This week has been kind of a downer already, what with Phil Hill's passing - but this news (which is, admittedly, a few days old) is both kinda sad, and incredibly kickass.
Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Paul "Nobody's Fool" Newman closed down Lime Rock Park for 90 minutes to drive his Corvette GT1 race car on the storied circuit for the last time. Paul Newman set the standard for gentleman drivers, helping to establish Nissan in North American sportscar racing, and winning the demanding Daytona 24 Hour race ... when he was 74.
In addition to being the type of driver they make movies about, Newman set up several charities, giving over 200 million dollars to causes he believed in while making the very best cookies money can buy (Newman-O's, in case you're thin and clueless).
That number looks like this: $200,000,000.00
Think about THAT the next time you start to feel good about yourself. Then realize that, at 40, most men start to think about retirment ... and at 74, most men are dead. In his 80's, dying of cancer, Paul Newman hammered a thundering, tire-shredding GT1 Corvette across Lime Rock Park.
Simply put: at any age, most men will never measure up to Paul Newman.
Godspeed, Paul. We never met, and I'll always regret that.
I hear the guy could act, too. Community theater or something.
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