Carl Haas, who partnered with actor Paul Newman to back auto racing icon Mario Andretti, has died in his suburban Chicago home, his automotive business announced Thursday. He was 86. Haas drivers won 16 championships and 140 races in a multitude or series world-wide, achieving his greatest success in IndyCars, where his racers won 107 races and eight season crowns.
"The word 'legend' is often over-used in a racing context but undoubtedly it is justified in the case of Carl Haas," said McLaren Formula One chairman Ron Dennis. "I salute him and his legacy." As a Can-Am series car owner in the 1970s, Haas backed such drivers as Jackie Stewart, David Hobbs and Jacky Ickx. Haas owned a Formula One team in 1985 and 1986, Australian driver Alan Jones placing fourth at Italy in its final season for its best race showing, and a US stock car team for eight seasons.
In 1983, he formed an IndyCar team with Newman, who played an IndyCar driver in the 1969 film "Winning" and developed a life-long love of the sport, taking a pole in his last pro race in 2007 before his death in 2008 at age 83. "RIP Carl Haas. My 12 seasons w/you were victorious, intense, fun. All of it. Now Newman/Haas back together in heaven," Andretti tweeted. Andretti drove a Newman-Haas Lola to the 1984 season crown and won 18 races over 12 years with the team.
Andretti's son Michael drove for Newman-Haas from 1989-2000 and won the 1991 season crown. Carl was an icon both to our sport and the automotive industry," Michael Andretti said. "Paul and Carl built what was undoubtedly one of the greatest teams in history. I am truly honoured to have been a part of the legacy they built."