Danny Sullivan

Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Championship, and placed third in points in 1986. Sullivan also scored a victory in IROC.

Danny Sullivan
Sullivan in 2015
BornDaniel John Sullivan III
(1950-03-09) March 9, 1950
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality American
Active years1983
TeamsTyrrell
Entries15
Career points2
First entry1983 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry1983 South African Grand Prix
CART PPG Indycar World Series
Years active1982–1993, 1995
TeamsForsythe Racing
Shierson Racing
Penske Racing
Patrick Racing
Galles Racing
PacWest Racing
Starts170
Wins17
Poles19
Best finish1st in 1988
Championship titles
1988CART PPG Indycar World Series
Awards
1985Indianapolis 500 winner

Before racing

Sullivan was born in Louisville, Kentucky to a building contractor father. He attended the Kentucky Military Institute and then the Jim Russell Racing School. He had several odd jobs before his racing career, including lumberjack, and most famously, New York City cab driver.[1]

Formula One

Sullivan was given a 21st birthday present of a course at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School at the Snetterton circuit in England. He competed in Formula Ford, Formula Three and Formula Two before returning to race in the United States.

In 1980-81, he drove for Garvin Brown Racing in the SCCA Can-Am Series, scoring one victory in 1981 at the season-ending Caesar's Palace Grand Prix.

In 1982, he made his début in the PPG Indycar series, and was recruited by the Tyrrell Formula One team for the 1983 season at the request of primary sponsor Benetton, who wanted an American driver. Sullivan competed in the fifteen races of the 1983 season, scoring two points with a fifth place at the Monaco Grand Prix and finishing seventeenth in the World Drivers' Championship. He also performed strongly in the non-championship Race of Champions held at the Brands Hatch circuit in April, seeing off an early race challenge from 1980 World Champion Alan Jones, before finishing second behind reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg, finishing only half-a-second behind the Williams after 40 laps of racing.

Nevertheless, he was somewhat overshadowed by his more experienced teammate, Michele Alboreto (who won the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix for the team, its last F1 victory), and was not retained at the end of the season.

CART career

Sullivan's Lola T800 at Laguna Seca in 1984.
Sullivan during time trials as the 1988 Indianapolis 500.

For 1984, Sullivan returned to North America, where he competed in the CART PPG Indy Car series. He first landed at Shierson Racing, winning three races including the Pocono 500, placing 4th in points. In 1985, he moved to Penske Racing, winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500. His victory at Indy, known in auto racing lore as the "spin and win" is one of the most legendary moments in Indy 500 history.

Sullivan would set the pace at Indy again in 1988, qualifying second and leading 91 of the first 101 laps. Sullivan was part of the all-Penske front row with teammates Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. A wing adjuster broke on Sullivan's car just after the halfway mark, and his car hit outside wall in turn one, ending his day. Nevertheless, he rebounded, posting finishes of 4th or better over the next six races, winning at Portland and the Michigan 500. The win at Michigan completed a career Indy car Triple Crown (Indianapolis, Michigan, Pocono). He finished the season with five top-5 finishes over the final five races, including two wins. At the second-to-last race of the season at Laguna Seca, Sullivan won the pole position, led the most laps, and won the race. With still one race remaining, Sullivan clinched the 1988 CART championship, holding an insurmountable 35-point lead. It was Sullivan's first championship title and Penske's first since 1985.

In 1989, Sullivan suffered a broken arm in a crash during practice for the Indy 500, and would miss two races. He rebounded to win the Pocono 500 in August - his second win in that event - and one other race to place a respectable 7th in points. Sullivan's last season with Penske Racing was 1990. He won two races in 1990, including the season finale at Laguna Seca. He won the pole and led wire-to-wire in his final start for Roger Penske.

In 1991, Sullivan switched to the Patrick Racing Alfa Romeo team. After going winless in 1991 in a very uncompetitive machine, he parted ways with Patrick. Sullivan won two more CART races between 1992 and 1993, driving for Galles-Kraco Racing. He scored the first win for the Galmer chassis at Long Beach. It came after he bumped teammate and race leader Al Unser Jr. on the backstretch with less than four laps to go. The incident sparked friction within the team. His later years were plagued with inconsistency, leading to a semi-retirement in 1994. His brief tenure at Galles was described as particularly toxic.[2]

In 1986, Sullivan was a guest star on the television show Miami Vice ("Florence Italy") playing a race car driver accused of murdering a prostitute. The episode featured some short outdoor scenes in the pit lanes of the Miami Grand Prix. Sullivan had limited dialogue in the episode; his longest piece of dialogue was in a police station interrogation scene.

