INDIANAPOLIS[/B] — Newman-Haas Racing, one of the most successful teams for the better part of the last three decades in U.S. open-wheel racing, is closed.
Carl Haas, who teamed with actor Paul Newman to establish the team in 1983, made the announcement Thursday, asserting the team could not obtain financial support from a sponsor.
"The economic climate no longer enables Newman-Haas Racing to participate in open-wheel racing at this time," he said.
Many in the IndyCar community were surprised by the announcement. Newman-Haas finished fourth with driver Oriol Servia in the 2011 driver standings and teammate James Hinchcliffe won rookie-of-the-year honors.
Haas, a sports car racer in the 1950s, gave up the wheel to focus on his Chicago auto import business. He began fielding racecars as a team owner and did a stint as promoter at The Milwaukee Mile, the historic oval track at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.
Haas was co-owner of the team established by Paul Newman, the accomplished actor who found a passion for racing while filming the 1969 movie Winning, about the Indianapolis 500.
The two men met while competing as team owners in the Can-Am sports-car series.
In the split of U.S. open-wheel racing triggered by formation of the Indy Racing League in 1996, Newman-Haas went with Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and its successor, Champ Car, until Champ Car merged with the IRL in 2008 to form the present IndyCar Series.
The team won 107 races and eight championships, including four in a row with French driver Sebastien Bourdais in the final years of CART/Champ Car before the merger. About the only thing missing from the team resumé was an Indianapolis 500 victory.
Besides Bourdais, Servia and Hinchcliffe, its roster of drivers include American stars Mario and Michael Andretti; British Formula 1 champion Nigel Mansell; Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of the two-F1 champ and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil; and Canadian standout Paul Tracy.
More recently, second-generation star Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, and British driver Justin Wilson scored IndyCar victories for Newman-Haas.
Source: Inside Line
