Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel John Sullivan III March 9, 1950 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, commentator, advisor |
| Years active | 1980–1995 (racing) |
| Known for | 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner, 1988 CART Champion |
Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), widely recognized as Danny Sullivan, is a retired American racing driver who achieved 17 victories in the CART Indy Car World Series, including his triumph at the 1985 Indianapolis 500. He claimed the CART Championship title in 1988 and secured third place in the overall standings in 1986. Additionally, Sullivan earned a win in IROC and participated in the 1983 Formula One season with the Tyrrell team, where he accumulated two championship points.
Early Life
Born in Louisville, Kentucky to a father engaged in building contracting, Sullivan attended the Kentucky Military Institute followed by training at the Jim Russell Racing School. Prior to embarking on his racing career, he worked in various occupations such as a lumberjack and a taxi driver in New York City.
Formula One Career
As a gift for his 21st birthday, Sullivan was enrolled in a course at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School located at Snetterton, England. He competed across multiple formula categories, including Formula Ford, Formula Three, and Formula Two, before returning to compete in the United States.
During 1980 and 1981, he raced for Garvin Brown Racing in the SCCA Can-Am Series, achieving a victory at the 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix. In 1982, Sullivan made his debut in the PPG Indycar series and was subsequently signed by the Tyrrell Racing team for the 1983 Formula One season at the behest of sponsor Benetton Group, who sought an American driver. He participated in all fifteen events that year, earning two points with a fifth-place finish at Monaco and ranking seventeenth overall in the World Drivers' Championship. Furthermore, Sullivan secured second place behind World Champion Keke Rosberg at the non-championship 1983 Race of Champions.
Although delivering respectable performances, Sullivan was eclipsed by teammate Michele Alboreto, who achieved Tyrrell’s final Formula One victory at Detroit. Consequently, Sullivan was not retained by Tyrrell beyond the 1983 season.
CART Career
In 1984, Sullivan returned to compete in North America’s CART PPG Indy Car series with Shierson Racing. He won three events that year, including the Pocono 500, and concluded the season fourth in points. The following year, he joined Team Penske and famously won the 1985 Indianapolis 500 employing his memorable "spin and win" technique.
At the 1988 Indianapolis 500, Sullivan qualified second and led a majority of early laps before crashing due to a wing failure. He recovered impressively with five top-5 finishes across six subsequent races, securing victories at both Portland and Michigan. His win at Michigan completed the Indy car Triple Crown (Indianapolis, Michigan, Pocono). Sullivan clinched his first CART championship title with one race remaining that season—also marking Penske’s first championship since 1985.
In 1989, after missing two events because of a broken arm sustained during Indy practice, he repeated his Pocono 500 victory and added another win later that year, finishing seventh overall. His final year with Penske was 1990; during this season he won twice including leading from start to finish at Laguna Seca in his last race for the team.
Sullivan joined Patrick Racing’s Alfa Romeo squad in 1991 but did not achieve any wins due to an uncompetitive car. From 1992 to 1993, he raced with Galles-Kraco Racing where he earned two additional CART victories—including Galmer’s inaugural win at Long Beach—although an aggressive overtaking move on teammate Al Unser Jr. caused internal team tensions. Following inconsistent performances and strained relations during his tenure at Galles, Sullivan entered semi-retirement in 1994.
Beyond his driving career, Sullivan made a guest appearance on Miami Vice in 1986 portraying a race car driver suspected of murder. In 1991, Leland Corporation released Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat, an arcade game bearing his image.
Post-Indy Career
Following his release from Galles Racing towards the end of the 1993 season and the subsequent inability to secure a new Indy car contract, Sullivan stepped away from Indy car competition in 1994. During this hiatus, he transitioned into a broadcasting role as a color analyst for ABC and ESPN. Concurrently, he made limited appearances in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, qualifying only once at the 1994 Brickyard 400, where he finished 33rd driving for a team with limited funding. Additionally, Sullivan participated in select rounds of the DTM representing Alfa Romeo. Partnering with Thierry Boutsen and Hans-Joachim Stuck, he achieved third place overall in the Dauer 962 LM at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
In 1995, Sullivan made a comeback to CART racing but his season was cut short due to a severe accident at Michigan International Speedway. While recuperating from injuries that included a fractured pelvis, he declared his retirement from open-wheel competition and resumed his role as a commentator for ABC-TV from 1996 through 1998.
Beyond racing and broadcasting, Sullivan lent his name as a paid celebrity spokesperson for Danny Sullivan Lexus located in Jacksonville, Florida—a dealership predominantly owned by the Davis family, founders of the Winn Dixie supermarket chain.
Sullivan contributed significantly to the Red Bull Driver Search initiative, which successfully elevated American racer Scott Speed into Formula One with the Scuderia Toro Rosso outfit during the and seasons.
Between 2010 and 2018, he represented drivers on the stewards' panel at numerous Formula One Grands Prix held in countries such as Germany, Singapore, Hungary, Australia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, and Monaco.
On April 5, 2010, both Sullivan and Michael Andretti were honored with induction into the Motorsports Walk of Fame during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach—an event each had previously won.
Currently, Sullivan holds the position of senior advisor at Tempus Jets and its parent company Orion Air Group, LLC. He also maintains various professional affiliations with Lexus, ABC/ESPN, CBS, Red Bull, Acura, and Toyota.
Honors
In recognition of his achievements, Sullivan was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2012 and later honored by induction into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2022.
CART Series Results
1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1985 Team Penske 4 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 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1986 Team Penske 4 March 86C / Penske PC-15 Cosworth DFX / Ilmor-Chevrolet 265A 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), MIA (26) 3rd 147 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1987 Team Penske 3 / March 86C / Penske PC-16 Ilmor-Chevrolet 265A LBH(22), PHX(11), POR(11), MEA(20), INDY(13), MIL(11), CLE(4), TOR(2), MIS(4), POC(17), ROA(5), MDO(3), NAZ(22), LS(2), MIA(12) 9th 87 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1988 Team Penske 9 Penske PC-17 Ilmor-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 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1989 Team Penske 1 Penske PC-18 Ilmor-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 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1990 Team Penske 7 Penske PC-19 Ilmor-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 CART PPG Indy Car World Series#1991 Patrick Racing 20 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 PPG Indy Car World Series#1992 Galles Racing 18 Galmer G92 Ilmor-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 PPG Indy Car World Series#1993 Galles Racing 7 Lola T93/00 Ilmor-Chevrolet 265C SRF 13, PHX 23, LBH 8, INDY 33, MIL 16, DET 1, POR 14, CLE 14, TOR 3, NHA 22, ROA 26, VAN 10, MDO 27, NAZ 20, LS 27 12th 43 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series#1995 PacWest Racing 17 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, 19th 32| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Forsythe Newman | 33 | March 82C | Cosworth DFX | PHX | ATL 3 |
MIL 21 |
CLE | MIS | MIL | POC | RIV | ROA | MIS2 | PHX2 | 22nd | 28 | ||||||
| 1984 | Shierson Racing | 30 | 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 |
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Indianapolis 500 Results
| Year | Car | Start | Qualifying Speed | Grid Position | Final Position | Laps Completed | Laps Led | Reason for Retirement | Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 53 | 13 | 196.292 mph | 17th | 14th | 148 | 0 | Accident Lap 4 | Forsythe Racing | |||
| 1984 | 30 | 28 | 203.567 mph | 17th | 29th | 57 | 0 | Wheel Failure | Doug Shierson Racing | |||
| 1985 | 5 | 8 | 210.298 mph | 8th | 1st | 200 (Full Distance) | 67 | Finished Race | Team Penske | |||
| 1986 | 1 | 2 | 215.382 mph | 2nd | 9th | 197 | 0 | Flagged Finish (No Retirement) | Team Penske | |||
| 1987 | 3 | 16 | 210.271 mph | 6th | 13th | 160 | 4 | Engine Failure | Team Penske | |||
| 1988 | 9 | 2 | 216.214 mph | 2nd | 23rd | 101 | 91 | Crash Lap 1 | Team Penske | |||
| 1989 | 1 | 26 | 216.027 mph | 15th | 28th | 41 | 0 | Rear Axle Issue | Team Penske | |||
| 1990 | 7 | 9 | 220.310 mph | 9th | 32nd | 19 | 0 | Crash Lap 1 | Team Penske | |||
| 1991 | 20 | 218.343 mph |17th |10th |173 |0 |Turbo Failure |Patrick Racing/Alfa Romeo |- | 1992 | 18 | 8 | 224.838 mph | 9th | 5th | 199 | 0 | Flagged Finish | Galles Racing/Kraco |
| 1993 | 7 | 12 | 219.428 mph | 19th | 33rd | 29 | 0 | Crash Lap 3 | Galles Racing | |||
| 1995 | 17 | 18 | 225.496 mph | 29th | 9th | 199 | 0 | Finished Race | PacWest Racing | |||
| '\'Totals'\ | 1523 | 162 | ||||||||||
| Total Starts | 12 |
|---|---|
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Front Row Appearances | 2 |
| Best Qualifying Position | 2nd |
| Victories | 1 |
| Top 5 Finishes | 2 |
| Top 10 Finishes | 5 |
| Race Retirements | 8 |
| Laps Led | 162 |
| Races Led | 3 |
| Total Laps Completed | 1,523 |
| Career Earnings | \$2,064,211 |
Complete Formula One World Championship Results
(Template:F1 driver results legend 2#key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC Position | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Benetton Tyrrell Team | Tyrrell 011 | Cosworth V8 | BRA 11th |
USW 8th |
FRA Retired |
SMR Retired |
MON 5th |
BEL 12th |
DET Retired |
style="background:#000000; color:#fff" nowrap="nowrap">CAN Disqualified |
GBR 14th |
GER 12th |
AUT Retired |
NED Retired |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" colspan=2 align=center>ITA/--- Retired/— |
||||
| Tyrrell 012 | colspan=13 style="background:#EFCFFF; text-align:center;" align=center Retired | RSA 7th | ||||||||||||||||||
Non-Championship Formula One Results
(Template:F1 driver results legend 3#key) (Bolded races indicate pole position) (Italicized races denote fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Race 1 (ROC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1983 | "Benetton Tyrrell Team" | "Tyrrell 011" | "Cosworth DFV V8" | "Race of Champions" 2nd Place}
NASCAR(key) (Bold – Pole awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole earned through points standings or practice sessions. * – Driver led the most laps.) Winston Cup Series
24 Hours of Le Mans results
See alsoExternal links |
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