.
As we get to these markets like Iowa, you need to create
that event. Without the attachment to an urban market,
you have to have the event to draw you in. You’re spot on
in terms of what this model will look like. We want to take it
and apply it to other tracks we go to in the future.
You also see unique tracks like Road America, it lives on
its own. For these other tracks that are not attached to an
urban market, don’t have their own iconic nature, as
Graham said you have to circle it with other things going on
other than what’s going on on the racetrack, and that’s our
model for the future.”

Edeker announced that HyVee will also be a sponsor of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville as part of their marketing strategy. The Iowa based retailer chose Indycar because Iowans are big fans of the sport.

“I think it fits with our initiatives, with what we want to get
accomplished. I think that it’s a sport that it’s accessible to
us and it’s local.
If you look at the state of Iowa, I don’t have the current
numbers, but several years ago when I was over at
marketing I looked at open-wheel racing in the state of
Iowa. Per capita, Iowa had the largest number of
open-wheel racing fans in the United States.
You look at the Midwest and the dirt tracks, the open-wheel
races that happen all across. I think it just fits the fan base.
Most of those fans, they turn to Indy, they turn to
NASCAR, they also turn to Indy as an open-wheel racing
fan. I think that’s part of what appealed to us.
I agree, I just look at some of the things in talking with Bud
and Roger, some of the strategies they have that they’re
working on. I believe you’re going to see INDYCAR start
driving. You’re seeing us also invest in our driver. We
came out with a dozen TV spots that we’re going to be
using from now until September that are labeled ‘You Don’t
Know Jack.’ Jack (Harvey) is our spokesman. “

HyVee is also an associate sponsor on the cars of Graham Rahal and Christian Lundgaard.

Rahal commented on the racing at Iowa. Some have expressed concerns about both races scheduled for daytime. many fans hoped for a night race. Rahal said,

“The thing is both are good races because it’s such a
demanding track, whether it’s hot on the surface or a night
race where it cools down. I mean, certainly the night race I
would say broadens the amount of competitive cars,
meaning at Iowa you’re going to have the talent pool
deeper and deeper. You’ll have 10 to 15 cars that are
battling at the end. At night that may expand by 20% or
something like that.
The truth is with the variety of lanes, you have three lanes,
turn three and four is a two-lane racetrack, but you have
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cars all over the place, guys on new tires, guys on old tires
that want to go home, forget about their day. That’s
common at Iowa. I think that will continue.
I don’t think it really matters day or night, frankly.”

HyVee Indycar Weekend Adds Huge Entertainment Package

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My thoughts at the end of the release.

From Iowa Speedway and HyVee:

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (March 7, 2022) — Hy-Vee, Inc. and INDYCAR announce that four award-winning music acts will perform live during Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, July 22-24, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Tickets for Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend are on sale now and can be purchased online at http://www.hyveeindycarweekend.com or by calling the race ticket office at (641) 417-6007.

Three-time Grammy award-winning country music superstar Tim McGraw will perform prior to the start of the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Saturday, July 23. Following Saturday’s race, Billboard record-holding country music duo Florida Georgia Line will take to the stage at Iowa Speedway. On Sunday, July 24, three-time grammy award winner and multi-platinum artist Gwen Stefani will perform prior to the start of the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. A performance by nine-time Grammy-nominated country music artist Blake Shelton will provide a memorable ending to the turbocharged weekend following Sunday’s race.

Both pre- and post-race concerts are included with Saturday and Sunday Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend tickets as each artist will perform on stage trackside, in front of the main grandstands at Iowa Speedway. Both pre-race concerts will feature 50-minute performances while each post-race concert will feature a 90-minute show. Ticketholders can also purchase a Post-Race Concert Pit Pass for both the Florida Georgia Line (Saturday) and Blake Shelton (Sunday) live performances. The Post-Race Concert Pit Pass will provide access to an exclusive area near the start/finish line for an up-close view of the live performance. To purchase a Post-Race Concert Pit Pass, visit http://www.hyveeindycarweekend.com.

“We want this event to be one of the most talked about events of the year by providing race-goers with an unforgettable experience,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman and CEO. “We are thrilled to work with our sponsors to bring this caliber of musical entertainment to Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. Iowa will be the place to be this summer with these live music acts coupled with nationally televised INDYCAR races and a festival-like atmosphere that has something for everyone to enjoy.”

