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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Jeff Krosnoff, Stay Hungry Pt. 6
We conclude our six-part feature on the late Jeff Krosnoff with a collection of memories and anecdotes from those who knew him.
Jeff Krosnoff poses with his newborn niece who, as you'll come to learn, had a unique supplier for racing stickers... (Photo: Courtesy of the Krosnoff Family)
READ: Jeff Krosnoff, Stay Hungry PT 1, Stay Hungry PT 2, Stay Hungry PT 3, Stay Hungry PT 4 and Stay Hungry PT 5 about the talented Californian Indy car driver who lost his life racing at Toronto on July 14th, 1996.
Some of you were fortunate to witness Jeff Krosnoff in action—to see his skills on display—during his brief career. For those of you who’ve come to know Krosnoff after his death 16 years ago this weekend, your connection to him could be tied to his story, and it’s surely one that pulls at the heartstrings.
The tale of the athlete or entertainer cut down in their prime is nothing new, and in motor racing, we’ve certainly said goodbye to far too many friends, heroes and loved ones that deserved more time to share their talents--to create more memories for us to cherish.
Krosnoff’s journey to the proverbial mountain top took far longer than any of his peers, and after more than a decade of trying, to have it come to an end with the peak finally in sight struck a chord that still resonates with many people today. To see the driver who defined persistence and self-belief cut down before his dreams could be fully realized was a cruelest outcome of that day in Toronto.
At the time of his death, Krosnoff was being courted by three of the top teams in the CART series—evidence of how great an impact he made in just over a half-season of competition.
The impression he made while saddled with a brand-new engine that, at least in today’s IndyCar Series, was like using a Lotus to fight the dominant Chevys and Hondas, spoke volumes of Krosnoff’s ability behind the wheel, and gave a glimpse of what he could achieve with a better powerplant.
Although Krosnoff is gone, he certainly hasn’t been forgotten, and it doesn’t take much to see his fighting spirit, his “Stay Hungry” mantra, in a number of active drivers today.
Tony Kanaan is Jeff Krosnoff. Townsend Bell is Jeff Krosnoff. Alex Lloyd is Jeff Krosnoff. Romain Grosjean is Jeff Krosnoff. Wade Cunningham is Jeff Krosnoff.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, probably more than any other driver over the last decade, is Jeff Krosnoff.
To all those who’ve refused to give and ultimately succeeded after sponsors departed, opportunities ran dry and doors closed, Krosnoff is the gold standard--the extreme example of just how far someone is willing to go to make it.
If your career, no matter what you do for a living, has been anything but linear--had more lefts, rights and start-overs on the way to where you’ve gotten today--the phrase “Stay Hungry” probably means something to you.
As we say farewell to Jeff Krosnoff in the final part of our series, a lot of those who knew him and were influenced by him help to paint a picture of the man and his journey in the sport through a series of remembrances. And, for the first time, his sister Tonya shares some insights as to what made him such an unforgettable person.
Tommy Kendall, Krosnoff's lifelong friend, on his loss and potential: It's ironic that so few people knew who he was here but he made such an impression on the larger motorsports world. Jan Lammers had said he was never more upset or shaken by a racer’s passing. That’s pretty significant for a guy that’s been around for such a long time. And then I remember when he finished second at Le Mans in '94. They led and led and led and led, and then had a gearbox problem and ended up finishing second. I remember in On Track, I think there was a picture on the podium with a circle saying, “Who is this guy?” “Who are these guys?” They were all unknowns at that point, but he was on the rise so quickly after that. I was as big a fan of his… I was kind of in awe of Jeff. And even though my racing career was taking off and I was doing well, I was still kind of in awe of Jeff because of just, he had this confidence… it’s just like… I had no doubt that the guy was going to make it, big time.
