Nissan Racer Paul Newman, 83
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:43 am
I met Paul Newman once at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. He was in his 60s and cranking away in a Z-Car. What struck me was how NORMAL he seemed, not the bigtime actor, but just a guy in the pit who enjoys cars. Sorry to hear of his passing.
Excerpted source Yahoo News:
Excerpted source Yahoo News:
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Newman later became a car owner and formed a partnership with Carl Haas, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. Hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver, the team was an instant success, and throughout the last 26 years, the team  now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series  has won 107 races and eight series championships.
Cool Hand Luke is one of my favorites by Newman along with the Hustler and The Color of Money. I too was sad to hear of his passing. I believe Adam Carolla owns that race car now, he's talked about it on his radio show before.