Newman/Haas Racing

Lore & Background

During the 1980s and for the better part of the 1990s, the team was closely aligned with the Andretti family. In 1983, Mario Andretti signed as the primary driver, an arrangement that would carry him through the remainder of his career, until his retirement in 1994. Michael Andretti drove for the team in 1989–1992 and again in 1995–2000. Both Mario and Michael won a CART championship driving for the team. Newman/Haas was also the team for which Nigel Mansell competed in CART, winning the 1993 title. Despite their many years of success in Indy car racing, and their status as an elite team in the sport, the team never achieved a victory of any sort at the Indianapolis 500. Their best finishes were second places by Mario Andretti (1985) and by Michael Andretti in (1991). Mansell managed a third in his rookie year (1993). From 2007 to 2010, Mike Lanigan became a partner in the company and the team became known during that time as Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. After the 2011 season, Carl Haas announced that the team would not run in the IndyCar Series in 2012 due to the economic climate. Lanigan became a part-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The team closed its doors and sold off its equipment. Both of the team's original owners have since died; Newman in 2008 and Haas in 2016.

In Their Own Story

The garage smelled of brake fluid and old coffee. Mario leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the crew swap the front wing endplate. He didn't need to tell them to hurry. He never did. Al Haas walked in with a thermos, set it on the toolbox, and said nothing for a long moment. Then: "You good, Mario?" Mario nodded. "Good. Then we go get it." The red-and-white car slid out of the bay into the Long Beach afternoon light, and somewhere in the stands, a kid in a Newman cap looked up and knew, without being told, that this team was different. It always was.

Reader's Guide

Newman/Haas was one of the most successful teams in the history of CART, its drivers winning eight championships and over 100 individual races. The team's drivers over the years included Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Cristiano da Matta, Sébastien Bourdais, Justin Wilson, and Graham Rahal. The team expanded to a two-car team starting in 1989, adding Michael Andretti. In 1993, Michael Andretti left to drive for McLaren in Formula One and was replaced by Nigel Mansell, who won the 1993 CART title. Michael Andretti returned to the team in 1995. From 1996 to 2000, Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi represented the team together. In 2001, Cristiano da Matta was brought over from PPI Motorsports. The team switched engine suppliers from Ford-Cosworth to Toyota in 2001.

Did You Know?

• The team never achieved a victory of any sort at the Indianapolis 500.
• Nigel Mansell is the only driver in history to hold both the Formula One and Champ Car titles at the same time.
• Mario Andretti won Newman/Haas's first CART season championship in 1984.
• The team closed its doors after the 2011 season due to the economic climate.