it's been too long

It's been way too long since my last post so here's a fun youtube
Jesea made of the birthday present Gunnar gave to Kevin this year.

917 restoration - post #22 - slideshow #5

Come and experience the
2009 Monterey Historic Races with us!

917 restoration - post #21 - slideshow #4

Ready to leave for the Monterey Historics

August 2, 2009

For more photos, watch the slideshow, which shows
what we did on the car from July 19 - August 2, 2009.

Youtube - 917 Part 22 - Slide Show #4

Paul Newman Week - Watkins Glen 2003

Gunnar Jeannette, Paul Newman & Kyle Petty

Bully Hill Vineyards 250 at Watkins Glen
August 8, 2003 - Gunnar Racing G-99

Paul is about to get in the car - it's hard not to notice his hair & beard.
He was in the middle of filming "Empire Falls", where he played Max Roby.

Here's the 2003 version of that famous P.L.N. helmet.

Time to celebrate - we finished 2nd in class!

"I'd like to be remembered as a guy who tried - who tried to be part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn't complacent, who doesn't cop out."
Paul Newman

Paul Newman Week - sometimes things don't always work out as planned

Kyle Petty, Gunnar Jeannette, Paul Newman, Michael Brockman

2004 Daytona 24 Hours

We had custom driving suits made for all 4 drivers...
They were going to look real cool!
Newman loves his white "camp car" suit, so he had been wearing it during all of the practices, saving the new suit and a new pair of driving shoes for the race. So, now it was time to pose for photos. I tell Paul that he needs to put on his new gear. Paul came out of the trailer and his voice seemed a little higher than normal. Somehow, measurements must have gotten mixed up because I think Paul got Billy Barty's suit. There was no way Paul was zipping the suit past his manhood! So, now he puts his "camp car" suit back on and comes out with his new driving shoes. We noticed a stumble in his stride. He looked at me and said "how can I make these things fit?" (Now remember, we're about to start a 24 hour race).

I said "just cut the ends off"...and he did! Minutes later, the toes are chopped off and he says "they're still too tight"...so he went back to the old shoes and the old suit, but he was now in his comfort zone!

Paul Newman Week - 2006 Moroso Fun Day

February 7, 2006 Paul came to another one of our Fun Days at Moroso Motorsports Park. Here's Kevin & Paul posing by the Gunnar G99. Paul loved to drive this car and he especially loved it because it displayed the logos of all the "Hole in the Wall Gang Camps".

Hole in the Wall Camps and programs serve children that are living with a serious medical condition. The severity of the campers' illnesses varies from child to child. Through intentional programming and therapeutic recreation, traditional camp programs are designed to foster self-confidence, enhance coping and resilience, and help them reach beyond the limits of their medical condition. If you're interested in donating, there may be a camp near you: Double H Ranch, NY; The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, CT; Barretstown, Ireland; Camp Boggy Creek, FL; L'Envol, France; The Painted Turtle, CA; Victory Junction, NC; Over the Wall, United Kingdom; Dynamo Camp, Italy; Ba tor Tabor, Hungary;and Jordan River, Israel.

We always loved putting that smile on Paul's face
by providing him with his favorite race car for an afternoon.

Stan Barrett and Gunnar
One of Paul's good friends, Stan Barrett was also at the track.
"On December 17, 1979 Stan Barrett was strapped into the cockpit of the Budweiser rocket car waiting to make a final run in an attempt to be the first person to drive a land-bound vehicle faster than the speed of sound."

Paul is getting ready for his turn in the G99.

"I've never had any physical grace," Paul insists. "I've done all kinds of sports, boxing, skiing, tennis - everything - and I have no physical grace. The only time I've ever felt graceful doing anything was when I was in a car."

His helmet has evolved a little, but still remains
the same basic design painted by his daughter years ago.

Even though Paul is gone, he'll never be forgotten at Gunnar Racing.

Paul Newman Week - 2000 Daytona Test

It's Paul's turn to jump back into a Porsche.
He has raced RSR's through the years, so he felt
comfortable climbing into our 2000 Porsche GT3-R.

Paul's coming in after his first stint for tire pressures and a chat.

"O.K. Paul, if you want me to be in your next movie,
this is one of my demands...I want to be the hero".

Gunnar is the one who got the most out of the Newman/Jeannette driver pairing. Paul shared his life and racing wisdom with the kid. Here, Paul is telling him about turn 2, or maybe they're just talking about popcorn!

Now they're talking about Newman's movie "Where the Money Is",
starring Paul, Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney.

Legendary bank robber Henry Manning (Newman) pushes his luck too far and ends up in prison, where he suffers a massive stroke. He is transferred to a nursing home, in the care of Carol Ann McKay (Fiorentino), a high school prom queen who married her boyfriend Wayne (Mulroney), the star of her school's football team, and whose glamour days are well behind her. Carol Ann starts to suspect that Henry isn't as sick as he seems, and she and Wayne are soon working with Henry to plan his last and greatest score.

We all got to attend a private screening of the movie
at our local theatre on January 19, 2000.
That was pretty special for us!