Tracy re-signs with Team KOOL Green

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 10:11 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Team KOOL Green has announced that Las Vegan Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti will both be back to drive for the high-profile CART Champ car team next year, and that Tracy will definitely be with the team for the long haul.

Tracy, a two-time winner in 2000 and currently sixth in the CART point standings, has signed a contract with the team which will carry him through the 2005 racing season.

Franchitti, who recently tested in England with Jaguar's Formula One Racing Team, has elected to return to Team KOOL Green for the 2001 season.

"The signing of Paul Tracy to a long-term contract and attracting Dario Franchitti to remain for another year were both made possible by a long-term deal provided to the team by the principal sponsor, KOOL," said team owner Barry Green.

Tracy, 31, has been a CART driver since 1991 and is in his third season with Team KOOL Green. He has 17 career wins (four since joining Team KOOL Green) and 13 career poles, ranking him second among active drivers in those categories.

"It's great to be back with Team KOOL Green and to know I'm going to be here for a long time," Tracy said as the team geared up for Sunday's CART race in Vancouver, B.C.

More than 75 cars from the West Coast are expected to compete for the $15,950 in posted awards on the newly configured 3/8-mile paved oval.

Last year, 56 drivers, including several Winston West regulars, tried to qualify for one of the 26 starting positions.

Pit gates open on race day at 1 p.m. Practice is scheduled from 2-4:30, and qualifying will begin at 5. The StarNursery.com Twin 70s is slated to start at 8:45.

Beginning with this Saturday night's racing card at The Bullring at LVMS, fans attending the event will be able to adopt puppies that will be brought to the facility from the Animal Foundation.

The puppies will be kept in a pen in the Chris Trickle Children's Park. Anyone wishing to adopt a puppy can pick out a dog anytime during the evening. At the conclusion of the racing action, the new "parents" will be allowed to take their new pets home.

Coupons for $5 off admission can be picked up at the T-Bird Lounge at Eastern and Wigwam or at any of the three City Stop convenience stores.

Race fans can purchase tickets at the speedway ticket office, at The Bullring on event nights, by calling 644-4444 or by visiting the speedway's satellite ticket outlet at Race Rock on Fremont Street.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and military and $10 for children 6-12 without the coupon. Children 5-under are free.

The events, which will count toward the IMCA Modified season championship, will be held on back-to-back Friday nights. The first event is Sept. 22 and the other is Sept. 29.

Tickets will be $5 and will include access to the pit and grandstand areas.

Freeman, SCORE's only female regular driver of record, leads the Class 1-2/1600 standings while Herbst, the youngest of three racing brothers who own a variety of Southern Nevada businesses, continues to lead the unlimited Class 1 point battle.

The 2000 season ends with SCORE's salute to the new millennium -- the once-in-a-lifetime Tecate SCORE Baja 2000, A Race For The Ages, to run the length of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, Nov. 10-16.