INDIANAPOLIS — Paul Tracy is doing anything he can to land a ride in the IRL.
He’s calling other teams, shopping his services, even checking with the man who cost him an Indianapolis 500 win.
Tony George, the IRL founder and now owner of Vision Racing, said Tuesday that Tracy’s business manager called Monday seeking help in finding Tracy a ride this season.
“I’d like to see Paul here at Indy,” George said. “If it would be with Vision Racing, that would be great. If it’s with another team, that would be great. It is kind of unfortunate, some would say a travesty that he’s not here today.”
The mere thought of pairing George and Tracy seems unlikely.
Tracy stayed with the former CART series when George founded the IRL, and then in his first race back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002, appeared to take the lead near the end of the Indy 500 by passing Helio Castroneves when there was an accident behind the leaders.
IRL president Brian Barnhart ruled, however, that Tracy’s pass came after the yellow flag had already waved, relegating Tracy to second. The race finished under caution with Castroneves winning his second straight Indy title.
Tracy’s team appealed the ruling, and more than a month after the race ended, George upheld Castroneves’ victory. The Canadian driver has not raced at the historic 2½-mile oval since.
That seemed certain to change this season when the IRL and Champ Car World Series, the successor to CART, announced in February they had agreed to a merger. The long-anticipated move unified America’s two biggest open-wheel series and appeared to pave the way for Champ Car’s most familiar name, Tracy, to run full-time in the IRL.
Instead, Tracy’s team owner, Gerald Forsythe decided not to compete in Indy cars this year and focus on the developmental Atlantic Series. The decision left Tracy, the 2003 CART champ, out of a ride.
Since then, Tracy has been looking elsewhere for an opening. Phone messages were left for Tracy on Tuesday by The Associated Press.
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