John Della Pena dies at 68

We are saddened to learn John Della Penna has passed away. The Argentinian owner and engineer fielded cars in INDYCAR and CART from 1996-2000.

He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/1gWIAgPfdk

— NTT IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) September 24, 2019

AutoRacing1.com began covering CART in 2000, John's last year fielding IndyCars in the series. He was one of the nicest team owners we ever met and he truly loved the sport.

After the lack of money prevented him from continuing, we remember talking to him for several years about his desire to return. He always made it a point to show up at Laguna Seca to meet up with his friends and see if there was a way to put his team back together.

Jason Bright wrote an article on AR1.com back in 2000 after he tested an IndyCar for Della Pena Motorsports in preparation for running at Surfers Paradise. He talks about John.

Financially he was one of the little guys of the sport, but when it came to integrity, he was a giant.

He will be missed.