#3 Dan Gurney
Pioneer. Race Winner. Innovator. Team Owner
Name any series in high-level racing, and there's a good chance Dan Gurney or a team he owned raced in it; he's done it all--Formula 1, NASCAR, USAC, Can-Am, and Trans-Am. Gurney is known for being one of the most technical and innovative drivers in American F1 history; there are so many things still used in racing today that Gurney developed or helped develop. His Father had a master's from Harvard, and his uncles all went to MIT; intelligence ran in his family. He built his first car at 19 years old after becoming involved in the California hot rod culture of the 1950s. Gurney also served in the US Army for two years during the Korean War as an artillery mechanic. So it's challenging to find a more comprehensive person in American motorsports; his influence on racing reached a global level and equated to over a 50-year presence in international motorsports.
Gurney had many "firsts" in his career. Gurney's first podium in Formula 1 came at the 1959 German Grand Prix, driving for Scuderia Ferrari. Gurney gave Porsche their first Formula 1 win as a manufacturer at the 1962 French Grand Prix. He became the first American manufacturer to win a Formula 1 race at the memorable 1967 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Franochamp, winning in the car he built himself, the Eagle-Weslake. He became the first driver to wear a full-faced helmet during the 1968 German Grand Prix. Gurney is credited with starting the tradition of spraying champagne on the podium after celebrating winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in his Shelby-American Ford GT40 with teammate A.J. Foyt. Although it is said that French driver Jo Siffert sprayed champagne on on-lookers after accidentally popping the cork on his victory bottle of champagne at the 1966 24 hours of Le Mans, Gurney's was on purpose and changed podium celebrations forever.
Gurney was abnormally tall for a racing driver, causing constant problems during his career. At nearly 6 feet 4 inches, Gurney struggled to fit in a much smaller framed Formula 1 car. Of course, his height was not the only reason, but it played a role in his design of the Eagle-Weslake Formula 1 car by AAR. Gurney struggled to fit into the tight Ford GT40 cockpit, so fabricator Phil Remington installed a roof bubble over the driver's seat to allow space for Gurney's helmet—now known as a "Gurney bubble."
Gurney had a very decorated racing career, driving for some of the best teams in Formula 1, Ferrari, BRM, and Mclaren, and winning races for Porsche, Brabham, and Eagle. Gurney had four wins and nineteen podiums with 86 starts in Formula 1, ranking him third in all-time starts for American Drivers. After Formula 1, Gurney spent his time as a team owner and car manufacturer with his AAR Eagle team.
AAR Eagle would become a highly successful team in the USAC and IndyCar series, winning the Indianapolis 500 three times; twice with Bobby Unser in 1968 & 1975 and the 1973 race with Gordon Johncock. Unfortunately, AAR withdrew from the CART series in 1986 and was absent until 1996, when it would return with Toyota after a massively successful stint in the IMSA GTP series. In 1992 and 1993, the iconic Toyota MK Eagles won 17 consecutive races, back-to-back Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, and wins in the endurance classics of Daytona and Sebring with the nephew of Formula 1 champion Juan Fangio, Juan Manuel Fangio.
Gurney passed away in 2018 but will always be remembered by many motorsport fans. There truly is no one else like Dan Gurney, an American pioneer, innovator, and winner. Gurney is a member of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Godspeed Dan!