Also in 1991, the Leland Corporation released the arcade game Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat, featuring his likeness.

After Indy

Danny Sullivan - Alfa Corse - Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI 94, Donington 1994 DTM
Sullivan (#99) at the 1994 NASCAR Brickyard 400

In 1994, Sullivan took a sabbatical from Indy car racing. After being released from Galles Racing very late after the 1993 season, Sullivan was unable to find a new ride as most seats at that point had already been filled. He joined ABC/ESPN as a color commentator. He also attempted to run selected events in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series that season.[3] However, he failed to qualify for several events;[4] he qualified for only one race (the 1994 Brickyard 400), and finished 33rd for a very underfunded team. In 1994, he had some guest starts for Alfa Romeo in the DTM and together with Thierry Boutsen and Hans-Joachim Stuck he was third overall with the Dauer 962 LM at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

He returned to CART racing for one final year in 1995. His season ended early after a serious crash at Michigan International Speedway. While recovering from a broken pelvis and other injuries, he announced his retirement from open-wheel competition. He returned to ABC-TV for 1996–1998.

Sullivan was a paid celebrity endorser for Danny Sullivan Lexus in Jacksonville, Florida. The Lexus Dealership was owned primarily by members of the Davis Family, who were the founders of Winn Dixie supermarkets.

Sullivan was also instrumental in the Red Bull Driver Search program to find an American driver to compete in Formula One. The program successfully promoted American Scott Speed from California, who drove for the Scuderia Toro Rosso team in 2006 and 2007.

He was the drivers' representative on the stewards' panel for the 2010 German Grand Prix,[5] 2010 Singapore Grand Prix,[6] 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix,[7] 2013 Australian Grand Prix,[8] 2014 Spanish Grand Prix,[9] 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix,[10][11] 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix, [12] 2018 Chinese Grand Prix, [13] and 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. [14]

Sullivan and Michael Andretti were inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame on April 5, 2010, along the route of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which both men have won.[15]

Sullivan serves as a Senior Advisor at Tempus Jets and its parent company, Orion Air Group, LLC. He also has various business relationships with Lexus, ABC/ESPN, CBS, Red Bull, Acura, and Toyota.[16]

Awards

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2012.[17]

Racing career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 WDC Points
1983 Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 011 Cosworth V8 BRA
11
USW
8
FRA
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
5
BEL
12
DET
Ret
CAN
DSQ
GBR
14
GER
12
AUT
Ret
NED
Ret
ITA
Ret
17th 2
Tyrrell 012 EUR
Ret
RSA
7

Non-Championship Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1
1983 Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 011 Cosworth DFV V8 ROC
2

