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Richard Shute
Photog Web |
Danny Ongais (M) from
Carlsbad, California
USA
(Comp Nr/Finish:
799 ) |
1969 - Category: FUELFC, Type: FN, Class: AA/FC, Div: 7 |
| "Mickey Thompson's Mach 1" Owned by Mickey Thompson
from
El Monte, California
USA
| Crew Chief: Amos Satterlee |
| '69 Ford Mustang by
Pat Foster |
Powered by Supercharged Nitro 427 Ford SOHC by Amos Satterlee with
direct drive |
| 1/4 Mile ET: |
6.960 at Kansas City MO 9/14/69 |
1/4 Mile MPH: |
207.00 at 1969 |
| 1000 FT ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1000 FT MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
| 1/8 Mile ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1/8 Mile MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
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Entry's 1969 Performance Ratings (0 to 100) based on comparison to average ET/MPH:
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1/4 Mile Rating: ET 100.0,
MPH 81.37 |
Entry is 0.90862 times average ET and 1.07254 times average MPH |
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1000 FT Rating: ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
| 1/8 Mile Rating:
ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
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| 1969 Records: |
1/4 Mile: 6.960 ET, 215.31 MPH |
1000 Ft. 6.340 ET, 175.45 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 4.940 ET, 173.00 MPH |
| 1969 Average: |
1/4 Mile: 7.660 ET, 193.00 MPH |
1000 Ft. 6.657 ET, 166.68 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 5.080 ET, 151.80 MPH |
| 1969 Minimum: |
1/4 Mile: 8.360 ET, 176.84 MPH |
1000 Ft. 7.077 ET, 156.79 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 5.410 ET, 142.54 MPH |
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Notes: Danny Ongais had gained fame as a top-ranked dragster driver. Mickey Thompson was well-known as a racer, track operator, and car owner. In 1969, the pair debuted a new lightweight transition style chassis Mustang. Pat Foster built the blue 427 SOHC-powered Mustang and a red twin that he drove himself. The team was awesome that year. They won many national events with the car, and Ongais ran a 6.96/204.73 at Kansas City. The team only lasted two years. Foster crashed in Dallas, and Ongais went on to different rides by the end of 1970. The state-of-the-art Mustang was outdated by 1970 due to the new, lighter, dragster-style chassis other teams were debuting. Confirmed 7.264/203.61 at Indy for the best NHRA National event times. (Photo provided by Drag Racing Memories. Info from Dennis Doubleday). Video link cites 6.96/207 bests for 1969. Confirmed 7.22 at Rockingham. | This was the car to beat in '69. Ford money, one of the best crew chiefs/mechanics ever in Amos Satterlee who knew his way around the complex SOHC Ford motor, and master handler Ongais behind the wheel. This was the second car in a two-car team put together by Mickey Thompson. This was the blue car while Pat Foster handled the red one. The cars debuted at the AHRA Winternationals in primer wearing only a large Mickey Thompson decal on the doors. The cars showed promise right off the bat, with Ongais qualifying ninth and beating Don Schumacher in the first round, and Ray Alley in the second before losing to Dick Harrell's 7.75 in the semifinal. At the NHRA Winternationals, the tricky Pomona track gave the team some problems, failing to qualify. Ongais rebounded nicely by qualifying third with a 7.62/176.47 at the second OCIR All-Pro on February 9. He was on his way to a sub 7.4 run in the first round, when his engine let go at the first MPH light. Still, his 7.60 at a coasting 160.42 beat "Jungle Jim" Liberman's 7.69/191. The team was unable to run the semifinals, and Jim was reinstated. The first win came the following week, on February 16, in Las Vegas for the Stardust Open. He beat Steve Bovan in the first round, with a 7.59/189.47, and in the semis, a 7.88/193.96 beat Schumacher. He was paired up against his teammate Pat Foster in the other MT car in the final. He set both ends of the track record in the final with a 7.51/199.11 taking the victory. Then came the Bakersfield March Meet, where a 7.63 qualified #1. His first-round 7.80/196.07 beat Dave Beebe's 7.97/185 in the Super Chief. Tom McEwen set Top Speed while losing to Danny in the semifinal, with a 7.78/196.73 losing to the Mustang's 7.70/195.65. In the final, he met Rich Siroonian and won again with a 7.56 (Low ET) at 193.54. Another win came the following week on March 9 at the Sears Point National Open, where he again had