He co-owned the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team in the Champ Car and IndyCar Series with Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan.
In 1967, he became the exclusive American importer for Lola Cars and helped the company attain national prominence in the racing world.
His own company, Carl A. Haas Auto Imports, was founded in Lincolnshire, Illinois in 1960,[4] and is involved in racing distribution deals, notably for Hewland gearboxes.
The team won its first CART title with Mario Andretti the next year, and the team went on to win three more series championships: Michael Andretti won in 1991, former Formula 1 World champion Nigel Mansell in 1993, and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta in 2002.
When Michael Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya collided during a practice session for the 1999 race at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan, Haas infamously threw his cigar at Montoya's car owner Chip Ganassi during a confrontation in the garage area.
One of the few car owners ever to record victories in F5000, CART, Champcar and IRL, Haas also participated in race promotion.
He served on CART's Board of Governors until it folded in 2003, and retired as chairman of the SCCA Pro Racing Division in 2001.