Indy 500 Intensifies Rivalry As NHLR Resumes Its Quest
May 24, 2008
Ron McQueeney/IMS
Several outfits took good shots at Penske’s supremacy in the series once known as Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). Among them: Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR), founded in 1983 by Oscar-winning actor, philanthropist and racing fanatic Paul Newman and Chicago businessman Carl Haas. Partner Michael Lanigan came aboard last year.
But in their parallel triumphs both teams yearned to race each other without success being qualified. That became reality in late February when open-wheel racing unified under the IRL banner.
NHLR was the first to make IndyCar Series history, in its second start, when Graham Rahal, 19, became American open wheel’s youngest winner. Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 champ and IRL team owner Bobby Rahal, came from behind to win April 6 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sunday’s 92nd Indy 500 only intensifies that rivalry as NHLR resumes its quest for its first Borg-Warner Trophy against the likes of Ganassi, Andretti, Rahal and, of course, Penske. It is a microcosm of the boost in competition and fan interest that open-wheel racing seeks in after the sport’s sometimes bitter split. Should Penske and Newman/Haas/Lanigan lock competitive horns again, that sure couldn’t hurt.
When unification was announced, IndyCar teams rushed to help Champ Car, offering parts, equipment and advice to ease the transition. Bound by a competitive spirit, they figured helping each other makes it more satisfying when they beat each other.
“You can see how good Haas is,” Penske says.
As Mario Andretti says, “We didn’t start off wanting to knock Penske off; we just wanted to show that we could be a force to be reckoned with. … And I think we’ve shown that. Roger definitely wants that challenge.”
IndyCar Series teams have helped by providing new and used equipment to NHLR, Dale Coyne Racing, KV Racing Technology, Conquest Racing and Pacific Coast Motorsports, as well as technical support.
“It’s way too early (to talk about a rivalry) because everything is different,” Haas says. “We’re just getting by. We want to go up against people like Roger, but we’ll take what we can get and work as hard as we can. If everything goes well, it’ll get better because we’ll get better sponsors.”
That Rahal held off Penske’s Castroneves was simply a coincidence.
“A lot of people say we may have lucked into it,” Rahal says. “But it was nice to beat them. Those are guys I’ve looked up to for so long in the past.”
Haas says: “Was there luck involved? Maybe. But so what? He won the race. So we can’t be totally terrible.”
For now, Indy car’s two most successful team owners are happy to see each other on a regular basis. Whether a rivalry is renewed depends as much on Newman/Haas’ acclimation to ovals as Penske’s ability to stay ahead of the pack.
Which, as it turns out, is a bigger concern to Penske than people might think.
