More than a great actor

Paul Newman stands next to the Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935 in Hawaiian Tropic colors, which he will share with Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour during the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans (photo above).

The actor, who was a very good racing driver, with the help of his teammates, achieved the feat of finishing second overall in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans at the age of 54, and winning the IMSA GTX category. He declared that “this was the proudest moment of his racing career.”

Paul Newman did indeed win the contested SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) championship four times and even won his class at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona at the age of 70, driving a Ford Mustang for Roush Racing. 

A great motor racing enthusiast, he co-founded Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 with Carl Haas (photo below), and this team won eight drivers’ titles and 107 races in the CART/IndyCar championship. More than a great actor, indeed.