Paul Newman Passes Away At The Age Of 83

Some sad news to pass along, according to cnn, Paul Newman has passed away at his home in Connecticut on Friday.  The 83 year old Actor & Director has won 2 Golden globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Emmy, an Academy Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award.  Newman also founded “Newman’s Own”, a food company that donates all profits to charity and as of May 07′, the donations have exceeded 220 million dollars.  With most of his major films (Exodus, The Hustler, Hud, Harper, and Slap Shot) taking place well before my time, I best know him as a “Indy style” team owner.  Since the start of his race team in 1983 many talented drivers have driven for him including: Justin Wilson, Graham Rahal, Sebastien Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira, Oriol Servia, Christiano da Matta, Christian Fittipaldi, Michael Andretti, Mario Andretti, Roberto Moreno, Paul Tracy, Nigel Mansell, Teo Fabi and Alan Jones, combining for 8 Championships.  Paul found his love of racing while training for the film Winning, saying “the first thing that I ever found I had any grace in.”  As a driver, Paul ran in the 79′ 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 2nd.  At the age of 70 in 1995, he became the oldest driver to win a major sanctioned race, being the 24 Hours of Daytona.  RIP Paul

Paul Newman and Graham Rahal on Pole day of the 08′ Indy 500

The Fallowing Statements are off the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Website.  There is also a collage of photos up on the site that are a must see.

“On behalf of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, my wife Bernadette and myself, I want to express our most sincere condolences to Joanne and the entire Newman family on the loss of a great human being. Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and above all, his generosity. Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team’s drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him. We will truly miss him.”

– Carl A. Haas, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

“We truly lost a great man.  Most of us knew him as Butch or Fast Eddie from the theater or from our living rooms at home.  He was much more than a great actor.  His legacy will be his five children, his wife, Joanne and all the sick children around the world who desperately needed his help.  Paul was a man of character who cared about the world and the people who lived in it.  Putting a smile on a young person’s face and helping people in need was a virtue he excelled at.  Little did anyone realize a child born of such humble beginnings could affect our lives in so many positive ways.  We should all learn to live by his example.  We will miss him dearly but will never forget him.”

– Michael Lanigan, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

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