Racing legend passes away
One of America’s greatest race car drivers, Dan Gurney, died Saturday at the age of 86 from complications related to pneumonia.
“With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon, Jan. 14, 2018,” his wife Evi and family said in a statement. “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.'”
Rest In Peace Dan Gurney pic.twitter.com/HFzjboJnh3
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) January 15, 2018
Gurney, known as the “Big Eagle,” won in a variety of racing categories, but he is perhaps best known as a Formula 1 champion.
He won four Formula 1 races, including the Belgian Grand Prix in 1967 in a car he designed and built by his own All-American Racers team.
Gurney remains the only American to win a Formula 1 race in a car built by himself, according to Road and Track.
https://twitter.com/GenChuckYeager/status/952744574992179200
After winning at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1967 with A.J. Foyt, Gurney essentially invented the practice of spraying champagne after a win, which he did after his victory.
“Dan Gurney was not only a great innovator, he was a great driver and it didn’t matter if it was a road course or an oval, an Indy car or a stock car,” the 82-year-old Foyt said Sunday, according to Auto Week. “I never use the word legend but in the case of Dan, he was a true legend of our sport. We became close friends at Le Mans in ’67 and winning it brought us closer together. He was a super guy. Even though we were competitors in the Indy cars, we always respected each other highly.
“As we got older we became closer, calling each other on birthdays or when we were sick. Now I’m glad we got to spend the time together we did at Long Beach last year along with Edsel Ford. We told a lot of stories and we had a lot of fun talking about the old times. It’s hard to believe he’s gone and I’m really going to miss him. My thoughts are with Evi and his family.”
Born April 13, 1931 in Port Jefferson, New York, Gurney was so popular in the 1960s that Car and Driver magazine sponsored a “Gurney for President” campaign.
Gurney won races in Formula 1, NASCAR, Indy Car, Can-Am, and Trans-AM series. He is one of only three drivers — along with Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya — to win races in Sports Cars, Formula 1, NASCAR and Indy cars.
RIP Dan Gurney. I was first inspired by him when I was in midgets dreaming of being like him. I was last inspired by him yesterday. Yes, I mean forever. He understood me better than anyone else, which is why he wrote the foreword for my book in 2001 #DanGurneyHasFinishedTheRace pic.twitter.com/twMkM2Mn0U
— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) January 14, 2018
He won five NASACAR races, all of them at Riverside International Raceway in California.
I’ve known and competed against the greatest drivers of all time, Dan Gurney was a hero of mine not just because he was a great racer but because he was a great person, he will forever be missed, RIP Dan Gurney
— Darrell Waltrip (@AllWaltrip) January 15, 2018
Gurney never won the Indianapolis 500, but finished second twice and third once. Overall, Gurney had 51 career victories.
He was indeed a pioneer in the sport and a legend.
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