Race Car Driver. Born in St. Louis, Missouri. Paul earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the Northwestern University. Paul started as a motorsports journalist for several magazines, including Autoweek and Sports Illustrated, but dreamed of getting behind the wheel. In 1996 Paul was working as a mechanic at the Bridgestone Racing School in Ontario when he won his first races there. In 1998 he moved to Indianapolis and began competing in Barber Dodge Pro Series, and his top 20 finish earned him an invitation to the inaugural Formula Dodge National Championship. He then competed in the Infiniti Pro Series where he captured one race win and placed second in the 2004 championship. He then secured sponsorship to run in the IndyCar Series with sponsorship from Ethanol suppliers, which he brought to Hemelgarn Racing. After competing in 3 IndyCar Series events, Paul suffered a spinal fracture while practicing for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and missed the rest of the season, replaced by Jimmy Kite. He returned to the series to race for Rahal-Letterman Racing after he recovered from his injuries. In the practice session for the first race of the 2006 IndyCar Series season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Paul collided with Ed Carpenter's disabled car after Carpenter's tire went flat, thrusting the car into a retaining wall, before sliding to the bottom of the track. Paul, in the Rahal-Letterman car, was told to "go low" by his spotter. Slow-motion footage showed that Paul had hit debris from Carpenter's car just before impact, which caused damage to the right-front suspension and prevented effective braking. ABC/ESPN's telemetry indicated Paul's car hit Carpenter's car at about 176 mph (283 km/h), while Scott Sharp, who was running alongside Paul, reported that he had slowed to approximately 50 mph (80 km/h) by the time of Paul's impact. Paul was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died due to complications from his injuries sustained in the crash. He was 30 years old, and is survived by his wife Tonya. He had no children.
Race Car Driver. Born in St. Louis, Missouri. Paul earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the Northwestern University. Paul started as a motorsports journalist for several magazines, including Autoweek and Sports Illustrated, but dreamed of getting behind the wheel. In 1996 Paul was working as a mechanic at the Bridgestone Racing School in Ontario when he won his first races there. In 1998 he moved to Indianapolis and began competing in Barber Dodge Pro Series, and his top 20 finish earned him an invitation to the inaugural Formula Dodge National Championship. He then competed in the Infiniti Pro Series where he captured one race win and placed second in the 2004 championship. He then secured sponsorship to run in the IndyCar Series with sponsorship from Ethanol suppliers, which he brought to Hemelgarn Racing. After competing in 3 IndyCar Series events, Paul suffered a spinal fracture while practicing for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and missed the rest of the season, replaced by Jimmy Kite. He returned to the series to race for Rahal-Letterman Racing after he recovered from his injuries. In the practice session for the first race of the 2006 IndyCar Series season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Paul collided with Ed Carpenter's disabled car after Carpenter's tire went flat, thrusting the car into a retaining wall, before sliding to the bottom of the track. Paul, in the Rahal-Letterman car, was told to "go low" by his spotter. Slow-motion footage showed that Paul had hit debris from Carpenter's car just before impact, which caused damage to the right-front suspension and prevented effective braking. ABC/ESPN's telemetry indicated Paul's car hit Carpenter's car at about 176 mph (283 km/h), while Scott Sharp, who was running alongside Paul, reported that he had slowed to approximately 50 mph (80 km/h) by the time of Paul's impact. Paul was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died due to complications from his injuries sustained in the crash. He was 30 years old, and is survived by his wife Tonya. He had no children.
Bio by: Shock
Advertisement
