Newman a lot of things, but for many years, racing came first
In recent years, Newman's relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was antagonistic; when the Speedway changed its catering rules in 1995 to allow only IMS-approved suppliers, Newman flaunted authority (and was later fined) by having his team chefs prepare food for the Newman/Haas crew, which he personally carted into the garage area.
(John Oreovicz -espn.com)
Love for winning fueled Newman's passion on the racetrack
Two-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said Newman even drove a Hendrick Motorsports car."We had a deal when Rick [Hendrick] would put a restrictor-plate on a car and let a few people drive it with half horsepower," Johnson said. "Paul was amazing. He would get out there on stickier tires and run really quick laps."
(Terry Blount-espn.com)
Paul Newman, Racer, Remembered
During the 1970s Newman earned four SCCA national titles. In 1976 he took the D-Production class championship in a Triumph TR-6 once owned by racer Bob Tullius. In 1979 he took the C-Production class in a Bob Sharp Datsun 280ZX, and in 1985 and 1986 he won the GT-1 in a Sharp Nissan 300ZX. In 1979 Newman co-drove a Porsche 935 with team owner Dick Barbour and Rolf Stommelen to second place in the 24 Hours of LeMans. Most recently he was the co-owner of IndyCar team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR). Drivers for NHLR have included Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Cristiano da Matta, and Sébastien Bourdais
(Mike Spinelli-jalopnik.com)
Racing Enthusiast, Actor, Badass, Paul Newman Dies at 83
Unlike many of the coddled stars in Hollywood today, Paul Newman was a badass long before making it big on the silver screen. He was a regular old military guy who joined the Navy and served in WWII after getting kicked out of Ohio University for "unruly behavior."
(Enrico Campitelli Jr.-deadspin.com)
LEARY: Somebody Up There Likes Him
I had the privilege of photographing him many times over the last three decades and had the honor of presenting him with portfolios of my images and a copy of a Super 8 movie I took of him at Nelson Ledges in 1976, racing his Datsun 510 and Triumph TR6. I kidded him that it was the cheapest movie he ever made…less than twenty bucks including processing…but he made me feel like I had given him a gift of pure gold and wrote me a nice thank you letter.
(Greg Leary-speedtv.com)
Fox Sports has a PLN racing photo gallery up. Here's a sample:
Our favorite PLN memory comes from the SCCA Runoffs. The exact year escapes us, maybe 1999 or 2000, but PLN was there with his ex-Trans Am GT1 mount. He was just a regular racer, doing his thing that week. His thing just happened to be a lot faster than that of most people. RIP.
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