Johnny O'Connell
Johnny O'Connell (born July 24, 1962) is the most successful GM factory racing driver from the United States. He currently drives for Cadillac in the Pirelli World Challenge, winning the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 GT driver's championship.
| Johnny O'Connell | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 O'Connell at Road America in 2014 | |||||||
| Born | July 24, 1962 Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| 2013 position | 65th | ||||||
| Best finish | 65th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 (Road America) | ||||||
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| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 4 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 9th (1996) | ||||||
| First race | 1996 Indy 200 (Orlando) | ||||||
| Last race | 1996-97 Las Vegas 500K (Las Vegas) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 16, 2013. | |||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 1994, 1998–2010, 2016 | ||||||
| Teams | Clayton Cunningham Racing, Panoz Motorsports, Corvette Racing, Team AAI | ||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1994, 2000) | ||||||
| Class wins | 4 (1994, 2001, 2002, 2009) | ||||||
Career
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, O'Connell started racing in the Formula Atlantic series in 1987, winning the Championship and Rookie of the Year. He also spent 1996 in the Indy Racing League, racing in the Indianapolis 500 and finishing in the top 10 in half of his 4 starts. He has seven class wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, more than any other driver, and an overall title in 1994 when racing for Nissan. Driving for Corvette Racing, he has also won a number of class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. With his teammate Ron Fellows he won the 2003 GTS class driver's championship.
O'Connell was also featured in Chevy's 2007, Super Bowl ad, "Ain't We Got Love" also featuring Mary J. Blige, rapper T.I., Big & Rich, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
In 2013, O'Connell competed in the Johnsonville Sausage 200 at Road America in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro;[1] he finished 12th in the event.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Nationwide Series
| NASCAR Nationwide Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NNSC | Pts | ||||||
| 2013 | JR Motorsports | 5 | Chevy | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | RCH | TAL | DAR | CLT | DOV | IOW | MCH | ROA 12 |
KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 65th | 32 | ||||||
1 Ineligible for series points
24 Hours of Le Mans results
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Indy Racing League results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Cunningham Racing | Lola T941 Reynard 95i2 |
Ford XB V8t | WDW 7 |
PHX 5 |
INDY 29 |
9th | 192 | |||||||
| 1996–97 | Treadway Racing | Reynard 95i | Ford XB V8t | NHA Wth |
40th | 23 | |||||||||
| Reynard 94i | Ford XB V8t | LVS 12 |
WDW | PHX | |||||||||||
| A.J. Foyt Enterprises | G-Force GF01 | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 | INDY DNQ |
TXS | PPIR | CLT | NHA | LVS |
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth | 29th | 29th | Byrd-Cunningham Racing |
Heritage
The O'Connell family, principally of Derrynane, are a Gaelic Irish noble family of County Kerry in Munster. O'Connell comes from the Irish word "O'Conaill," meaning 'strong as a wolf'. Johnny O'Connell is related by blood to the Belanger Family, including Jackson Belanger.
References
- Kallmann, Dave (May 30, 2013). "GM's Johnny O'Connell joins Road America NASCAR field". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johnny O'Connell. |
- Official website
- Johnny O'Connell driver statistics at Racing-Reference
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ted Prappas |
North American Formula Atlantic Pacific Division Champion 1987 |
Succeeded by Dean Hall |