The drivers and fans at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville are in mourning. They lost a legend, a friend and a fan this weekend when Paul Newman, age 83, passed away on September 26. With ten Oscar nominations, countless awards and credits, Newman's film career was well documented for the excellence he created in front of and behind the camera. At Lime Rock Park, Newman was a very competitive racer, winning numerous events throughout the years with his last win being one year ago in the Sports Car Club of America NARRC Championship GT1 Class. Lime Rock Park remembered Newman with a moment of silence between race groups yesterday. Newman became interested in racing in the early 1970's while filming Winning. Newman became an active racer, cultivating a second career that many racers envied. In the same way that Newman astounded the critics with his ability to age with grace and perform with vigor deep into his life, he brought that same incredible performance to the track, even setting a record by becoming the oldest Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner at 70 years old. A philanthropist with a heavy disdain for any sense of entitlement and glory that those in the limelight often crave, Newman considered Lime Rock Park a second home. His unassuming manner meant that Lime Rock Park guests never knew if they might bump into him at the track, getting ready to strap into his GT-1 Corvette and taking the checkered flag on an SCCA race weekend or maybe just rumbling through the paddock in a deceptively fast Volvo station wagon. “Everyone treated him as a fellow competitor, not as a celebrity,” said Skip Barber, President of Lime Rock Park. “He came here as a racer, was serious about his racing and…he was good. It was amazing that he was as good as he was at his age. And, he liked going fast. Back in the day when Bob Sharp was building the incredibly fast Nissans/Datsons, Newman was racing at Long Beach with Sharp along with the Indy Cars. Newman was the fastest guy down the straight – faster then the Indy Cars. And when I say fast, I don’t mean lap time…I mean speed. He always enjoyed having a car with a big motor. He was a huge supporter of the track. Everyone—the staff, friends and myself—at Lime Rock Park will miss him.”
