Paul Tracy said driving an Indy car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a seven-year break would be as familiar as riding a bicycle.
The outspoken former Champ Car World Series driver sent an early message through the IndyCar Series paddock by turning a lap of 223.089 mph. While the rest of the Indianapolis 500 veterans will join him on the track today, Tracy made his intentions clear.
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Tracy, who hasn’t competed at the Speedway since finishing a career-best second in the controversial 2002 race, predicted a fast lap would come early in the day, but it came earlier than expected. Knowing the No.15 KV Racing Technology car felt right as soon as he entered the third corner of his first lap, he mashed the gas. His third lap was 220 mph. Indystar
He quickly and enthusiastically accepted the invitation from longtime friend Jimmy Vasser, co-owner of KV Racing Technology, to return to the Speedway. Tracy, 40, last competed in an IndyCar Series race last July in Edmonton, Alberta, advancing 11 positions to finish fourth in a Vision Racing-prepared car.
“I just want to race. It’s all I’ve ever done,” said Tracy, who was declared the runner-up to Helio Castroneves in the controversial 2002 500 Mile Race. “I’ve been racing since I was 6 years old and I didn’t want my career to just come to an abrupt stop after racing Indy cars for 16 or 17 years. When the merge happened, my team owner decided to stop and when the music stopped, it kind of left me without any seats to sit in.
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“It’s been very frustrating thinking after all this time my career’s just going to end like that. That’s not the way I wanted it to end. I realize I’m not going to race another 10 years, but I’d like to run a couple more years. I feel I’m competitive. I feel I’ve got the drive. And hopefully something will open up. I know I’m not going to run forever, but I want to have a couple more years and have a shot at it and have something for my fans to remember.” Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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