Paul Pfanner, founder/owner of RACER Magazine, on his friend’s unyielding drive: I think that the ultimate legacy that Jeff leaves behind, he didn't set his sights low, he actually still wanted to be a Formula One driver when he was sitting in that Indy car and he was very proud to be in Indy car, but everything he did was going to turn whatever happened into getting into that Formula One car. Even with such an amazing opportunity presented to him in Indy car, he was still looking ahead to the next challenge, a bigger challenge of making it to Formula One. That was Jeff…Stay Hungry.
Mike Hull, Chip Ganassi Racing General Manager, on why he wanted to hire Krosnoff to drive for the team in 1996: You know, the thing was, it had nothing to do with nationality–all of us have a soft spot in our hearts for the drivers in the United States–I just thought he was a talented guy, period. To me, I got to know him so that made a difference for me. But at the same time, in my position you have to maintain some amount of distance between that and what goes on in the cockpit. You can become attached but you have to be careful what the attachment–how the attachment affects the judgments that you make. That's pretty important in this position. It’s maybe not a surprise that when I go to Toronto now, I think about Jeff Krosnoff when I get there.
Cal Wells, Jeff's Indy car co-owner, on what he left behind: It's a shame Jeff was never able to experience all the real specialness of what he helped to create for us and for Toyota, it but he just did a great job and he was a fierce competitor.
Dan Layton, Honda PR guru and longtime open-wheel man, on witnessing Jeff drive for the first time: I first met Jeff (as well as Parker Johnstone and several other West Coast Atlantic racers) in 1987, at the Formula Atlantic East-West "Shootout" at Memphis Motorsports Park. At the time, I was working as a race weekend mechanic for Stuart Moore Racing in the eastern series, plus covering the series for On Track and other magazines, and also trying to race my own car when/where I could afford to do so. I knew the Memphis track well, and thought I was pretty quick around the place. Then I watched Jeff, closely, and knew the time had come to quit BS'ing myself. I was witnessing true commitment, at a level I did not possess or know how to attain.
Krosnoff, driving an already two-year old Ralt RT-4 (for a less-than-well-funded team) against the incoming Swift DB-4 tide, was relentless. Every corner, every lap, EVERY g**damn second he was behind the wheel, he got the maximum out of his car. In contemporary terms, I'd call it an "Alonso" performance.
The Ralt was no match for the Swift, which was in every way a superior design. But to Jeff it didn't matter that the DB-4s were quicker, or that the bigger teams in the paddock could keep fresh tires, brakes and clutch discs (standing starts, remember?) on their cars while Krosnoff's team needed to do well just to pay its tire bill. Jeff was able to mix it up with the Swift guys, the only Ralt driver able to do so that weekend. He led his heat race, finishing second, and was third in the final, behind only the Swifts of R.K. Smith and Jimmy Vasser (hmm, whatever happened to him?) and ahead of at least three more Swifts and, of course, all the Ralts in a big, talented 48-car field.
But Jeff's intensity behind the wheel was matched by his friendliness outside of the cockpit. We quickly established a rapport, hung out a lot that weekend--and together survived a LEGENDARY post-race banquet/celebration that to this day is one of the best parties I can only partly remember. We became friends that weekend, and maintained that friendship for the rest of his life. And I am far from the only one with a similar tale.
Tommy Kendall on how Jeff's on-track determination was matched, albeit humorously at times, in his private life: The story of when he met his, when he met Tracy...she was a hostess at one of the restaurants and they went in there and saw her and he just kept going back and could never work up the nerve to ask her out. And then he finally asked her out and he was so nervous, I think he ran into the front of it and asked her out and stumbled out of the place and tripped. He was not too cool. He was just a normal dude but fun and goofy.
Tonya Krosnoff on Jeff's aspirational ways that dated back to childhood: He just had that dream. He has a little sticker on his bathroom window still that he put on there, “Formula One”. So every day that he would be getting ready or something he would see that. And that was his goal.
