Carl Haas

Who is Carl Haas?

Carl A. Haas is an American auto racing impresario. He co-owned the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team in the IndyCar Series with Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan. He also owned Carl A. Haas Motorsports, which competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as the Haas Lola Formula One team.

Born in Chicago, Haas began racing sports cars in 1952 and won numerous races driving Ferraris, Porsches, MGs, and Jaguars. 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 U.S. importer for Lola cars and helped the company attain national prominence in the racing world. His own company, Carl A. Haas Auto Imports, 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, and David Hobbs. His Super Vee driver, Eddie Miller, won the series title. In 1985, he ran the Haas Lola Formula One team, using a chassis built by FORCE. He also co-owned a NASCAR Winston Cup Series team with Travis Carter for eight seasons.