Paul Newman

The world lost one of its greatest individuals today. The death of Paul Newman was inevitable due to an extended bout with cancer, but still very hard to accept.

Newman was one of the rare humans who used their celebrity not to their advantage, but almost hid from it. Instead, he served as a down-to-earth person who used their celebrity to charitable efforts.

His work as a philanthropist is immense and unmatched. The Newman's Own line of products by themselves have netted over $200 million in donations.

On top of that, Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps have served as a home for sick, injured and otherwise ailed children.

I only knew Newman the racer, not as the actor who lit up movie screens many years before my time. It was in 1996 that I first got into the sport, and the same year Newman's driver, Michael Andretti, led the CART series in victories with five. He only just came up shy of a title.

But the Newman/Haas Racing partnership succeeded in a way few formal rivals ever have - over 100 wins, 8 championships, and a staff of crewmembers that stayed largely intact through this year.

They have served as a pipeline for America's best who moved to F1, but also snatched the defending World Champion from the F1 ranks in 1993. Nigel Mansell's championship season in his rookie year was more-or-less the high point for CART.

But this is not a political issue. Newman the individual preferred his racing as much if not more so than his acting, and his time at the track was refuge from the bright lights of Hollywood. Once you catch the racing bug, it's an addiction you carry for the rest of your life.

I can only wish now I had taken the opportunity to introduce myself to Mr. Newman when I saw him in the pits on several occasions this year.

In 2008 the world has lost Tim Russert, George Carlin and now Paul Newman.

Both the entertainment and racing arenas have lost one of their alltime greats. Rest in peace, PLN.