Former CART PR director Adam Saal on a revealing encounter with Krosnoff: The best memory I have of Jeff was at the [1996] U.S. 500. That was a surreal enough experience due to the political climate of the day; but to make matters worse, it was absolutely freezing. And we even had snow flurries. So we were not even running because of freezing temperatures and snow flurries. And I was standing in the back of one of the CART tech trailers and looking out at the paddock and who do I see bouncing down through the paddock, wearing a big parka coat, but, in his typical demeanor, happily moving along, real quick, smiling, looking like the happy guy he was? Jeff Krosnoff. And he's making a beeline right for the tech truck. Most of the other guys there would've come up and been like: “What the hell's going on? Are we going to pull the plug on this? I just want to go back to my hotel. Come on, this is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be here anyway…” I was kind of expecting that. And instead the man walks in, he’s like “Hey, what’s going on?” All smiles and he goes, “You got any stickers?” I didn’t know what to say… “Got any stickers? I want some stickers for my niece. I like to give them to her. I put them on her forehead. We just have fun.”
And we went through the sticker bin and I gave him a couple of every single sticker we had. “Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.” All smiles, walks away, walks back out into the cold and snow. And as I see him walking away, I see him shuffling through the stack of stickers that he already got to bring back to his family. And that's when I knew we had a special guy. I mean, it was just incredible. And, again, to this day, that was the one and only time in my over 20 year career, that a driver of any caliber, at any level, from go-karts on up to factory drivers or whatever category, has ever come up to me and said, “Hey, can I have some stickers for my niece?” In the middle of a race weekend. Thinking of his family instead of himself. It's just how he was. He loved life. He loved the experience of doing what he was doing. And we all should, if we’re all fortunate enough to make it in this business. But for him, it was front and center all the time and that's something you don't see every day in any walk of life. That was definitely my clearest memory of him.
Tommy Kendall on Jeff's influence: He affected everyone he met. And I heard that a lot, everyone saying, after the accident they said, “I just met him that weekend and he was just full of life, really just full of life.” Loved people. He was just in his element when he finally came back to his home and had a top line ride, it all kind of paid off for him. That first season, the early Toyota days were pretty grim but there was the team to team rivalry, they were always trying to be the best Toyota.
Bryan Herta, former Indy car driver and current IndyCar Series team owner, on Jeff's unexpectedly brief time in CART: You can certainly see the different power and handling people are dealing with out there, and you could see he was hustling it the entire time he was out there. At the time, you don't think that he's just going to have a handful of races to be judged by after all these years, you think that he's working with a new team, a good team, but one that was still developing, and a new engine that needs developing, and when it's all done, then he'll be able to reap the benefits of that work they all put in. You just didn't really dwell on what he had right then because you expected a lot more to be right around the corner for him to show what he could really do. Unfortunately, that never happened for him.
Max Papis on his first race as Jeff's replacement at Arciero-Wells: I remember showing up at Mid-Ohio and meeting a lot of people that…they say Jeff touched everybody in that team. And I felt that when I arrived there they never made me feel for a second that I was in an awkward position. I talked to them in the beginning explaining, I remember having a meeting when I was on the track with all the team, explaining the situation and they were all very much saying, 'We understand the situation and we appreciate your honesty.' We spoke about how everything went about and why I was there. Because I felt very uncomfortable in the beginning, to tell you the truth. I'm a very sensitive person. I saw what happened and I just wanted to really make sure that the people knew that this was… if it had not been me, it would have been someone else, but they choose me even I think because they saw that there was a certain connection, I think, with Jeff as well. I clicked immediately with the guys because I wasn't afraid of talking about who Jeff was and asking them how he was, what he did; just reminding them about the good things of how special he was to them. Because in one way, I always felt – and that's what I told them all the time – that every single success, every single thing we did was a continuation of him. His motto, “Stay Hungry” was the motto I always keep in my mind.
Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine, Krosnoff's friend from their time racing together in Japan, on Jeff's loss and legacy: It's incredible. You know, the things he's missed. I don't think there was a doubt at all. It was just pure, bad luck. Just the wrong place at the wrong time. And Jeff never gave up. He would always, it wouldn’t matter if he was last, he’d be pushing to be last but one. Same as Roland Ratzenberger [who died, along with Ayrton Senna, at the Imola F1 weekend in 1994]. Ratz was another one of our gang – he got into Formula One and no sooner did he get in then he was dead. It was good in a way, I kind of felt I was one of the guys left carrying the flag for the Japanese boys.
Some of you were fortunate to witness Jeff Krosnoff in action—to see his skills on display—during his brief career. For those of you who’ve come to know Krosnoff after his death 16 years ago this weekend, your connection to him could be tied to his story, and it’s surely one that pulls at the heartstrings.
The tale of the athlete or entertainer cut down in their prime is nothing new, and in motor racing, we’ve certainly said goodbye to far too many friends, heroes and loved ones that deserved more time to share their talents--to create more memories for us to cherish.
Krosnoff’s journey to the proverbial mountain top took far longer than any of his peers, and after more than a decade of trying, to have it come to an end with the peak finally in sight struck a chord that still resonates with many people today. To see the driver who defined persistence and self-belief cut down before his dreams could be fully realized was a cruelest outcome of that day in Toronto.
At the time of his death, Krosnoff was being courted by three of the top teams in the CART series—evidence of how great an impact he made in just over a half-season of competition.
The impression he made while saddled with a brand-new engine that, at least in today’s IndyCar Series, was like using a Lotus to fight the dominant Chevys and Hondas, spoke volumes of Krosnoff’s ability behind the wheel, and gave a glimpse of what he could achieve with a better powerplant.
Although Krosnoff is gone, he certainly hasn’t been forgotten, and it doesn’t take much to see his fighting spirit, his “Stay Hungry” mantra, in a number of active drivers today.
Tony Kanaan is Jeff Krosnoff. Townsend Bell is Jeff Krosnoff. Alex Lloyd is Jeff Krosnoff. Romain Grosjean is Jeff Krosnoff. Wade Cunningham is Jeff Krosnoff.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, probably more than any other driver over the last decade, is Jeff Krosnoff.
To all those who’ve refused to give and ultimately succeeded after sponsors departed, opportunities ran dry and doors closed, Krosnoff is the gold standard--the extreme example of just how far someone is willing to go to make it.
If your career, no matter what you do for a living, has been anything but linear--had more lefts, rights and start-overs on the way to where you’ve gotten today--the phrase “Stay Hungry” probably means something to you.
As we say farewell to Jeff Krosnoff in the final part of our series, a lot of those who knew him and were influenced by him help to paint a picture of the man and his journey in the sport through a series of remembrances. And, for the first time, his sister Tonya shares some insights as to what made him such an unforgettable person.
Tommy Kendall, Krosnoff's lifelong friend, on his loss and potential: It's ironic that so few people knew who he was here but he made such an impression on the larger motorsports world. Jan Lammers had said he was never more upset or shaken by a racer’s passing. That’s pretty significant for a guy that’s been around for such a long time. And then I remember when he finished second at Le Mans in '94. They led and led and led and led, and then had a gearbox problem and ended up finishing second. I remember in On Track, I think there was a picture on the podium with a circle saying, “Who is this guy?” “Who are these guys?” They were all unknowns at that point, but he was on the rise so quickly after that. I was as big a fan of his… I was kind of in awe of Jeff. And even though my racing career was taking off and I was doing well, I was still kind of in awe of Jeff because of just, he had this confidence… it’s just like… I had no doubt that the guy was going to make it, big time.
Paul Pfanner, founder/owner of RACER Magazine, on his friend’s unyielding drive: I think that the ultimate legacy that Jeff leaves behind, he didn't set his sights low, he actually still wanted to be a Formula One driver when he was sitting in that Indy car and he was very proud to be in Indy car, but everything he did was going to turn whatever happened into getting into that Formula One car. Even with such an amazing opportunity presented to him in Indy car, he was still looking ahead to the next challenge, a bigger challenge of making it to Formula One. That was Jeff…Stay Hungry.