Low ET (7.62) and Top Speed (195.64). This time the team gained fans due to Mickey Thompson's sportsmanship. Ongais was to face Marv Eldridge in the final, but Marv's Corvette lost fire on the line. Thompson signaled to Danny to kill the engine in his Mustang. So, while Ongais waited, Mickey helped Eldridge's crew refire the Corvette. Once it started, Danny refired and promptly beat him for the victory. The crowd roared their approval. He again ran well at the HRM Championships on March 16 at Riverside by qualifying #1 with a 7.60. He improved to a Low ET of the meet 7.50/180.00 over Roger Wolford in the first round, but the car broke a blower manifold while taking the win. The team tried hard to repair for round two, but time ran out. Wolford was reinstated with the break rule in effect. At the final OCIR All-Pro race on March 29, a 7.58/193.96 qualified #1. An even better 7.53/192.70 beat Randy Walls in the first round. In the semifinal, both he and Schumacher ran 7.71, but Don had crossed the centerline, advancing Ongais into the final against Charlie Allen. A blown transmission ended Danny's chances for a win. On April 13, Irwindale held an eight-car show, and once again, Ongais qualified on top of the heap with a 7.48 that held for Low ET. A first-round 7.63/184.80 beat Walls and Clyde Morgan lost a transmission against him in the semis, giving Danny a single into the final. A 7.88/191.08 beat Steve Bovan's 8.19/182 Camaro in the final. A sixteen-car show was held at Irwindale on April 26, where Ongais qualified #1 with a 7.48/181.08. He set a 7.30 track record at just 177.86 over Bob Pickett in the first round. A 7.47/191.48 beat Ray Alley in round two, and another 7.47 over Morgan put him in the final. In the final, a 7.37/193.54 beat Mike Van Sant's 8.01/181 in the Invader. At the second annual Manufacturer's Funny Car Open at OCIR on May 3, a 7.45/191.88 qualified #1 on the four-car Ford team. The 7.45 was also good for Low ET of the meet. In the first round, a 7.55/192.30 beat Siroonian's 7.61/194. Mike Van Sant took a win over the Mustang when Ongais lost a motor on the line in round two. With a new engine in place, a third-round 8.20/161 beat the Psycho. The two lowest ET cars raced for the overall win at this meet. In the final, he faced Siroonian again, and a 7.88/188 took the win as Rich's 'Cuda broke. Drag News reported that Ongais drove to 7.10 and backed it up with a 7.12 in California. This was done using a new kind of oxygen injection system that had caused the team to go through 37 engines. It was not reported at what track these times were run, but it was in early May. On May 18, he was at Kansas City for a four-car, round-robin race. Danny won by setting a 7.37 track record at 196 to beat Ron O'Donnell in Don Schumacher's 'Cuda in the first race while a 7.42 beat Norm Weekly driving Chris Karamesines' new car. He beat the "Assassination" in his last race with a 7.52. Ongais finished runner-up to Gas Ronda at an Funny Car show at Fremont in May. On June 8, he qualified second with a 7.64 at Bristol for the AHRA Springnationals. He won the race when the Low ET and Top Speed of the meet (7.52/202.70) car of Leonard Hughes fouled against him in the final. Danny motored to a 7.78 for the win. The team had a major blow at the NHRA Springnationals; the MT teams qualified one and two with Pat Foster's amazing 7.35 (track record) at 199.55 leading while Ongais followed with a 7.47/189. Foster's car veered into Gerry Schwartz's car in the first round, and crashed, killing Gerry and totaling both cars. Ongais went on to win the race running 7.77/173.07 and 7.64/190.27 in the first two rounds. In the semis, Ray Alley fouled, and Ongais ran a 7.57 to advance to the final against Tom McEwen. McEwen broke a rear end in the final, and a 7.63/191.89 gave Danny another win. On June 21, it was on to Lions for the AHRA Grand American Championships. Ongais reset the AHRA Funny Car record to a 7.35 in qualifying, as well as Top Speed of the meet at 198.97. He beat Larry Fullerton in the first round, with a 7.36/196.07 and a 7.40/193.96 beat Gordon Mineo in the semifinal. He was to meet Mike Van Sant for the money, but the race was never run due to the late hour. At Irwindale's Fourth of July race, a 7.44 qualified #1, and in the semifinal, he set Low ET and Top Speed with a 7.39/198.66 over Van Sant's 7.60/194 in the Invader. In the final, he beat Fullerton with a 7.43/192.70. The next day (July 5), he went to OCIR for the second annual Nitro Championships, where he qualified #1 with a 7.52, ran a first-round 7.40, beat Ronda's 7.84/195 with a 7.49/191.48 in