DF
The basics
Quick facts
Intro
Australian racing driver
Gender:
Male
Is:
Work field:
Birth:
22 July 1944(Townsville, Australia)
Star sign:
The details
Biography
Introduction
Dennis Firestone (born 22 July 1944 in Townsville, Australia) is a former CART driver from 1979 to 1987. He was the Rookie of the year in CART 1980 season finishing in 12th in season points, his best season. His best finish in a CART race was a pair of 5th places that year. He made 5 starts in the Indianapolis 500 with a best finish of 10th in 1981, his next best finish being a 12th in 1984. An accident at Indianapolis in 1987 resulted in a broken neck and ended his racing career. Since his driving days, he has run a California trucking company.
American Open Wheel racing results
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
| Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Road Atlanta | Titan | Ford | Formula Ford | 24 | 9 | Retired |
| 1974 | Road Atlanta | ADF Mk. 2 | Ford | Formula Ford | 4 | 5 | Running |
| 1976 | Road Atlanta | Crosslé 30F | Ford | Formula Ford | 1 | 3 | Running |
| March | Cosworth | Formula B | 8 | 9 | Running | ||
| 1977 | Road Atlanta | Crosslé 32F | Ford | Formula Ford | 3 | 17 | Running |
| 1979 | Road Atlanta | Crosslé | Ford | Formula Ford | 21 | 12 | Retired |
| 1981 | Road Atlanta | Crosslé 50F | Ford | Formula Ford | 2 | Running | |
| 1982 | Road Atlanta | Crosslé 50F | Ford | Formula Ford | 6 | Running |
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Crosslé Cars Pacific | PIR1 |
TRE1 |
MOS |
MIL1 |
TEX |
MIL2 |
OMS1 |
OMS2 |
TRE2 |
PIR2 |
2nd | 894 |
| 1979 | TEX1 |
IRP |
MIL1 |
POC |
TEX2 |
MIL2 |
MIN1 |
MIN2 |
1st | 1480 |
American Super Vee Championship
- 1978 – 17th
- 1979 – 9th
- 1980 – 16th
USAC Gold Crown Championship
- 1981–82 – 24th
- 1983–84 – 15th
PPG Indycar Series
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | AMS Oil | PHX |
ATL |
ATL |
INDY |
TRE |
TRE |
MCH |
MCH |
WGL |
TRE |
ONT |
MCH |
ATL |
PHX |
NC | 0 | |||
| 1980 | Scientific Drilling | ONT |
INDY |
MIL |
POC |
MDO |
MCH |
WGL |
MIL |
ONT |
MCH |
MEX |
PHX |
12th | 743 | |||||
| 1981 | Rhoades Racing | PHX |
MIL |
ATL |
ATL |
MCH |
RIV |
MIL |
MCH |
WGL |
MEX |
PHX |
44th | 1 | ||||||
| 1982 | BVC Racing | PHX |
ATL |
MIL |
CLE |
MCH |
MIL |
POC |
RIV |
ROA |
MCH |
PHX |
44th | 1 | ||||||
| 1983 | Simpson Sports | ATL |
INDY |
MIL |
CLE |
MCH |
ROA |
POC |
RIV |
MDO |
MCH |
CPL |
LAG |
PHX |
NC | 0 | ||||
| 1984 | Hoosier Transportation | LBH |
PHX |
INDY |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
39th | 1 | ||||||||||
| Pace Electronics | MCH |
ROA |
POC |
MDO |
SAN |
MCH |
PHX |
LAG |
CPL |
|||||||||||
| 1985 | Pace Racing | LBH |
INDY |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
MCH |
ROA |
POC |
MDO |
SAN |
MCH |
LAG |
PHX |
MIA |
33rd | 6 | ||
| 1986 | Pace Racing | PHX |
LBH |
INDY |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
TOR |
MCH |
POC |
MDO |
SAN |
MCH |
ROA |
LAG |
PHX |
MIA |
40th | 0 |
| 1987 | Raynor Garage Door | LBH |
PHX |
INDY |
MIL |
POR |
MEA |
CLE |
TOR |
MCH |
POC |
ROA |
MDO |
NAZ |
LAG |
MIA |
31st | 6 |
- Wrecked after qualifying
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Penske | Cosworth | 24th | 16th |
| 1981 | Wildcat | Cosworth | 28th | 10th |
| 1982 | Eagle | Milodon | 21st | 27th |
| 1983 | March | Cosworth | 33rd | 24th |
| 1984 | March | Cosworth | 32nd | 12th |
| 1985 | March | Cosworth | Failed to Qualify | DNQ |
| 1986 | March | Cosworth | Withdrew* | N/A |
| 1987 | Lola | Cosworth | Practice Crash | DNQ |
- Firestone qualified for the 1986 race, but was forced to withdraw from the field after a serious crash totalled the car during the final Carburetion Day practice.