Mike Hull, Chip Ganassi Racing General Manager, on why he wanted to hire Krosnoff to drive for the team in 1996: You know, the thing was, it had nothing to do with nationality–all of us have a soft spot in our hearts for the drivers in the United States–I just thought he was a talented guy, period. To me, I got to know him so that made a difference for me. But at the same time, in my position you have to maintain some amount of distance between that and what goes on in the cockpit. You can become attached but you have to be careful what the attachment–how the attachment affects the judgments that you make. That's pretty important in this position. It’s maybe not a surprise that when I go to Toronto now, I think about Jeff Krosnoff when I get there.
Cal Wells, Jeff's Indy car co-owner, on what he left behind: It's a shame Jeff was never able to experience all the real specialness of what he helped to create for us and for Toyota, it but he just did a great job and he was a fierce competitor.
Dan Layton, Honda PR guru and longtime open-wheel man, on witnessing Jeff drive for the first time: I first met Jeff (as well as Parker Johnstone and several other West Coast Atlantic racers) in 1987, at the Formula Atlantic East-West "Shootout" at Memphis Motorsports Park. At the time, I was working as a race weekend mechanic for Stuart Moore Racing in the eastern series, plus covering the series for On Track and other magazines, and also trying to race my own car when/where I could afford to do so. I knew the Memphis track well, and thought I was pretty quick around the place. Then I watched Jeff, closely, and knew the time had come to quit BS'ing myself. I was witnessing true commitment, at a level I did not possess or know how to attain.
Krosnoff, driving an already two-year old Ralt RT-4 (for a less-than-well-funded team) against the incoming Swift DB-4 tide, was relentless. Every corner, every lap, EVERY g**damn second he was behind the wheel, he got the maximum out of his car. In contemporary terms, I'd call it an "Alonso" performance.
The Ralt was no match for the Swift, which was in every way a superior design. But to Jeff it didn't matter that the DB-4s were quicker, or that the bigger teams in the paddock could keep fresh tires, brakes and clutch discs (standing starts, remember?) on their cars while Krosnoff's team needed to do well just to pay its tire bill. Jeff was able to mix it up with the Swift guys, the only Ralt driver able to do so that weekend. He led his heat race, finishing second, and was third in the final, behind only the Swifts of R.K. Smith and Jimmy Vasser (hmm, whatever happened to him?) and ahead of at least three more Swifts and, of course, all the Ralts in a big, talented 48-car field.
But Jeff's intensity behind the wheel was matched by his friendliness outside of the cockpit. We quickly established a rapport, hung out a lot that weekend--and together survived a LEGENDARY post-race banquet/celebration that to this day is one of the best parties I can only partly remember. We became friends that weekend, and maintained that friendship for the rest of his life. And I am far from the only one with a similar tale.
Tommy Kendall on how Jeff's on-track determination was matched, albeit humorously at times, in his private life: The story of when he met his, when he met Tracy...she was a hostess at one of the restaurants and they went in there and saw her and he just kept going back and could never work up the nerve to ask her out. And then he finally asked her out and he was so nervous, I think he ran into the front of it and asked her out and stumbled out of the place and tripped. He was not too cool. He was just a normal dude but fun and goofy.
Tonya Krosnoff on Jeff's aspirational ways that dated back to childhood: He just had that dream. He has a little sticker on his bathroom window still that he put on there, “Formula One”. So every day that he would be getting ready or something he would see that. And that was his goal.
Former CART PR director Adam Saal on a revealing encounter with Krosnoff: The best memory I have of Jeff was at the [1996] U.S. 500. That was a surreal enough experience due to the political climate of the day; but to make matters worse, it was absolutely freezing. And we even had snow flurries. So we were not even running because of freezing temperatures and snow flurries. And I was standing in the back of one of the CART tech trailers and looking out at the paddock and who do I see bouncing down through the paddock, wearing a big parka coat, but, in his typical demeanor, happily moving along, real quick, smiling, looking like the happy guy he was? Jeff Krosnoff. And he's making a beeline right for the tech truck. Most of the other guys there would've come up and been like: “What the hell's going on? Are we going to pull the plug on this? I just want to go back to my hotel. Come on, this is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be here anyway…” I was kind of expecting that. And instead the man walks in, he’s like “Hey, what’s going on?” All smiles and he goes, “You got any stickers?” I didn’t know what to say… “Got any stickers? I want some stickers for my niece. I like to give them to her. I put them on her forehead. We just have fun.”
