Paul Newman missed all opportunities to have a race team.
The 2008 Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone was an IndyCar Series race that was held on August 31 , 2008 on the Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit , Michigan . Paul Leonard Newman ( January 26 , 1925 -- September 26 , 2008 ) was an American actor , IndyCar driver , entrepreneur , and philanthropist . Despite being colorblind , Newman won several national championships as a driver in Sports Car Club of America road racing , and his race teams won several championships in open wheel IndyCar racing .