Racing Legend Dan Gurney Dead From Pneumonia Complications

Via AP News, it has been announced that “Dan Gurney, the first driver with victories in each of the Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR Cup series, died Sunday from complications of pneumonia. He was 86.” His wife would release a statement about Dan, saying that, “With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today.” This news comes as an incredible hit to the racing community as Gurney seemed to have laid down the framework for which drivers in the coming years would be able to follow.

Gurney’s journey in the world of racing began in the year 1955 and he would go on to conquer racing series after racing series, taking wins behind the wheel of cars that would become some of the most prestigious in the industry, including Ferrari and Porsche. He would even continue on to design his own F1 car and become the only American to ever do so and win, says AP. This guy really had his stuff together when it comes to being behind the wheel of a car, you can believe that!

Gurney is considered one of the all-time greats in the industry and will be remembered by these accomplishments and his contribution to the sport that we all know and love so much. If you’d like to get a little taste of what this man was all about when he found himself behind the wheel, the video below should be able to capture just a snippet of what you could expect with this motorsport hero behind the wheel.

AP continued on to tell us that “Funeral arrangements are to be private but the family asked that donations be made to the Hoag Hospital Foundation in Newport Beach in lieu of flowers.”