And we went through the sticker bin and I gave him a couple of every single sticker we had. “Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.” All smiles, walks away, walks back out into the cold and snow. And as I see him walking away, I see him shuffling through the stack of stickers that he already got to bring back to his family. And that's when I knew we had a special guy. I mean, it was just incredible. And, again, to this day, that was the one and only time in my over 20 year career, that a driver of any caliber, at any level, from go-karts on up to factory drivers or whatever category, has ever come up to me and said, “Hey, can I have some stickers for my niece?” In the middle of a race weekend. Thinking of his family instead of himself. It's just how he was. He loved life. He loved the experience of doing what he was doing. And we all should, if we’re all fortunate enough to make it in this business. But for him, it was front and center all the time and that's something you don't see every day in any walk of life. That was definitely my clearest memory of him.
Tommy Kendall on Jeff's influence: He affected everyone he met. And I heard that a lot, everyone saying, after the accident they said, “I just met him that weekend and he was just full of life, really just full of life.” Loved people. He was just in his element when he finally came back to his home and had a top line ride, it all kind of paid off for him. That first season, the early Toyota days were pretty grim but there was the team to team rivalry, they were always trying to be the best Toyota.
Bryan Herta, former Indy car driver and current IndyCar Series team owner, on Jeff's unexpectedly brief time in CART: You can certainly see the different power and handling people are dealing with out there, and you could see he was hustling it the entire time he was out there. At the time, you don't think that he's just going to have a handful of races to be judged by after all these years, you think that he's working with a new team, a good team, but one that was still developing, and a new engine that needs developing, and when it's all done, then he'll be able to reap the benefits of that work they all put in. You just didn't really dwell on what he had right then because you expected a lot more to be right around the corner for him to show what he could really do. Unfortunately, that never happened for him.
Max Papis on his first race as Jeff's replacement at Arciero-Wells: I remember showing up at Mid-Ohio and meeting a lot of people that…they say Jeff touched everybody in that team. And I felt that when I arrived there they never made me feel for a second that I was in an awkward position. I talked to them in the beginning explaining, I remember having a meeting when I was on the track with all the team, explaining the situation and they were all very much saying, 'We understand the situation and we appreciate your honesty.' We spoke about how everything went about and why I was there. Because I felt very uncomfortable in the beginning, to tell you the truth. I'm a very sensitive person. I saw what happened and I just wanted to really make sure that the people knew that this was… if it had not been me, it would have been someone else, but they choose me even I think because they saw that there was a certain connection, I think, with Jeff as well. I clicked immediately with the guys because I wasn't afraid of talking about who Jeff was and asking them how he was, what he did; just reminding them about the good things of how special he was to them. Because in one way, I always felt – and that's what I told them all the time – that every single success, every single thing we did was a continuation of him. His motto, “Stay Hungry” was the motto I always keep in my mind.
Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine, Krosnoff's friend from their time racing together in Japan, on Jeff's loss and legacy: It's incredible. You know, the things he's missed. I don't think there was a doubt at all. It was just pure, bad luck. Just the wrong place at the wrong time. And Jeff never gave up. He would always, it wouldn’t matter if he was last, he’d be pushing to be last but one. Same as Roland Ratzenberger [who died, along with Ayrton Senna, at the Imola F1 weekend in 1994]. Ratz was another one of our gang – he got into Formula One and no sooner did he get in then he was dead. It was good in a way, I kind of felt I was one of the guys left carrying the flag for the Japanese boys.
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