Racing News: Paul Tracy speaks his mind

From colonoscopies to crapwagons, from Captain Quebec to battles with The Captain, Paul Tracy has stamped his singular blend of trash-talk and self-deprecating humor, jaw-dropping brilliance, raw will-to-win and, yes, mind-boggling bungles on racetracks and record books, in newspapers, magazines and cyberspace but, most of all, in the hearts and minds of race fans throughout North America.
No, that sells PT short. Make that the hearts and minds of race fans around the world. Walk into any racetrack from Assen to Road America, Jacarepaugua to Jarama, Indianapolis to Imola, Montreal to Motegi, Toronto to Talladega, Zandvoort to Zolder, mention the name Paul Tracy and you’ll get a reaction. It won’t always be positive, let alone complimentary, but that’s beside the point. For the past two decades, the force of nature known as PT has made the the words “Paul Tracy” synonymous with motor racing in much the same way as do the words “Mario Andretti,” “Dale Earnhardt,” “Ayrton Senna,” “Parnelli Jones” and “Steve Kinser” in some or most parts of the world. Particularly Canada.
Who knows what greater place in the broad popular consciousness Tracy might have achieved (for himself and his sport) had Indy car racing not squandered two-thirds of his career in a self-indulgent, destructive internecine feud?What is certain is that, as of today, Tracy is on the outside looking-in as his sport tries to heal its wounds. The eleventh hour “merger” of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, coupled with Gerald Forsythe’s decision to shut down Forsythe/Pettit Racing’s IndyCar program, has left Tracy searching for viable options. The two-car Champ Car teams transitioning to the IndyCar Series have no room for him and the singleton efforts lack the time, budget, manpower and/or equipment for a second car. Others are even worse off. Ask Derrick Walker. Likewise, there’s no place for PT at the existing IndyCar Series teams with real budgets like Andretti Green (add a fifth car?) or Target/Ganassi. Penske? I think not.
The rest face budgetary and equipment “challenges” similar to those of their Champ Car brethren. Thus the 39-year-old Tracy says, “I woke up the other morning and realized this could be how my career ends. I feel like the guy who bought a tuxedo, rented a limo and got his shoes polished for the prom . . . and then realized he doesn’t have a date.
“I mean, I’m the winningest active driver (31 wins), the one with the most starts (261). I’ve been racing Indy cars for 18 seasons. I’m excited about reunification, doing my part to get the sport going in the right direction again and winning back the fans. But it’s like I’m at the train station, standing on the platform watching the train pull away and everybody’s waving good-bye.”
It is a telling commentary on the damage done to Indy car racing that its winningest active driver, one (arguably) second only to Danica Patrick when it comes to name recognition, may face an enforced retirement at the time the sport needs him most. There are no existing sponsors or front-rank teams with the resources to hire him. Recall that, ten years ago, when Roger Penske fired Tracy well into the off-season, Barry Green and KOOL added PT to Team KOOL Green faster than you could can say “The Thrill from West Hill.”
Now the teams that do have or could make room for Tracy are asking him to bring along money, most likely from Monster, the energy drink company that signed him to a personal services deal last year.
“The teams that are looking for money, I wouldn’t approach Monster about because it would be a waste of their money,” says Tracy. “I’m not looking for a 10-year hand-out from Tony George, the IRL or anybody. I just want to race a couple more years and help get Indy car racing re-established, especially in Toronto, then retire on my own terms, do a farewell season or something. I had an exit plan with Jerry (Forsythe), but he needs to supply me with a car and, obviously, that’s not happening.
“What rides are available are going to field-fillers and paying drivers. I feel like I’ve put in the time, had success and built a fan base. With what I can bring to the series, I don’t think I should be expected to pay for a ride.
“We all know one of the problems the sport has faced over the years; the sport keeps shuffling out its stars whether they want to retire or not. You look at NASCAR . . . guys like Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte and Mark Martin get to finish their careers the way they want.”The irony of the situation is that, late last year, when he and Forsythe were at loggerheads over his contract (a five-year deal signed in early ’06), Tracy was rumored to be close to an IndyCar Series deal for ’08. Then he and Forsythe resolved their differences shortly after Christmas, and all seemed set to go in ’08 . . . until the reunification process went to warp speed in February.
There is another dimension to the story, of course. Tracy didn’t exactly cover himself in glory the past couple of Champ Car seasons. AJ Allmendinger convincingly outpaced him – no, he flat-out kicked PT’s behind—during his brilliant but brief sojourn with Forsythe’s team in ’06. Then last year Tracy scored but one opportunistic win in a season that was otherwise short on results and long on crash damage. In PT’s defense, the team got off on the wrong foot by only running one of the new Panoz DP01s in winter testing. Then Tracy got hurt at Long Beach, missed a couple of races and only started to get going again after ex-PKV technical director Tom Brown joined the team, witness PT’s second row start at Surfers Paradise and fifth-place finish at Mexico City. That said, the last thing any team needs in what figures to be a year when chassis and spare parts are at premium is a big crash damage bill.
But, the first thing the sport of Indy car racing needs to do in 2008 is start repairing the damage wrought by the past 12 years . . . rebuilding its fan base, re-establishing a meaningful presence on television, regenerating attention from not just the racing media but the general sports media and offering value to sponsors. It won’t happen overnight, if it happens at all. If it is to happen, however, the task will be immeasurably easier with Paul Tracy around to liven things up. From that perspective, you can’t begin to put a price on how much he’d bring to Indy car racing. Again.
info courtesy of www.speedtv.com, pictures courtesy of me!