In addition to premier on-track action with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as well as the rising stars of racing competing in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend will include a festival-like atmosphere with three days of music, food and family-focused entertainment, including:

A Food Truck Village featuring dozens of Midwest food trucks
Kids’ games and activities on Saturday, July 23
Special activities to honor the nation’s farmers on Sunday, July 24
And much more!

“What an incredible music lineup for fans to enjoy during Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend,” said Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation, which owns INDYCAR. “With some of the biggest names and best performers in music, combined with great racing at the ‘Fastest Short Track on the Planet,’ the weekend is going to deliver an experience unlike one we have ever seen in INDYCAR. Thanks to the continued support of our partners at Hy-Vee, fans in Iowa will be part of something special during Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend.”

Special thanks are extended to the following Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend sponsors: Accenture, ACI Worldwide, Carrier Access, EMC Insurance Companies, GK Software, Holmes Murphy & Associates, Hussmann, Iowa Lottery, John Deere, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, MercyOne, Mittera, Musco Sports Lighting, Pella Corporation, POET, Prairie Meadows, Principal Financial Group, RSMUS LLP, Salesforce, Seneca and Sukup Manufacturing Co.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee first became involved in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES when the supermarket chain was the primary sponsor for Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing’s No. 15 car in Race 2 of the 2020 Iowa Speedway doubleheader. In its third year of sponsoring RLL, Hy-Vee provides primary sponsorship of RLL’s No. 45 car, which will be driven by Jack Harvey, and associate sponsorships of Graham Rahal’s No. 15 car and No. 30 car, which will be driven by newcomer Christian Lundgaard.

Thoughts

Very Thankful for a sponsor like Hyvee and sponsors like Bommarito Automotive Group at Gateway. These groups have jumped into Indycar full bore.

This is the type of programming ovals need to attract more fans. Ovals need to mimic street course races and become festivals. This is the way it needs to be.

How many people will stay for a Sunday post race concert? With a huge draw from Indianapolis, how many fans who need to work Monday will want to head home right after the race instead?

The food truck village is very welcome. Concessions at Iowa have been woefully lacking since 2013.

A kids’ activity area is also something that has been missing from tracks lately. I’m glad to see it added here.

The only thing I’d change about the Iowa weekend is to make Saturday’s race a night race. I don’t care if it has to be on USA or Peacock. This track was made for night racing.

Carpenter Set for Full Oval Schedule

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Ed Carpenter announced on Twitter today that he will drive a third Ed Carpenter Racing car in all five oval races in 2022. Carpenter originally had been set to drive the Indianapolis 500 only. The car will carry the number 33.

Carpenter began his Indycar career in 2003 for Vision Racing. His first win came at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, driving for Sarah Fisher Racing. Carpenter’s other series wins came in Fontana in 2012 and Texas in 2014.

Ed Carpenter Racing began in 2012. ECR merged with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing to run as CFR Racing for the 2015 season. Since 2016 the organization has been Ed Carpenter Racing.

In 2014 Carpenter decided to drive only in the oval events. He has won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 three times, in 2013, 2014, and 2018. He finished second in the 500 in 2018. In 2021 Carpenter finished fifth after starting fourth.

ECR has usually been a factor in the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter will team with full time drivers Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly at the five oval races on the 2022 schedule.

The first oval race is March 20 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Castroneves Unveils Historic Image on Borg-Warner Trophy at Indiana Statehouse

