Paul Newman the racer always inspired me. At Laguna Seca we watched him race an IMSA 280Z and then later he walked by us up the hill to the corkscrew and my girlfriend gasped and asked for his autograph. He said "Sorry love, I don't give autographs." Her claws clenched into my arm and she exclaimed "He called me love!" Good grief. I was impressed by Newman's driving but also that he later walked the track amongst the crowd watching the prototypes race.
I love Jay, I've been binge watching his car show on RU-vid. He seems like such a good dude. I used to watch the tonight show all the time and he seems much happier doing Jay Lenos garage
I met Paul Newman at Lime Rock, he was alone standing on the little hill that overlooks the paddock. I walked up and said, “ I read your team is working on getting higher tops speeds but are having fuel delivery problems.” And off we went, talking engineering and cars for about thirty minutes, no names just cars until finally he said, “I’m in the next group it’s been great talking to you.” “You too” and we parted.
Anybody who is a Paul Newman fan should go watch HARRY AND SON. It wasn't his greatest movie but it was definitely his most autobiographical. He co-wrote the screenplay & directed it. It's a movie about fathers & sons. And Paul had a lot of sadness on that subject. As Jay said, Paul's dad died before he became successful. And he also lost his only son to a drug overdose. HARRY AND SON is full of Paul's own experiences and anecdotes and is his tribute to both his father & his son.
In 1981 I went IMSA racing and are driver and Paul were good friends. We were told to call him Paul not Mr Newman it was Paul. I did see a Paul Newman sign picture ones. To a good friend of his and mine. But years later this friend got busted for Dope and Paul was piss and cut off all contact with this person. I try to get a person I knew who was a vary good friend of Newman to get a autograph and Paul wouldn't do it for good friend. One thing Jay did not say was that Paul Could get Crude. I never here him cuss but I did here Paul get Crude. But all in all Paul was a Vary Nice Person.
Fucking Jay. Sit still in your chair TV man. Let the movie maker get a shot of you with your face in focus. :) This brought back all the cool feelings for Newman from your movie Ace. Great work.
Allow me to tell a story of minority immigration. A minority who were highly outnumbered by a factor in the thousands. Being so few, they of course had little power compared to the locals who were of a different race and did not treat them as equals. In fact they treated them sometimes as inferiors. They were in a country of racists. After all these racists held all the power and viewed these newcomers as different and/or inferior. The very definition of a racist culture. Somehow, despite emigrating to a country populated by a huge number of racists, they survived. These oppressed minorities managed to overcome the racists and their, what must be, horrible racist culture(s). After many generations of racial oppression they finally grew in number and eventually overtook their racist neighbors and built there own, new way of life which rejected the culture(s) of those racist scum. These people? The Pilgrims.
