Derek Daly

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Irish driving legend, Derek Daly is the epitome of the complete champion. From the victory circle to the announcer’s desk, Hall of Fame Race Car Driver and Network Television Color Analyst Daly has spent nearly three decades as the face of the motorsport world. He counts Sylvester Stallone, David Letterman, and Jay Leno among his friends.

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, to a middle-class working family, Derek Daly’s career path was set at the age of twelve when he attended his first auto race. From that moment, his commitment to the dream of being a professional driver was unshakeable. On the way to his dream, he worked as a laborer in the iron ore mines of Australia and, while traveling the race tracks of England, even took up residence in a school bus.

Derek’s professional racing career spanned 17 years, and his experiences are breathtaking. Derek Daly’s story is one that precious few have lived to tell. In 1984, Derek suffered one of the hardest crash impacts a driver had ever survived when he hit the wall at Michigan International Speedway at 212 MPH. After 14 surgeries and three years in therapy, he returned to full-time racing. He competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring – one of the premier motorsport endurance races in the US – and won the race two years in a row.

His early dreams became reality when he won Irish, British, and European championship events. In 1978, he competed in the Formula One World Championship, and two years later, Derek was ranked 10th in the world. In 1983, he made his first of six starts in the Indianapolis 500.

In 1985, Derek Daly started a 10-year association with ESPN as a motorsport color analyst. He became the face of motorsports, seen on NBC, CBS, Fox, and Speed Channel. USA Today highlighted Derek as “the best new face on sports television,” and IndyCar Racing magazine voted him “the most popular motor sports television announcer.”

Moet & Chandon Champagne awarded Derek the Joules Goux Award for his outstanding contributions to motorsports television. He was later nominated by ESPN for an Ace Award, and Derek received the 2000 Hall of Fame Award from “Motor Sport Ireland” for his leadership of Irish motor sport. In 2010, he was inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame.

Derek Daly wrote the book on how to become a ‘Complete Champion.’ Race To Win: How to Become a Complete Champion was heralded a “future classic” by the Irish Times. Friend, former race competitor, and international auto racing superstar Mario Andretti contributed the foreword: “Derek’s book teaches lessons it took guys like me years to learn. Quite honestly, I believe the advice in this book resonates far beyond the racing industry.” His second book, A Champions Path: Be Extraordinary, was published in 2017.

Derek’s gift of communication has made him one of America’s most sought-after motivational speakers. His “Be Extraordinary Model” and “Speed of Business Principles” have influenced Fortune 500 companies and the US Government.

Derek and his three sons reside outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Derek became an American Citizen on September 28, 1993.

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