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From IMS

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, March 3, 2022) – 2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Helio Castroneves unveiled his likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy for the fourth time Thursday, March 3 at the Indiana Statehouse.
Castroneves, a native of Brazil, became the fourth four-time “500” winner when he captured the 105th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May 30. He etched his name alongside this race’s greatest names in A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears by joining their exclusive club of four-time winners.
“I’m beyond lucky to get to have another face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy,” Castroneves said. “It’s an exciting time to get to celebrate this special moment at the Indiana Statehouse, as well. It’s been such a great experience making my full-time return to INDYCAR with Meyer Shank Racing. Last year was just the start of a really great partnership together, and now we begin the drive for five.”
Among the guests present at the trophy unveiling were Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb, Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles and BorgWarner Inc. Global Director of Marketing and Public Relations Michelle Collins.
“This is one of the most historic unveilings of a likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy we’ve ever had as Helio’s image now appears for the fourth time on this beautiful trophy,” Boles said. “It’s exciting to get to celebrate something that only A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears have done and place Helio alongside those iconic names. While Helio isn’t from Indiana, he definitely knows what it means to be a Hoosier, and we are proud to stand in the Indiana Statehouse today for this very special occasion.”
Said Collins: “Today is a special day for everyone involved as we get to finally unveil the winning driver’s image on the Borg-Warner Trophy. BorgWarner is proud to be able to reward Helio Castroneves’ hard work on the track, winning his record tying fourth Indianapolis 500, with this beautiful sterling silver likeness created by sculptor William Behrends.
The unveiling of the winning driver’s image is a fun and memorable annual event that showcases the winner’s likeness, along with all the other past winners of the Indianapolis 500 dating back to 1911 when Ray Harroun drove to victory.
“Helio and everyone at Meyer Shank Racing performed flawlessly on Race Day last May to put their names atop the record book. Helio is a wonderful ambassador for the sport, and everyone at BorgWarner is proud to be associated with him. We recognize his greatness and never-ending smile on and off the track.”
As part of the unveiling ceremony, Holcomb presented Castroneves with the flag flown at the Indiana Statehouse on the day of his historic win. Castroneves reciprocated by giving Holcomb an iconic bottle of milk, the drink enjoyed by all Indy 500 winners in Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Castroneves’s image on the world-famous trophy was created once again by sculptor William Behrends, who has crafted the sterling silver, bas relief images of all winners for the trophy since 1990.Commissioned by BorgWarner in 1935, the sterling silver trophy stands more than 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs approximately 110 pounds, honoring every winner since 1911 with their sculpted faces affixed to the iconic trophy.
Through a multi-phase process, Behrends begins creating the likeness of the drivers. Castroneves visited Behrends at his studio in Tryon, North Carolina, for an in-person session to produce a full-scale clay model of his face. While Behrends has sculpted Castroneves’ face three previous times for his wins in 2001, ’02 and ’09, this was the first time Castroneves visited Behrends’ studio. Until 2015, Behrends created the faces on the Borg-Warner Trophy from 360-degree, black and white photos taken the morning after the race.
The life-size clay image is used as a reference when Behrends works on the smaller model, which is created out of a mixture of oil-based clays. The clay model is eventually turned into a mold and then cast in wax, which is sent out to a jeweler to be transformed into sterling silver. Behrends ends his process by polishing and buffing the image before attaching it to the Borg-Warner Trophy.
Later this year, Castroneves will receive his fourth BorgWarner Championship Driver’s Trophy, also known as a “Baby Borg,” which is a miniature replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy that will feature a duplicate of his sterling silver image. Meyer Shank Racing also will receive a memento commemorating the victory: its first the BorgWarner Championship Team Owner’s Trophy. Castroneves’ Indy win also was the first in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition for the team.
Tickets for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, the GMR Grand Prix and all Month of May events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are on sale at IMS.com. 
 
 

Hybrid Debut Pushed Back to 2024

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The following announcement from Indycar should come as no surprise. Supply issues were mentioned late last year.

INDYCAR Moves New
Hybrid Powertrain Debut to 2024  
INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, March 3, 2022) – Due to ongoing global supply chain challenges with some hybrid system components, INDYCAR announced it has adjusted the debut of the 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid technology to the 2024 season.
In consultation with engine partners Chevrolet and Honda, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will continue to use the current 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 powerplant for the 2023 season.
“We are pleased with the pace of the technical development of the 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 hybrid as we prepare it for competition,” said INDYCAR President Jay Frye. “We are very encouraged by the progress our team and our partners have made, but an immediate decision needed to be made to ensure we are prepared for the 2023 season utilizing our current 2.2-liter engine package.
“Thanks to our great partners at Honda and Chevrolet for working through this challenging supply chain situation. We are going full speed ahead with the 2.4-liter hybrid engine and cannot wait to have it on track in 2024.”
The development of the 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid technology involves cutting-edge innovations unique to INDYCAR. The new engine will give the most exciting and competitive racing series in the world a roaring and powerful 800 horsepower as a baseline. The addition of the hybrid system will give an additional boost of 100 horsepower to ultimately produce 900.
“We are proud of the hard work and level of commitment by our engine group, along with our teams and partners, in the development of the Chevrolet 2.4-liter engine for our INDYCAR program,” said Mark Stielow, director, GM Motorsports Competition Engineering.
“We were certainly excited to have it on track next season. Chevrolet remains fully committed to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and we look forward to debuting our future engine package in 2024.”
“We are very excited to get the electrified era of INDYCAR SERIES racing underway,” said David Salters, president and technical director, Honda Performance Development. “We have finished development and dyno testing of our new internal combustion engine, and once the hybrid system component supply chain issues are sorted, we’ll begin track testing of the new hybrid power unit.”
The first on-track test of the new INDYCAR SERIES 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 will come Wednesday, March 30 and Thursday, March 31 at Sebring International Raceway. Development, testing and work to incorporate the hybrid component will continue throughout the year.
The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues Sunday, March 20 for the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC and simulstreamed on Peacock Premium. Coverage is also available from the INDYCAR Radio Network with audio available via the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. 
 

