REUNION: A Conversation With Dan

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REUNION: A Conversation With Dan

Marshall Pruett sits down with American racing legend Dan Gurney on the eve of his celebration at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Marshall Pruett | Posted August 13, 2010 Monterey, CA

Dan Gurney stands proudly as the winner of the 1964 French Grand Prix. From his amazing driving record to his role as one of the sport's great innovators, Gurney has few peers in the pantheon of auto racing pioneers. (LAT)

Victory laps, as Dan Gurney tells it, are best kept to the race track.

The American motor racing legend – the feature subject of this weekend’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion -- has received plenty of honors and accolades throughout his career as a driver, engineer, designer and team owner. But for a man who’s never cared for the spotlight, he says all of the attention at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca makes him a tad bit uncomfortable.

These days, give Gurney a motorcycle to tinker with or a Midget engine to modify, and he is in his element. According to the 79-year-old, having North America’s largest vintage racing event dedicated to “The Cars He Built, the Cars He Drove”, just as the fine folks behind the event-formerly-known-as-the Monterey-Historics have done, and having his sporting life put on display for the world to see, is a bit surreal.

“It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I have purposely sort of tried not to think about it because it's… well, it’s very, very special. I don't know what it's going to be like when it gets into full swing this weekend, but I've seen some of the lists of cars that they expect to have here, the people…it’s a lot to take in, honestly. A lot to absorb. I can tell you much better next week after I manage to get through it!”

Of Gurney’s many endearing qualities, humility and pride live just below the surface, even though they would appear to be two entirely conflicting personality traits. Ask about his driving career, and he shares facts and anecdotes with a warm compliment of humor and self deprecation. Inquire about the numerous accomplishments of his team, All American Racers, and Gurney’s voice gets lower and gains a little bit of bass.

As an individual, Gurney knows he’s led an amazing life – one filled with blessings that few men have experienced – but unlike a number of other world famous drivers, he’s never seen himself as the star in his life’s movie.

The script changes slightly when it comes to the life and times of AAR, where Gurney’s merry band of craftsmen often took on the best world had to offer and usually sent them back to the drawing board. Even today, more than a decade after the last Eagle racing car was produced by AAR, Gurney’s intense fighting spirit comes through at the slightest mention of the open-wheelers and sportscars that bore his name.

When it comes to “The Cars He Drove” portion of the Reunion event, Gurney admits he’d rather have those in attendance this weekend honor “The Cars He Built” that he and his team produced over the years from their shop in Santa Ana, California.

“It's interesting, since I've never really reached for that popularity side of things; in many ways the people that I grew up admiring in the sport all seemed to be more humble, rather than looking to make a big splash. It's something that you feel in your inner self that you sure don't want to take credit for doing things that took so many people to make happen, because everything in this sport is a team effort.”

(View the 65-photo Dan Gurney Career Retrospective by clicking the image below:)