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Racing Pioneer Dan Gurney Passes Away At 86
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Legendary American race car driver, team owner and car builder Dan Gurney passed away on Sunday, January 14, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 86.
Gurney was one of the most versatile racers in motorsports history, being one of only three drivers to win races in Indy car, Formula 1, NASCAR Cup and elite sports car competition (along with Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya).
During the 1960s, Gurney enjoyed considerable success overseas, including winning four Formula One World Championship Grand Prix events and sharing the winning car in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours with A.J. Foyt, plus the 1960 Nurburgring 1000-kilometers with Stirling Moss.
But he also won at home, claiming seven United States Auto Club-sanctioned National Championship events in the late 1960s; five out of the six grueling 500-mile NASCAR stock races held over the Riverside, California, road course between 1963 and 1968; numerous events in the SCCA Can-Am and Trans-Am series; and even the first professional road racing series ever conducted in the United States, the inaugural USAC Road Racing championship in 1958.
Gurney also drove in nine consecutive Indianapolis 500-Mile Races between 1962 and 1970—finishing second, second and third in the final three - and was the winning manufacturer three times.
The following statement was distributed by the Gurney family: “With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 14, 2018. In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say ‘Godspeed.’”
“When we talk about legendary American drivers, owners and car constructors on an international stage, Dan Gurney is one of the all-time greats. His skill in all three areas helped him make an indelible mark and serve as a huge influence in this sport. Dan was a giant in the racing world, in every sense,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said.
Gurney was also a member of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) since 1960.
“[Gurney] was an international star, yet a humble celebrity," said RRDC President Bobby Rahal. "His devotion to his family was evident in the support he provided his sons to follow in his footsteps, on the race track and in the boardroom. With his wife Evi by his side, Dan could conquer the world. He conquered our hearts. We offer our sincerest condolences to Evi and the entire Gurney family.”
Gurney was one of the most versatile racers in motorsports history, being one of only three drivers to win races in Indy car, Formula 1, NASCAR Cup and elite sports car competition (along with Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya).
During the 1960s, Gurney enjoyed considerable success overseas, including winning four Formula One World Championship Grand Prix events and sharing the winning car in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours with A.J. Foyt, plus the 1960 Nurburgring 1000-kilometers with Stirling Moss.
But he also won at home, claiming seven United States Auto Club-sanctioned National Championship events in the late 1960s; five out of the six grueling 500-mile NASCAR stock races held over the Riverside, California, road course between 1963 and 1968; numerous events in the SCCA Can-Am and Trans-Am series; and even the first professional road racing series ever conducted in the United States, the inaugural USAC Road Racing championship in 1958.
Gurney also drove in nine consecutive Indianapolis 500-Mile Races between 1962 and 1970—finishing second, second and third in the final three - and was the winning manufacturer three times.
The following statement was distributed by the Gurney family: “With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 14, 2018. In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say ‘Godspeed.’”
“When we talk about legendary American drivers, owners and car constructors on an international stage, Dan Gurney is one of the all-time greats. His skill in all three areas helped him make an indelible mark and serve as a huge influence in this sport. Dan was a giant in the racing world, in every sense,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said.
Gurney was also a member of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) since 1960.
“[Gurney] was an international star, yet a humble celebrity," said RRDC President Bobby Rahal. "His devotion to his family was evident in the support he provided his sons to follow in his footsteps, on the race track and in the boardroom. With his wife Evi by his side, Dan could conquer the world. He conquered our hearts. We offer our sincerest condolences to Evi and the entire Gurney family.”
