by Paul Gohde
12/1/2011 Iconic Indy Car team Newman/Haas has ceased operations due to financial concerns. The team had been expected to field two entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2012. “The economic climate no longer enables Newman/Haas Racing to participate in open wheel racing at this time,” said team co-founder Carl Haas Thursday from the team’s Lincolnshire, IL headquarters. The team that was founded by Haas and his partner, actor/driver Paul Newman, began competing in Indianapolis-type racing in 1983, winning 8 championships with drivers such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Paul Tracy. Over their 29 years of competition N/H captured 107 race wins. The team competed on the Izod Indy Car Series circuit in 2011 finishing 4th in the standings with driver Oriol Servia. James Hinchcliffe also competed for Newman/Haas Racing and captured the Rookie of the Year honors with three top five finishes and a fourteenth place points finish. An obviously surprised Hinchcliffe posted on his twitter account “Well, today started great…” and later added that he would be “going to update my Xmas wish list.”