round two, and in the semis a 7.62/200.00 beat Clyde Morgan's 7.78/187. In the final, he met Fullerton again. A Low ET and Top Speed of the meet (7.35/200.44) won the race over Larry's 7.88/183. The following week saw more of the same for the competition. At Irwindale's Race with a Reason on July 12, Ongais won again. About the only new news was that he didn't qualify first. He ran a first-round 7.50/178.75 solo pass when Leroy Hales broke on the line. A 7.42 (Low ET) at 192.72 beat Van Sant in the semifinal. Dave Beebe, driving John Mazmanian's 'Cuda, broke in the final, and Danny ran a 7.78/188.66 for the win. Right around this time, the Mustang was reworked with the SOHC motor moved back farther in the chassis and raised slightly. The first time out with the new configuration was on July 19 at OCIR for the PDA Championships. A 7.63 qualified the team second to Beebe's 7.56. Both cars made their way to the final, with Beebe hitting a meet's best of 7.38 along the way. Danny was running 7.60s, with the best being a 7.61. In the final, Ongais picked it up to a 7.55/193.54 but lost to Beebe's 7.45/205. This was the first time the Mustang was outrun in competition since the Winternationals. On July 26, the team ran at the Irwindale Funny Car Open, and Danny got beat again. He qualified second and beat Warren Gunter, who had driveline problems in the first round. But in the semifinal, Ongais shut off with handling problems, and Gas Ronda's 7.76/192 advanced to the final. At the three-day Super Stock Nationals, Danny won Saturday's Funny Car race (even though the last rounds were run on Sunday). He beat Ed Schartman with a 7.75/193. He ran a match race against Bob Manion at Kansas City on August 17 and won all three races with a 7.56/191.08 best. AHRA held their World Championships at Green Valley on August 24. The MT team was there, running a first-round 7.65 over Fritz Callier's 7.82. In the second round, he lost a motor in the eyes while losing to Siroonian, who was back in uncle John's 'Cuda. Siroonian's chute failed on the run, and his car was damaged. At Bristol for the All-American race, AHRA held an Funny Car race in qualifying for the actual show that was to be run the next day. In that race, Danny singled with a 7.68/171.75 in the first round, before beating Jim Maybeck with a 7.93 in the second round. He fouled against Ronnie Runyan in the semis. The next day for the actual race, he again made it as far as the semis where both he and Jim Maybeck ran 7.89, but Jim got there first. Ongais took his biggest win of the year at the US Nationals. The team went through three engines in qualifying before getting in a 7.306/201.79 for #4. He followed the 'Cudas of Hughes, Schumacher, and Siroonian. He improved on his time with a first-round 7.264/201.34. In the second round, a 7.380/191.08 beat Kelly Chadwick, and in the most crowd-pleasing race of the Funny Car Eliminator, met Bruce Larson in the semifinals. Unfortunately, Bruce fouled away a 7.420/201.78 while Danny's 7.276/203.61 got into the final against Siroonian. In the final, Siroonian fouled away a 7.246/204.08 to let the Mustang take a 7.476/195.65 victory pass. The following week, on September 14, at a match race at Kansas City, Danny made four runs: a 7.21, 7.11 twice, and a 6.96 to become the first Funny Car in the sixes. It was controversial, though, because it was run at Kansas (later known for questionable times), and the fact that the car never again got near the sixes. The car usually ran 7.20s as best times. On September 20, Danny showed up at OCIR during the Division 7 points race and reset the NHRA Funny Car records to 7.37/198.67. Two other funny cars were also trying for the record, Siroonian and Charlie Allen. A week later (September 27), the team was at Rockingham for the AHRA US Open. On Saturday, AHRA decided to hold an eight-car preliminary Funny Car show. In the opening round, Danny's 7.28 defeated Butch Hicks, driving the "King 'Cuda." He then won his semifinal match to meet with Gene Snow in the final. If there had been a question of had the rest of the Funny Car troops caught up with the MT team, it was answered here as Snow's 7.13/213 easily covered Ongais' 7.22/201.34. The next day, Ongais ran 7.28 in the opening round for the actual race before his 7.34/195.65 lost to Mart Higginbotham's 7.33/199 in round two. |
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Submitted by Barb Santucci, Last updated on Thursday, July 6, 2023, 10:27:51 PM by
Super Crew.
Approved by Super Crew. |
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Rankings updated: 07/16/25 11:00:30 am EDT
