Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, and Trans-Am Series. Gurney is the first of three drivers to have won races in sports cars (1958), Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy cars (1967), the other two being Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya.
| Dan Gurney | |||||||
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Gurney in 1970 | |||||||
| Born | Daniel Sexton Gurney April 13, 1931 Port Jefferson, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 14, 2018 (aged 86) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| USAC Road Racing Championship (1958) Major victories 12 Hours of Sebring (1959) 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) | |||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Active years | 1959–1968, 1970 | ||||||
| Teams | Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, Lotus, Brabham, Eagle, McLaren | ||||||
| Entries | 87 (86 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 4 | ||||||
| Podiums | 19 | ||||||
| Career points | 133 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 3 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 6 | ||||||
| First entry | 1959 French Grand Prix | ||||||
| First win | 1962 French Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last win | 1967 Belgian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 1970 British Grand Prix | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 28 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 4th (1969) | ||||||
| First race | 1962 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last race | 1970 California 500 (Ontario) | ||||||
| First win | 1967 Rex Mays 300 (Riverside) | ||||||
| Last win | 1970 Golden Gate 150 (Sonoma) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 16 races run over 10 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 77th (1962) | ||||||
| First race | 1962 Daytona Qualifier #1 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1980 Winston Western 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
| First win | 1963 Riverside 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
| Last win | 1968 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 1958–1967 | ||||||
| Teams | NART, Ferrari, Cunningham, Porsche, Serenissima, Shelby, Shelby-Ford | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1967) | ||||||
| Class wins | 2 (1964, 1967) | ||||||
In 1967, after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with A. J. Foyt, Gurney spontaneously sprayed champagne while celebrating on the podium, which thereafter became a custom at many motorsports events. As owner of All American Racers, he was the first to put a simple right-angle extension on the upper trailing edge of the rear wing. This device, called a Gurney flap, increases downforce and, if well designed, imposes only a relatively small increase in aerodynamic drag. At the 1968 German Grand Prix, he became the first driver ever to use a full face helmet in Grand Prix racing.