Paul Newman Races to Support Movie Cars Posted: Feb 01, 2005

Film legend Paul Newman, who celebrated his 80th birthday on January 26, is set to put the pedal to the metal behind the wheel of a Disney and Pixar sponsored racecar on February 4th, at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.  The Academy Award®-winning actor voices the character of Doc, a 1951 Hudson Hornet, for the Disney and Pixar computer animated movie Cars, coming to theaters summer 2006. Newman, who already holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest driver to win a professionally sanctioned race in 1995 at Daytona, is trying to break a new record.

Newman said, "We all like to push the envelope. I just hope the old bones can motor along Fed Ex and not Delayed Delivery. Fortunately, I'll be with a champion bunch of shoes and good race car courtesy of John Lasseter from Pixar as well as the folks at Disney."

Pixar's John Lasseter, director of Cars and an Oscar®-winning director of the Toy Story films and A Bug's Life, added, "When Paul races next week at Daytona, I'll be there cheering him on along with a few others from the Cars production team. It's been a thrill working with him on our movie, and getting a chance to discuss our mutual love of Cars. Moviegoers are going to love hearing Paul's amazing performance as Doc Hudson in Cars, and we're really honored to have him in our cast."

Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, said, "This is the second year that Disney and Pixar are sponsoring Paul's car at Daytona, and we're proud to be associated with this great actor and car enthusiast. Cars is shaping up to be another spectacular movie from John and the Pixar animation team, and a worthy successor to our Oscar® nominated hit, The Incredibles. We'll be rooting for Paul to win at Daytona, and eager for audiences to hear his memorable performance in the film next summer."

Cars, a Disney presentation of a Pixar Film, is scheduled for release in theatres everywhere on June 9, 2006. In Cars, Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie racecar driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On his way across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters -including Sally (a sleek 2002 Porsche voiced by Bonnie Hunt), Doc Hudson (a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, voiced by Paul Newman), and Mater (a rusty but trusty tow truck voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) - who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship. The vocal cast also includes performances by racing celebrity Richard Petty and Cheech Marin.