CART career results

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
1982 Forsythe Newman March 82C Cosworth DFX PHX ATL
3
MIL
21
CLE MIS MIL POC RIV ROA MIS2 PHX2 22nd 28
1984 Shierson Racing DSR-1 Cosworth DFX LBH
24
PHX
6
MIL
16
4th 110
Lola T800 INDY
29
POR
23
MEA
2
CLE
1
MIS
10
ROA
19
POC
1
MDO
3
SAN
1
MIS2
9
PHX2
20
LS
9
LVG
18
1985 Team Penske March 85C Cosworth DFX LBH
3
INDY
1
MIL
4
POR
27
MEA
18
CLE
27
MIS
14
ROA
13
POC
5
MDO
2
SAN
5
MIS2
8
LS
8
PHX
4
MIA
1
    4th 126
1986 Team Penske March 86C Cosworth DFX PHX
4
LBH
11
INDY
9
MIL
11
POR
11
MEA
1
CLE
1
TOR
2
MIS
25
POC
16
MDO
3
SAN
5
MIS
12
ROA
6
LS
2
PHX2
2
3rd 147
Penske PC-15 Chevrolet 265A MIA
26
1987 Team Penske Penske PC-16 Chevrolet 265A LBH
22
PHX
11
POR
11
MEA
20
9th 87
March 86C INDY
13
MIL
11
CLE
4
TOR
2
MIS
4
POC
17
ROA
5
MDO
3
NAZ
22
LS
2
MIA
12
1988 Team Penske Penske PC-17 Chevrolet 265A PHX
23
LBH
13
INDY
23
MIL
2
POR
1
CLE
3
TOR
2
MEA
4
MIS
1
POC
18
MDO
5
ROA
4
NAZ
1
LS
1
MIA
5
1st 182
1989 Team Penske Penske PC-18 Chevrolet 265A PHX
3
LBH
8
INDY
28
MIL
10
DET
24
POR
CLE
MEA
8
TOR
3
MIS
23
POC
1
MDO
5
ROA
1
NAZ
3
LS
14
7th 107
1990 Team Penske Penske PC-19 Chevrolet 265A PHX
6
LBH
3
INDY
32
MIL
8
DET
14
POR
4
CLE
1
MEA
14
TOR
4
MIS
21
DEN
2
VAN
2
MDO
5
ROA
16
NAZ
18
LS
1
6th 139
1991 Patrick Racing Lola T91/00 Alfa Romeo Indy V8 SRF
4
LBH
11
PHX
7
INDY
10
MIL
5
DET
10
POR
21
CLE
9
MEA
6
TOR
14
MIS
18
DEN
18
VAN
9
MDO
17
ROA
16
NAZ
20
LS
9
11th 56
1992 Galles Racing Galmer G92 Chevrolet 265A SRF
5
PHX
12
LBH
1
INDY
5
DET
5
POR
12
MIL
12
NHA
9
TOR
3
MIS
8
CLE
20
ROA
7
VAN
7
MDO
8
NAZ
17
LS
7
7th 99
1993 Galles Racing Lola T93/00 Chevrolet 265C SRF
13
PHX
23
LBH
8
INDY
33
MIL
16
DET
1
POR
14
CLE
14
TOR
3
MIS
NHA
22
ROA
26
VAN
10
MDO
27
NAZ
20
LS
27
12th 43
1995 PacWest Racing Reynard 95i Ford XB MIA
9
SRF
5
PHX
27
LBH
10
NAZ
18
INDY
9
MIL
17
DET
12
POR
22
ROA
25
TOR
18
CLE
5
MIS
16
MDO NHA VAN LS 19th 32

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts
1994 Mattei Motorsports 99 Pontiac DAY CAR
DNQ
RCH 74th 64
Virtue Racing Chevy ATL
DNQ
DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL IND
33
GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL

See also

References

  1. "8W – Who? – Danny Sullivan". 8w.forix.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  2. Pruett, Marshall (April 6, 2017). "Danny Sullivan on His 1992 Long Beach IndyCar Win". The Marshall Pruett Podcast. Episode 133. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  3. "Sullivan Puts Stock In NASCAR". The Charlotte Observer. January 18, 1994. p. 2B. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  4. Williams, Charean (August 2, 1994). "Sullivan Both Novice And Veteran At Indy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  5. "Sullivan joins stewards for Germany". autosport.com. Haymarket Publishing. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  6. "Sullivan joins Singapore stewards' panel". PlanetF1.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  7. "2012 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race Preview". FIA. 2012-07-25. Archived from the original on 2013-10-01.
  8. "Sullivan named as driver steward for Australia". 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  9. "2014 Spanish Grand Prix – Preview". FIA. 2014-05-07. Archived from the original on 2017-05-09.
  10. "2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Stewards' Biographies". FIA. 2017-06-21. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19.
  11. "2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Entry List". FIA. 2017-06-22. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19.
  12. "2018 Bahrain Grand Prix - Stewards' Biographies". FIA. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  13. "2018 Chinese Grand Prix - Stewards' Biographies". FIA. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  14. "2018 Monaco Grand Prix - Stewards' Biographies". FIA. 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  15. "City of Long Beach, CA – News Details". longbeach.gov. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  16. "Executive Team | Tempus – A Premier Aviation Services Provider". tempusjets.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  17. Danny Sullivan at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Rick Mears
Indianapolis 500
Winner

1985
Succeeded by
Bobby Rahal
Preceded by
Bobby Rahal
PPG IndyCar World Series
Champion

1988
Succeeded by
Emerson Fittipaldi
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