Carl Haas
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Carl A. Haas (born February 26, 1930) is an American auto racing impresario. He co-owns the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team in the IndyCar Series with film actor Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan. Carl Haas also owns Carl A. Haas Motorsports, which competes in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Born in Chicago, Haas began racing sports cars in 1952 and won numerous races driving Ferraris, Porsches, MGs, and Jaguars. He retired from driving in the early 1960s in order to focus more on team ownership and other racing-related businesses. In 1967, he became the exclusive U.S. importer for Lola cars and helped the company attain national prominence in the racing world. His own company, Carl A. Haas Auto Imports, is involved in racing distribution deals, notably for Hewland gearboxes.
During the 1970s, Haas entered race teams in various series, including Formula 5000, the Can-Am Series and the Super Vee series. His Can-Am drivers included Peter Revson, Jackie Stewart, and David Hobbs. His Super Vee driver, Eddie Miller, won the series title. In 1985, he ran the Beatrice Formula One team, using Lola designed chassis built by FORCE. He also co-owned a NASCAR Winston Cup Series team for eight seasons.
In 1983, Haas joined hands with actor Paul Newman to form Newman/Haas Racing, a team in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Series. The team won its first CART title with motorsports legend Mario Andretti the next year, and went on to win three more series championships with Mario's son Michael Andretti in 1991, former Formula 1 World champion Nigel Mansell in 1993, and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta in 2002. Following the bankruptcy of CART, Newman/Haas has won in the successor series to CART, the Champ Car World Series, with Sébastien Bourdais in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Haas' experience wasn't just limited to open-wheel racing. He was also involved in NASCAR, first serving as a co-owner of Michael Kranefuss' #37 entry in the mid-90's, then coming on board to Travis Carter Motorsports as a part-owner of Darrell Waltrip's team.
Haas is also active in the functioning of various auto racing governing bodies and in race promotion. He served on CART's Board of Governors until the body folded in 2003, and retired as chairman of the SCCA Pro Racing Division in 2001. He also chaired the Board of the SCCA for a record four terms until his retirement in 1996. Haas is also a member of the Board of Directors at Road America.
Overall, Haas' teams have won 11 championships in three decades. USA Today called him one of the "most powerful men in the history of auto racing."
Haas lives in Lake Forest, Illinois with his wife, Bernadette.