Ilott: A Year of Learning Ahead

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Photo: Callum Ilott at the rookie test at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday. Image from Penske Entertainment

Callum Ilott began his first full year in Indycar Sunday. The rookie driver of the number77 Juncos Hollinger Racing started and finished 19th. He had a clean race and finished on the lead lap. I talked to him a couple of days before the race. Ilott said he planned to use this year to learn and gain experience. He also discussed the possibility of returning to Formula 1.

For this season, Ilott has one thing in mind.

“Just experience. it’s a very different environment, and something I’m not really used to. So I’m looking forward to learning some new stuff, seeing new places. All these tracks are new for me as well. So it’s just a bit of excitement, a bit of unknowns.”

At the time of our chat, Ilott had not driven at St. Pete. He wasn’t sure if it would be similar to Long Beach.

” I would say Long Beach was slightly more bumpy but I would say not the bumpiest. I think this one yeah, no way to prepare me quite well for this, but obviously I still approach it humbly shall I say?”

Ilott competed in the final three races of the 2021Indycar season. His first taste of Indycar was challenging.

” It was very tough. A big culture shock in that sense. But I think that’s what there are a lot of things we’ll learn in that style and those races so yeah, I’m happy I did them. Even if the results didn’t match. It was great to get the experience and what was necessary for this year.”

Ilott thinks that the experience the Carlin crew brings to his team will be helpful this season.

“It’s great to have them. It’s a great baseline. You know, obviously they had some struggling as did our team as well. But we have a good baseline and we can work from there. And we’ve already done quite a bit of development. So we’ll see. We’ll see. It should be should be okay, but it will be tough at the same time.”

As far as returning to Europe, he is happy for his time there, but Ilott is not sure he will ever be in Formula 1.

“Look, I’m always open to it, but I’m here at the moment and I’m going to try and make the most out of the career I can get here. Because f1 the last few years wasn’t achievable. I don’t think that’s really going to change right now. Maybe if I was here for the next two years, and I got some great results next year. That could change but as of right now it’s it’s my focus is Indycar.”

Ilott participated in the rookie oval test at Texas yesterday. He had the second fastest lap behind Kyle Kirkwood.

Castroneves To Reveal Historic Borg-Warner Trophy Image on March 3

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From IMS

Helio Castroneves, who earned his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory last May, will unveil his likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy at 11:30 a.m. (ET) Thursday, March 3 at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.
Castroneves won the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, tying A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The victory also was the first in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for Meyer Shank Racing.
The event will take place in the South Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse. Fans can watch a live stream of the event at may.ims.com.
WHO: Helio Castroneves, 2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Winner.
Eric J. Holcomb, Indiana Governor; Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment President and CEO; J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President; Michelle Collins, BorgWarner Inc. Marketing and Public Relations, Global Director
WHAT: Unveiling of Helio Castroneves’s likeness on Borg-Warner Trophy
WHEN: 11:30 a.m. (ET), Thursday, March 3
WHERE: Indiana Statehouse, South Atrium, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis
Media, please RSVP to Lauren Guidotti in IMS Public Relations at lguidotti@brickyard.com. 
 

Daly Excited for Ovals, Sees Improved Road Program at ECR

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Photo from Penske Entertainment

Conor Daly returns to Ed Carpenter Racing in an expanded role as a full time driver. Daly will drive the number 20 Bitnile Chevrolet in the 2022 season. He is happy to put his entire focus on one team for the upcoming season. The past two seasons Daly has run the ovals except for the Indianapolis 500 with Carlin Racing.

