Paul Newman’s versatility was legendary. He could be drunken trial lawyer Frank Galvin in The Verdict, swashbuckling hockey brawler Reggie Dunlop in Slap Shot, pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money. His best role, however, might’ve been when he was playing himself: racing driver Paul Newman. He fell in love with racing late in life and didn’t start racing seriously until he was in his late forties. He might’ve been the greatest actor of his generation. But he also took second in a Porsche 935 at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans.
To celebrate the late star’s birthday, we offer up this exclusive video: two comic icons Jay Leno and Adam Carolla (both monster players in the car world) bat Newman’s racing legacy back and forth. The clip is an outtake from the Carolla produced and directed documentary Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman (2015). You can see the whole movie here. And…action!
