Newman escapes car fire unscathed

Actor Paul Newman escaped injury when the race car he was testing caught fire following a spin at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Newman was driving a Daytona Prototype sports car for next month's Rolex 24 race when he spun on the road course. said Adam Saal, Grand American Series spokesman. The car didn't hit anything, but when Newman tried to restart the engine it caught fire.

The fire was contained to the engine compartment, and Newman escaped unhurt.

He was taken to the track's infield medical centre and released after a brief checkup.

"I don't know what happened," said Newman, who returned to the track to watch one of his drivers, Sebastian Bourdais, test another car. "I'm fine. It just caught on fire somehow."

Newman first took an interest in auto racing while filming the movie Winning in 1968.