The phrase "actions speak louder than words" might be a cliché, but it applies perfectly to Danny Ongais. Known for years as "the Silent Hawaiian" because of his reluctance to express himself, Ongais earned a reputation as one of motorsports' most versatile and successful drivers.

After absolutely mastering the quarter-mile in the 1960s, Ongais became a major figure on the major open-wheel circuit, gaining peer recognition with the likes of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and the Unser brothers.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Ongais first learned to conquer fear on a surfboard. His first taste of speed came on a motorcycle, and it was on a two-wheeler that he tasted victory for the first time.

Ongais took a big detour toward his racing stardom, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army and earned his wings as a paratrooper. While based in Europe, Ongais was introduced to another phase of racing. As a sports-car driver, Ongais got his first feel of high-revving engines.

After leaving the military, Ongais moved to Southern California in the early 1960s and worked on the crew of Roland Leong's Dragmaster Hawaii AA/Dragster team, which captured the Best Appearing Car and Long Distance honors at the 1962 Winternationals. Retired from day-to-day clock-punching labor at the age of 22, Ongais decided he was going to make his mark as a full-time driver.

Making himself available around some of the top speed shops in Southern California, Ongais began to pick up a ride here and there, and he also did some testing for Dragmaster. He found himself in the cockpit of some of the Mickey Thompson cars and also took a turn at the controls of the Beaver Brothers' fueler.

And from each of these associations he expanded his knowledge of drag racing, and, at the same time, began building his own car. Unlike most, instead of deciding what type car he wanted, Ongais looked around, made an inventory of what materials and equipment were available to him, and built his AA/Gas dragster. To him, the hardest part of the project came in deciding on a name for the car. He checked issues of National DRAGSTER and decided almost everyone was running a Chevrolet engine. Therefore, his entry officially became known as "Chevy, Too."

He debuted that ride at the 1964 Winternationals, defeating Thompson, 8.39 to 8.53, for the Top Gas eliminator title, and he claimed similar honors at that year's Hot Rod Magazine Championships. His near-total domination of the Southern California Top Fuel action with the Ongais-Broussard-Davis Mangler team in early 1965 helped begin his superstar status.

Strangely enough, a large number of his early accomplishments went relatively unnoticed in comparison to some of his less-talented but more boisterous opponents. Late in 1968, his driving feats were destined to overpower his shy disposition, and the racing world was soon about to hear plenty of Ongais.

The beginning of a profitable partnership with Thompson began that fall when the two teamed up. Together they broke 295 national and international speed and endurance records at Bonneville with a pair of Mach 1 Mustangs. When Thompson made his initial venture into the competitive world of Funny Cars, the established formula of Ongais in a Mach I was retained.

Ongais' adaptability to new and strange mounts was evidenced when his first pass produced a 7.57 time slip. Soon 7.3s became commonplace for Ongais while the rest of the field struggled in the 7.7 and 7.8 range. The combination made Ongais nearly unbeatable in 1969, winning the Springnationals and NHRA Nationals and virtually all of his match race appearances. The car was built by team driver Pat Foster and was powered by Ford's then-unbeatable SOHC Hemi engine.

After leaving Thompson, Ongais drove for Thompson's archrival John Mazmanian, who subsequently sold his racing operation to the Vel's-Parnelli Jones racing team in the early 1970s. At times, Ongais drove the Top Fueler and Funny Car at the same event. He stayed with the team until 1974, when he began to heavily pursue a road racing/Indy 500 career.

Ongais' natural driving talents helped him establish himself on the road-racing circuit. In 1974, he won 12 of 15 starts in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition. He finished 14th in the Formula 5000 series points standings one year later.

His Indy Car racing career began in 1976, and he was the fastest rookie ever at the Indy 500. In 1977, Ongais qualified in the third row at 193.040 mph with Ted Fields' Interscope Racing team. He won the Michigan 200 during his Rookie of the Year campaign that season and followed up with more wins in 1978 at the Datsun 200 in Ontario, the Coors 200 in Texas, and the Molson Diamond Indy 300-kilometer road race in Canada. He was by far the fastest entry on race day at the 1978 Indy 500 until mechanical problems struck after he had led 71 of 145 laps.

Ongais qualified for 10 consecutive Indy 500s, from 1977 through 1986. His best finish was fourth place in 1979 after starting 27th. He was scheduled to drive one of Roger Penske's cars in 1987, but was forced to drop out after suffering a concussion in a racing accident. Al Unser Sr. replaced him and won the race to tie Foyt's four Indy 500 career victories. Ongais also competed in such prestigious races as the 24 Hours of LeMans during his career.

After a 10-year layoff, Ongais made a comeback bid in 1996 and finished seventh from his last-place starting position.

Ongais has said that he's had a great career, raced all over the world, and it all started because of drag racing. He remains the only driver to have won professional-category races in sports cars, Indy cars, and drag racing. -- John Miller