Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Tracy joins Carpentier on Player’s

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

For the fourth straight season, Team Player's will feature an all-Las Vegas driver lineup -- but with a different look.

The longtime CART team made official on Tuesday what had been speculated for months when it announced that Paul Tracy would join Patrick Carpentier as the team's drivers for the 2003 season. Tracy and Carpentier both live in Las Vegas.

Tracy replaces another Las Vegas resident, Alex Tagliani, who remains under contract with Team Player's but does not yet have a ride for 2003.

"I've driven for some great teams since I've been in the CART series, but as a Canadian driver I'm extremely proud to be joining Team Player's -- not just for the patriotic angle but also because of the quality of the staff on the team and the presence of a teammate for whom I have a great deal of respect," Tracy said.

Carpentier, who just completed his fifth season with Team Player's, enjoyed the best season of his career. The 31-year-old posted two wins and finished a career-high third in the championship.

Tracy comes to Team Player's after spending the past five seasons with Team Kool Green. Tracy elected to remain in CART after teammate Michael Andretti purchased the team earlier this year and announced he would compete in the rival Indy Racing League in 2003. Tracy, who had one victory this season and finished second in the controversial Indianapolis 500, ranks second among active CART drivers with 19 career wins.

Bob Bexon, president and chief operating officer of Players Ltd., said he is trying to find a ride for Tagliani with another CART team. There is speculation that Tagliani may wind up as a teammate to Bruno Junqueira next season with Newman/Haas Racing.

Rahal said he is continuing to negotiate with Shell to continue its sponsorship of the team's second car, which was driven this season by Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser.