Deaths on January 23

Paul Aars, American race car driver (b. 1934)

Paul Charles Aars (June 4, 1934 in Curaçao – January 23, 2002 in San Mateo, California) was an American stock car driver. He was born on June 4, 1934, and lived in San Mateo, California.

Aars made one start in the premier division of NASCAR, which was then known as the Grand National Series. On June 1, 1958, he was among the 46 drivers to race in the Crown American 500 at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

He started the 500-mile race in 45th place in a '56 Ford. He finished in 10th place, although he was 32 laps behind the winner of the 190 lap race. The race was won by Eddie Gray who earned $3,225 in winnings. Aars himself only received $200. He finished 67th in points that year. He died from natural causes when he was 67 years old. He was survived by his wife Anita Aars.