The yellow car was the "hero car," running C Class (183-305ci) with a Tunnel Port 302, driven mainly by Danny Ongais. While people tend to think of Satterlee as a Southern California product, he actually grew up on the family farm in Adrian, Mo., south of Kansas City with brothers Paul, William, and Bobby and sisters Jesse and Marie, all of whom have passed. Jan 19, 2017 - Explore Randy Hensley's board "Danny Ongais" on Pinterest. years, Armida (better known to people as “Billie”) and children Amos III, Rita, Suzie, and Jennifer; son Larry predeceased him. Tuning with your ears, by feel and skill, reading the spark plugs., controlling the throttle and clutch with your mind and feet. I hate to embarrass the old man, but facts are facts. Yet, as technology grew and the cars became more sophisticated and timer-controlled, Satterlee’s interest began to wane, according to his nephew. Behind the wheel of the ex-Art Chrisman Hustler III, powered by an Enderle-injected 331, he made his quickest and fastest run at 8.40, 186 mph. the new 2012 car So.....basically you can say that this 81 Interscope was 30 years ahead of design? I was proud to surrender my bedroom for Danny to stay in. In the 1970s, “Famous Amos” tuned for the likes of Gas Ronda, Charlie Allen, Dean LaPole, Gary Burgin, and, of course, Harrison, on a number of his cars. Facebook gives people the power to share … Join Facebook to connect with Danny N Patsy Ongais and others you may know. Frank Cannon deserves the recognition.”. NHRA announcer Bernie Partridge crowned Don Garlits “Big Daddy” because he had his daughters with him at the 1962 Nationals at Indy (yet it ended up more symbolic of his status in the class). That record held all the way until October 2015. And, of course, nephew William, who shared this very telling final comment from his uncle: “Uncle Amos used to say about other types of racing, ‘They just go around in circles and when it is over they end up in the same place. From motorcycles to dragsters and sprint cars; through sports cars, Indy cars and Formula One, Ongais ran only one way — balls to the wall. All logos and images are reserved. When Satterlee was named a NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion honoree in 2004, he made no bones about beating Garlits. Garlits, of course, is generally credited with making the first 200-mph run, a month later in New Jersey, but Satterlee disputed that. + 7 S 0 P O N S O A R P A 7 E E D -1 -1 U J -1 0 F J -1 -1 1982 Indy 500 Pace Car Poster Chevy Camaro Signed Jim Rathmann Danny Ongais Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. I also had heard that Satterlee had won multiple National Sand Drag Association championships in its Top Fuel class with driver/owner Scott Whipple and his Canidae-sponsored team, but I had no idea of his dominance on the 300-foot sand course until I reached out to Tom Bray, Editor of NationalSandDragNews.com, who generously shared with me his notes and the accompanying photo. “He did not have much enthusiasm for automation in drag racing: Data logging, computer engine control, multi-stage clutch pre-programmed by setting dip switches before the run," Harold told me. Satterlee’s deft touch also translated to water where he built and tuned the engines that carried Lou and Marianne Osman’s St. Louis-based Speed Sports Top Fuel Hydro and driver John Haas to Lucas Oil Series championships in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He finished fourth. I won’t go as far as to say that his career has been understated -– after all, to many of us he was always “famous” –- but looking back over this column and the people he tuned for and the championships he helped win, I can’t help but think that he didn’t get all of the attention he should have. Satterlee was famous through six decades, and most of it was because of what he could do with a wrench. Most of the best drag racing nicknames have come from a third party. Dad had a magazine with a full-page ad for SK tools: ‘The Great Ones In Dallas, Amos Satterlee And SK Tools.’  It had a picture with Mickey Thompson's Mach 1 in the background and Amos getting a kiss from Dandy, Miss SK.". Amos Satterlee did go somewhere -- somewhere very big --  in an amazing racing career, and left behind a legacy for us all to remember and admire. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. As with Jack Chrisman, Schartman started out with an injected 427 SOHC engine in 1967 before Satterlee convinced him that while injection was nice he’d probably rather be blown, and together they won the huge Manufacturer’s Championship at Orange County. Photos that have appeared in/on the twitter feed. Legendary nitro tuner "Famous Amos" Satterlee passed away April 4 at age 88. And, of course, building horsepower is only half the story; getting it to work on the chosen surface is where the magic happens, and Satterlee was truly a magician.