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10 things I learned about Walter Payton

From the new biography 'Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton' by Jeff Pearlman, here are 10 memorable stories about the football star.

10. Payton was fast behind the wheel as well

Actor Paul Newman AP

  • By Ross Atkin, Monitor staff writer

Among Payton’s post-retirement pursuits was auto racing, something that drew on his penchant for speeding. (He was pulled over more than 50 times for speeding in Chicago). A lover of fast cars, he tried his hand at racing’s minor-league level.

At one point actor Paul Newman, another racing enthusiast, was looking to find a celebrity replacement for Tom Cruise on his Trans-Am Series racing team. Newman knew nothing of Payton’s football career, but he rode shotgun with him during a spin around the famed Lime Rock track in Connecticut, where Newman lived. Payton’s driving ability proved wanting, as he spun the car twice and left Newman terrified.

Later, while driving at Elkhart Lake, Wis., in a qualifying Round at a Road America race, Payton was involved in an accident that sent his car over the fence and engulfed it in flames. After briefly losing consciousness, he came to and jumped out of the car. He was treated and released from the hospital, but the crash essentially ended his auto racing adventure.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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