Carl A. Haas (February 26, 1929 – June 29, 2016) was an American

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

impresario. He co-owned the

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Newman/Haas Racing was an auto racing team that competed in the CART and the IndyCar Series from 1983 to 2011. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed as a partnership between actor, automotive ent ...

team in the

Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...

and IndyCar Series with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and

Mike Lanigan Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

. He also owned Carl A. Haas Motorsports, which competed in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Nationwide Series, as well as the

Haas Lola Team Haas (USA) Ltd., sometimes called Beatrice Haas after its major sponsor, was an American Formula One team founded by Carl Haas in 1984 after an agreement with Beatrice Foods, a US consumer products conglomerate, which competed in the World ...

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

team.

Early life

Haas was born in

Ludwigshafen am Rhein Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He emigrated to the US in March 1938. He was of Dutch Jews descent. His father fled

in the 1930s.

Career

Haas grew up in Chicago and sold gearbox parts from his parents' home. He used the proceeds to begin racing sports cars in 1952 and won numerous races driving

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

s, MGs, and

Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

. 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 American importer for Lola Cars and helped the company attain national prominence in the racing world. His own company, Carl A. Haas Auto Imports, was founded in Lincolnshire, Illinois in 1960, and 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 Masten Gregory, Peter Revson, Jackie Stewart, Brian Redman, Alan Jones,

Patrick Tambay Patrick Daniel Tambay (25 June 1949 – 4 December 2022) was a French racing driver, commentator, and politician, who competed in 123 Formula One races between 1977 and 1986, securing five pole positions and winning twice. Between 1977 and 198 ...

Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times (second-highest of all time) and achieved eight wins and 25 podium finishes in Formula One. He greatly contributed ...

, and David Hobbs. His Super Vee driver, Eddie Miller, won the series title. In 1985, he ran the

team, using a chassis built by FORCE. He also co-owned a

Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

Series team with

Travis Carter Travis Carter (born November 21, 1949) is a former car owner and crew chief in the NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known fo ...

for eight seasons. In 1983, Haas joined with actor

to form Newman/Haas Racing, a team in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Series. The team won its first CART title with Mario Andretti the next year, and the team went on to win three more series championships: Michael Andretti won in 1991, former Formula 1 World champion

Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell, (; born 8 August 1953) is a British retired racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series ( 1993). Mansell was the reigning F1 champion when he moved over ...

in 1993, and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta in 2002. Following the CART–IndyCar split and the subsequent 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. During his years in CART, Haas became known for his fondness for cigars. Prohibited from smoking in the pitlane, he would chew an unlit cigar during the race, often at both ends. When Michael Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya collided during a practice session for the 1999 race at Twin Ring Motegi,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Haas infamously threw his cigar at Montoya's car owner Chip Ganassi during a confrontation in the garage area. One of the few car owners ever to record victories in F5000, CART, Champcar and IRL, Haas also participated in race promotion. He served on CART's Board of Governors until it folded in 2003, and retired as chairman of the

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

Pro Racing Division in 2001. He also chaired the Board of the SCCA for a record four terms until his retirement in 1996. Haas was also a member of the Board of Directors at

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...

. Haas also promoted races at the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectator ...

, inducing CART races and NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and American Speed Association races. He also promoted the Grand Prix of Houston. Overall, Haas's teams have won 11 championships in three decades. ''IMS'' called him one of the "most powerful men in the history of auto racing." He was inducted into the

SCCA Hall of Fame The SCCA Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) auto racing. The Hall of Fame was announced in 2004, and the first 10 people were inducted in 2005. List ...

in 2007.

Personal life

Haas lived in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

with his wife, Bernadette. It was announced on July 7, 2016, that he had died on June 29, 2016, at his home.

References

Carl Haas Bio @ GP Encyclopedia

External links

* . Retrieved 2013-05-29.
Newman/Haas Racing Profile @ Fittipaldionline.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Carl 1930 births 2016 deaths American motorsport people Can-Am entrants Formula One team owners IndyCar Series team owners NASCAR team owners Racing drivers from Chicago Sportspeople from Chicago Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States