Andretti expected Forsythe exit

Forsythe Championship Racing have announced that they will close down after the Long Beach race because they have been unable to secure sufficient sponsorship to join the unified championship.

But Andretti believes the team's closure has more to do with Gerry Forsythe's co-ownership of the Champ Car World Series - which has now been absorbed into the IRL.

"I wasn't surprised," Andretti said. "I assumed that was going to happen. It was just a gut feel. He's a proud man. There has to be a reason he was doing the things he was doing (in Champ Car), and I just didn't see him caving in to come over here."

Forsythe's closure has left 2003 Champ Car champion Paul Tracy looking for a new drive in the IndyCar Series.

Andretti had a close and sometimes bitter rivalry with Tracy when both raced in Champ Car in the 1990s, and while he admitted that the Canadian would not be a candidate for an AGR drive, Andretti hopes that he can find a seat elsewhere.

"Paul is great and all, but he doesn't have any experience in these cars and he's getting a little old," Andretti said.

"We're looking at 19- and 20-year olds, and he's almost 40. But it would be a shame if he didn't get a ride. I hope to God he gets a ride, I really do.

"I hope somebody picks him up, because he's always good for a story. He's one of those guys you either love or hate, but he's going to get the series out there. He gets press."

There had been uncertainty about Tracy's position at Forsythe during the winter, and he was briefly linked to Tony George's Vision Racing team at that point.

Andretti suggested that Vision - who ran three cars in 2007 but have only announced AJ Foyt IV and Ed Carpenter as 2008 drivers - would be a good destination for Tracy.

"That's the first thing that came to my head," he said. "That would be the best place for him to go."