I asked Him what he is looking forward to in 2022.

“You know what I think the ovals in the car honestly, I love Texas. I love Iowa. The fact that Gateway’s back, the fact that I think maybe I can bring maybe a different perspective to that team as well. Obviously, I’ve been with a different team (for ovals) for the last couple years. So maybe there’s some more information that I can help everyone like Rinus and, you know, Ed as well if he runs; so there’s a lot there that I want to get to. And I think we’ve improved our car on the road courses, but the ovals are a new adventure.”

Expanding on his belief that the team’s road course program has improved, Daly explained,

” I do think so. I think at our Sebring tests, we ran through a lot that we’ve been wanting to try and obviously we don’t get a lot of test days. So we did 160 laps. We got about as many laps in as we could do with the tires that we had. yeah, I feel good. I think we still have work to do, but I think every race we will continue to get better. So we’ll see.”

Daly thinks the continuity of drivers and crew members will also help ECR have a better season.

” I think we we know where our setups differ and we know what we like in the car. So I think that a lot of the stuff we are unifyingly going towards that’s making us better as a group, I think, but there are still small differences that will you know, will be required. I like working with these guys. And you know, my engineer, Pete, kind of knows what I want. So it’s nice to be able to have that and it feels like we’re in a better spot already than we were last year.”

What does need to do to move into the front part of the grid, given the talent and resources of the larger teams?

“We just got to be perfect. Gotta be perfect. And honestly, the funniest thing is like even though it is tough. There’s so many good drivers. Totally crazy stuff happens. There’s always going to be some wild podium that you never expected and you know, you want to be able to take advantage of every possible opportunity.”

Postscript: The ECR team had mixed results this weekend, but there were signs of improvement. Daly qualified 20th and finished 21st Sunday. His teammate, Rinus VeeKay, started fourth, led 13 laps, and finished sixth.

Popular Indianapolis Veteran Danny Ongais Dies at 79

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  INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Feb. 28, 2022) – 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. He was 79.The versatile Ongais made 11 Indianapolis 500 starts between 1977 and 1996, with four top-10 finishes. His best years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway came with Interscope Racing and its eye-catching No. 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.
Ongais is the only native of Hawaii to start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Fans included his heritage in his nickname “The Flyin’ Hawaiian,” and nicknames “On-Gas” and “On the Gas” were word plays on his last name.
Born May 21, 1942 in Kahului, Hawaii, Ongais began one of the most versatile careers of any driver in his era as a teenager, earning a Hawaii state title in motorcycle racing in 1960.
Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s.
He finished runner-up to Mike Snively in the Top Fuel class at the 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals after beating the legendary Don “The Snake” Prudhomme in the semifinals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Ongais then won the Funny Car class in the 1969 NHRA U.S. Nationals at IRP, drag racing’s most prestigious event, in a distinctive blue Ford Mach 1 Mustang fielded by Mickey Thompson. 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.
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.
Ongais’ success in straight-line competition led him to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category.
Service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s exposed Ongais to sports car racing in Europe, and he moved from dragstrips to ovals and road courses in the mid-1970s. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of young media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label.
Ongais and Field teamed up with success in Formula 5000 and the INDYCAR SERIES in the late 1970s. 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.
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.
That 1978 season also included Ongais starting in the middle of the first all-200-mph front row at Indianapolis, between pole sitter Sneva and rookie Rick Mears.
Ongais and Field’s success with the Interscope team also extended to sports car racing, with Field also driving. They teamed up with the legendary Hurley Haywood to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1979 in the Interscope Porsche 935 prototype.
While Ongais was known for his blazing speed at Indianapolis and elsewhere, he also attracted attention for surviving some of the most violent crashes of his era. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover.
In 1985, he also survived a spectacular barrel roll at Michigan International Speedway after hitting the back of the slower car of Phil Krueger on the backstretch.
Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. 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.
The tragic circumstances of an accident also led to Ongais’ final start at Indianapolis, in 1996. Pole sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. Ongais, racing at age 54 in his first “500” since 1986, finished a creditable seventh after starting from the rear of the field.
Ongais’ final attempt at Indianapolis came in 1998, when he failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car. Ongais’ Indy 500 career ended with him leading in four races for 79 total laps. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, 192.678 mph, as a rookie in 1977.