Tracy ready to become serious title contender

Mike Harris

Wednesday, April 5, 2000 | 5:07 a.m.

Paul Tracy isn't just a fast kid any longer.

Tracy, who got a full-time CART ride 10 years ago as a hotshot with a heavy foot, began winning in his second season. But an aggressive driving style and some bad breaks have kept the 31-year-old Canadian from being a solid title contender.

Now, with newfound maturity, the resources of Barry Green's team and a tight rein on his emotions, Tracy is hoping to be more than a pretender in the CART championship race.

"Obviously, we want to win," Tracy said as his team prepared for the Bosch Grand Prix in Nazareth. Pa. "If we can win we are going to try to win, but the focus is really just to keep gathering points all year and being consistent."

Tracy earned two of his 15 career victories last year, and was third in the points race for the third time. He had seven top-three finishes and piled up a career-high 161 points.

Still, that was 52 points short of the championship, won by sensational rookie Juan Montoya. The Colombian driver tied with Tracy teammate Dario Franchitti in the points, but won because he had seven victories to three for the Scot.

It was a relatively quiet year for Tracy, whose combative driving style, combined with occasional lapses in judgment, made him the bad boy of CART. Two instances of rough driving in 1998 prompted a suspension from the season-opening race last year.

A more mature Tracy accepted the penalty and went on. He opened this season with a finish of third behind Max Papis and Roberto Moreno two weeks ago in Homestead, Fla.

"I'm not overly confident, but we had a great season last year," Tracy said. "I've got 14 points, and that certainly puts us ahead of last year."

His position in the standings could be enhanced Sunday at Nazareth Speedway, where he has two career victories. Tracy is well prepared for the .946-mile oval and other venues on the circuit.

"I have done pretty much the lion's share of the testing because of Dario's accident," he said.

Franchitti fractured his pelvis and took a hard hit to the head in a crash during testing in Homestead in February. He made it back in time for the opener, where he managed an 11th-place finish.

"Paul stepped into the breach and did a great job in the testing," Green said. "He handled the situation last year with that lost race about as well as it could be handled, and he has shown a lot of maturity and strength in the last year.

Green thinks Tracy's patience and talent make him a bona fide title contender.

"I don't see why he couldn't win," Green said. "There's incredible competition out there these days, but Paul is right there with the best."

Most of the focus since Tracy joined Green's team in 1998 has been on Franchitti. But Tracy is confident he also can be in the championship picture.

"I think one of the most important things is not to get too overaggressive and end up putting yourself out," Tracy said. "I have been in that situation where I have gotten too aggressive and cost myself some points.

"Obviously, it is a game of calculated risks. There are times when you have to take risks, but do you take it now or later? You have got to measure those."

And do it in a fraction of a second.

"When the opportunity opens up to make a pass, they don't come about very often," Tracy said. "Sometimes, if you go to make that move and then you say, 'Well, maybe I shouldn't do that,' then it is almost too late. That's when an accident happens."

Tracy says the driver who makes the fewest mistakes usually wins the championship.

"Things happen real fast on the racetrack, but experience helps you calculate the risks and make the right decisions," he said.