Danny Ongais Cause of Death Tragic: Renowned Motorsports Driver Dead At 79
Motorsports driver Danny Ongais has died. He was 79.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway first confirmed the heartbreaking news, saying that Ongais passed away at his Anaheim Hills home in California on February 26.
His family has not released an official statement yet. But multiple news outlets, including PEOPLE, revealed that he died of congestive heart complications.
Hopkins Medicine explains that the heart condition Ongais suffered from is a serious one in which the heart fails to pump blood as efficiently as it should. The organ's muscle cannot contract properly or has a mechanical problem that limits its usual capacity to pump blood.
Following the news, experts in the motorsports industry and Ongais fans paid a heartfelt tribute to the late legend.
Tony Stewart shared a photo of Ongais and wrote, "Danny Ongais stepped up when @INDYCAR & I needed him most. He jumped into Scotty Brayton's car in the '96 Indy 500 & finished 7th after starting last... at age 54! Was 1 of only 5 teammates I ever had in #INDYCAR. The time he spent with me was invaluable. RIP, my friend."
Pour one out for Danny Ongais… the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” ran a few races in F1, and survived a horrific wreck at Indy, back in ‘81. He eventually came back good as ever, and finally cashed in today. pic.twitter.com/SLkbiKGFsf
— RaulM210 (@R_Mo210) March 1, 2022
"Sad news about the passing of Danny Ongais, who drove a wide variety of categories before horrific injuries at Indy took their toll. Small but interesting story in John Andretti's book, RACER, about the constant pain Ongais suffered," another wrote.
Danny Ongais' Legacy
The Hawaiian driver started his career in 1960 as a teenager. He continued his journey from there and began drag racing in the early 1960s before competing in the US during the 1970s.
In 1966, he competed against Mike Snively at the NHRA US Nationals and ended up being a runner-up. He beat Don "The Snake" Prudhomme in the semifinals before that.
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His competitions earned him nicknames including "Flyin' Hawaiian" and "On the Gas" - the latter of which is based on his last name. Ongais went on to become the only Hawaiian who ever competed in the Indy 500.
In 1981, he survived one of the most severe crashes in the race's history. At that time, his car hit a wall and became disintegrated, leaving his legs and arms exposed to flames. Despite suffering from several injuries, he returned to the racing the following year.
Before his death, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inducted him in 2000 and called him a "racer's racer."
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