EIGHT-TIME CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN RACING TO COMPETE INUNIFIED INDYCAR SERIES IN 2008

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (February 27, 2008) --- Details on the unification ofopen wheel racing in the United States were announced today atHomestead-Miami Speedway, site of the 2008 IndyCar Series season-openeron Saturday, March 29. Following are quotes from the co-owners anddrivers of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing on the unification and theirparticipation in the 2008 IndyCar Series.

Paul Newman, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing:

"When I heard about the reunification, I felt like I had died andgone to heaven. I am very happy that we are going back to the highside."

Carl Haas, co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing:

"We have been loyal supporters of Champ Car but one unified open-wheelseries is best for our sport. Competing in our first full IndyCar seasonwill be one of the biggest challenges our team has faced because of thelimited time frame to prepare for the season and get acclimated to thenew equipment and race tracks. We have only competed in two IndyCarSeries events at the Indianapolis 500 so we face a steep learning curve.It will be a difficult season but we have many talented and dedicatedemployees who will work hard to keep our team competitive."

Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 02 McDonald's entry forNewman/Haas/Lanigan Racing:

"I am very excited about the reunification of open wheel racing andthe opportunity this gives everyone for the future. Not just forourselves, but also for the young drivers coming up. My brother wasthinking of coming over to race in the United States but the uncertaintymade him continue to pursue a career in Europe. This gives open wheelracing an opportunity to prosper again as one entity. We are certainlynot in the same situation, competition-wise, starting the IndyCar Seriesseason as we would have been in Champ Car but Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racingare proven winners and we will all work hard to be as competitive aspossible this season. Now that we are back to one series and we'reracing on ovals and a lot of tracks I don't know there are going tobe a lot of changes but ultimately if we can work our way through theshort term, it is good for open wheel racing. There is opportunity for agreat future."

Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 06 entry for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing:

"I think everyone is glad it is now one series. It puts a lot of thequestions of stability behind us. It will take a while for the trueimpact to be apparent but already we are seeing a lot more interest.You're seeing open wheel racing on the news more than ever andit's positive. The drivers that are truly the best are going tostick around now and the ones that aren't so good are going to haveto work harder to keep their jobs. I was impressed by the amount ofresources the Indy Racing League has from a business standpoint andI'm sure they will all be put to good use to maximize this greatopportunity."

-credit: nhlr